Deaf Republic by Dead Centre & Zoë McWhinney

Start date: 29th August 2025
End date: 13th September 2025
Time: 1:30 pm
Location: Royal Court Theatre
August | September

Date: Fri 29 Aug – Sat 13 Sep
Time: Monday – Friday: 7.30pm
Thursdays: 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Saturdays: 1.30pm and 6.30pm 

Venue: Royal Court Theatre
Price: From £15
More info/booking: royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/deaf-republic


A gunshot in occupied territory. A deaf boy is killed for disobeying orders he couldn’t hear. The next day, the whole town wakes up deaf. 

Adapted from the poems of Ukrainian-American author Ilya Kaminsky, Deaf Republic is an epic modern fable of war, humanity and collective resistance.

World-renowned theatre company Dead Centre make their Royal Court debut, collaborating with Sign Language poet Zoë McWhinney. Told through a mix of spoken English, British Sign Language (BSL), creative captioning and silence, Deaf Republic brings together an ensemble of deaf and hearing actors, aerial performers, puppetry, live cinema and poetry.

A contemporary epic… captures the sweep of history and the devastation of war’ New York Times on Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic

‘A pure theatrical thrill-ride… wildly playful’ The Guardian on Chekhov’s First Play by Dead Centre