Deaf Republic at Noorderzon Festival of Performing Arts, Groningen

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. 

Created in collaboration with Sign Language poet Zoë McWhinney, and told through a mix of spoken English, Sign Language, creative captioning and silence, Deaf Republic brings together an ensemble of deaf and hearing actors, alongside aerial performers, puppetry, live cinema and poetry.

“Deaf Republic is avant-garde theatre at its most exciting: daring, intricate and, above all, beautiful, full of images that seem plucked straight from the dark unconscious.” ★★★★★ Irish Times

Tickets go on sale 6 June. 

View the full Noordezon Festival Programme here: https://www.noorderzon.nl/en/programme-2026