Watch: Definitely Theatre plays online for free!

Some of Deafinitely Theatre’s most acclaimed plays will be made available online on the company’s YouTube channel to watch for free between April and June, during the coronavirus crisis.

The plays are:

April: Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost (2012)

May: George Brant’s Grounded (2015)

June: Mike Bartlett’s Contractions (2017).

All productions are performed in British Sign Language and Spoken English.

Artistic Director of Deafinitely Theatre, Paula Garfield said:

“We are in precarious times – probably the most difficult and unusual of this century, and many people are struggling. It is therefore important that we find a way to survive and connect beyond physical contact and culture remains a vital way for us to come together, even when we can’t congregate in theatres or galleries.  Deafinitely Theatre is thrilled to make digitally available three of our recent plays to give audiences a chance to see, or revisit, these acclaimed bilingual productions. Each will be available for free for one month on Deafinitely’s YouTube channel.”

More information about each production, its stars and creative team, below:

Deafinitely Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe present

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST

By William Shakespeare

Cast: Charly Arrowsmith (Rosaline); Adam Bassett (Don Armado); Stephen Collins (Ferdinand);

Brian Duffy (Boyet); Patricia Gorman (Katharine/Jaquenetta); Matthew Gurney (Berowne);

Vitalis Katakinas (Dumaine/Holofernes); Dona Mullings (Maria/Moth);

Nadia Nadarajah (Princess of France); David Sands (Longaville/Costard)

Director: Paula Garfield; Set Designer: Simon Heap; Costume Designer: Fiona Albrow;

Sound Designer: Phillippa Herrick; Creative Interpreter: Kate Furby;

Musician: Jon Whitton; Musician: Flora Curzon; Director for the Screen: Ian Russell

“Definitely, I’d say, theatre for everyone.”

★★★★

The Guardian

Presented at Shakespeare’s Globe for the World Shakespeare Festival in May 2012, Deafinitely Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost then toured the UK as part of the Globe to Globe Festival, in which each of Shakespeare’s 37 plays were shown in a different language. By translating the rich, pun-riddled text of Love’s Labour’s Lost into the physical language of BSL, Deafinitely Theatre created a new interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedy, accessible to theatregoers of all backgrounds. This is the first time this has been attempted with a full Shakespeare play.

The court of Navarre: the King and his three Lords vow to stay away from wine, women and luxury; but when the princess and her ladies from France arrive, they begin to change their minds. As each gives in to his affections and breaks his oath, they all try – unsuccessfully – to keep their love secret from each other.

Love’s Labour’s Lost was filmed at Shakespeare’s Globe.

Deafinitely Theatre present

GROUNDED

By George Brant

Cast: Nadia Nadarajah (The Pilot); Charmaine Wombwell (Voice of The Pilot)

Director: Paula Garfield; Designer: Paul Burgess; Lighting Designer: Jack Knowles

Sound Designer: Chris Bartholomew; Choreographer: Ramesh Meyyappan

“Stylishly designed and delivered”

★★★★

The Guardian

An unexpected pregnancy ends a fighter pilot’s career in the sky. Reassigned to operate military drones from a windowless trailer outside Las Vegas, she hunts terrorists by day and returns for her family each night. As the pressure to track a high-profile target mounts, the boundaries begin to blur between the desert in which she lives and the one she patrols half a world away.

Originally a one-woman show, Deafinitely Theatre’s production uses two actors to creatively combine British Sign Language, visual storytelling and the spoken word.

Grounded was filmed at Park Theatre.

Age guidance: 16+

Please be aware that there may be scenes that some audiences find distressing.

Deafinitely Theatre and New Diorama Theatre present

CONTRACTIONS

By Mike Bartlett

Cast: Fifi Garfield (The Manager); Abigail Poulton (Emma)

Director: Paula Garfield; Designer: Paul Burgess; Lighting Designer: Joe Hornsby

Sound Designer: Chris Bartholomew; Visual Consultant: Brian Duffy 

“A deeply affecting psychological thriller”

★★★★

The Stage

‘It’s very important that you stay healthy.

That the environment you work in is safe.

That you feel comfortable, and secure.

That you feel balanced, safe, and in control.’

Are your employers concerned about your welfare? Do they have a duty of care? Emma thinks so, but when she begins a relationship with colleague Darren her Manager suggests she might be in breach of contract. A series of bizarre meetings follow, during which the consequences of Emma’s actions take on a disturbing quality… A dark comedy about faceless corporations, nameless management and the boundaries between work and play.

Deafinitely Theatre’s Contractions, was the first professional revival of the play in London since its debut at the Royal Court Theatre in 2008.

Contractions was filmed at New Diorama Theatre.

Age guidance: 16+

Please be aware that there may be scenes that some audiences find distressing.

Please find images here – https://we.tl/t-T1DeKzNXcF