Donna Williams: “A powerful, poetic performance.” Extraordinary Wall of Silence theatre review – Bristol Old Vic

A stark set with nowhere to hide. A talented cast of passionate actors. Compelling stories based on true life interwoven with snippets of history.

I went to see Extraordinary Wall of Silence by Ad Infininatum at the Bristol Old Vic and it did not disappoint. Performed in British Sign Language with an English voiceover and using a physical style of theatre, this show takes audiences on an educational, visually arresting journey. 

This show has been in development since 2015 and the project included interviews with deaf people about their life experiences, eventually collecting over 40 hours’ worth of material.

Sifting through these real-life stories, the company created three main narratives that were not based on any one story but combined elements from them, thus giving the interviewees anonymity while making sure this show was true to deaf people’s experiences of communication – lack thereof – and oppression in the hearing world. 

The cast, David Ellington, Matthew Gurney, Moira Ann MacAuslan and Deborah Pugh bring to life the various narratives, switching between characters in a seemingly effortless way that you know must have taken some rehearsal.

There’s no doubting their commitment as they portray fear, sadness, anger, tenderness, humour and everything in between as they take us from the banning of sign language in deaf education at the Milan conference on education of the deaf in 1880 up to the present day. 

It was a treat to see the show being led by the BSL and the physical style of theatre for which Ad Infininatum is known being used to enhance the signs and images being created.

I found it very visually effective and it reminded me of group poems in sign language and visual vernacular where each member of the group takes on part of the poem or visual image being depicted. 

No inch of the set was left uncovered as the cast moved, ran and narrated through the various stories, with the state of Matthew Gurney’s vest by the end a testament to how hard they were all working physically.

Scene changes were smooth and cleverly done, telegraphed with a simple pose and a lighting change and we were off again, at breakneck speed into the next part. It was no holds barred as the cast did not shy away from addressing various issues, instead taking them on head on. 

Extraordinary Wall of Silence is educational, it’s an immersive theatrical experience where BSL is supreme, it’s powerful, as only passionately-performed shows based on true stories can be and it’s visually captivating.

Extraordinary Wall of Silence is at Salisbury until tomorrow, Saturday 26th October. There will be a tour in 2020. 

More information: https://ad-infinitum.org/extraordinary-wall-of-silence