Deaf Republic Tickets

Deaf Republic Tickets at the Royal Court Theatre

War and resistance collide in Deaf Republic, a bold and breathtaking new play adapted from Ilya Kaminsky’s award-winning poetry collection. This visually stunning and politically charged modern fable is at the Royal Court Theatre for a limited season this spring.

In a ground-breaking collaboration between acclaimed theatre company Dead Centre and Sign Language poet Zoë McWhinney, Deaf Republic fuses spoken English, British Sign Language (BSL), creative captioning and silence into a thrilling theatrical experience.

What is Deaf Republic about?

A single gunshot transforms a town forever. In an unnamed occupied territory, a deaf boy is killed by soldiers for disobeying an order he couldn’t hear. The next morning, the townspeople wake up deaf, and begin to resist.

Deaf Republic is a powerful allegory of war, oppression and community, where language becomes a weapon, and silence a shield. As the town’s resistance grows, so too does a new way of communicating - one born out of necessity, solidarity and defiance.

Adapted from Kaminsky’s celebrated poems, the play captures both the sweep of history and the intimate human cost of conflict. It’s about resilience in the face of cruelty, and the ways people come together when everything else is being torn apart.

Cast and Creatives Behind Deaf Republic

This is the Royal Court debut of internationally renowned company Dead Centre, known for their daring, formally inventive work including Chekhov’s First Play and Lippy. Here, they collaborate with BSL poet and performer Zoë McWhinney to create a fully integrated piece for both deaf and hearing audiences.

Adapted from the poems of Ukrainian-American author Ilya Kaminsky - described by The New York Times as “a contemporary epic” - Deaf Republic combines visual theatre, physical storytelling and poetic narrative to extraordinary effect.

The ensemble features both deaf and hearing performers, working across multiple forms: aerial movement, puppetry, live video and sign language poetry. It’s theatre that speaks, signs and sings from every corner of the stage.

A Visually Rich, Accessible Production

Accessibility is at the heart of Deaf Republic. Designed for a broad range of deaf and hearing audiences, the production integrates BSL, captioning and non-verbal storytelling into the very fabric of the show. It’s not just accessible theatre; it’s accessible by design.

This is a rare opportunity to experience a theatrical world where spoken and signed languages share the spotlight, and where silence becomes an act of power, not absence.

Book Deaf Republic Tickets at Royal Court

Blending poetic vision with bold theatricality, Deaf Republic is an unmissable story of collective resistance, loss and hope. Book your tickets now and be part of a production where every gesture tells a story - and every silence resounds.