Deafinitely Theatre announces 20th anniversary production, ‘Everyday’

Deaf theatre company Deafinitely Theatre, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, has shared details of the production which will mark the milestone.

Everyday, co-produced by London’s New Diorama Theatre, draws upon interviews carried out by artistic director Paula Garfield with deaf woman who have experienced domestic abuse in the community.

“Four women come together to perform a ritual of community and catharsis. Gathering up true stories of deaf women’s experiences of surviving abuse, they form a witches’ coven like no other – with a cauldron of newt’s eyes and butterflies, deep scars and blazing signs,” a description of the play reads.

Deaf women are twice as likely to experience domestic abuse compared to their hearing peers, with the charity Women’s Aid citing the statistic that around 22 Deaf women are at risk of abuse every day.

The world premiere will continue Deafinitely Theatre’s bilingual style, combining British Sign Language (BSL) with English.

The show will first be performed at the New Diorama Theatre, where the company debuted their acclaimed production of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis in 2018 and revived it a year later.

It’ll run at the London venue from 17 May to 11 June 2022, in the final part of the theatre’s 10th anniversary season. Tickets are on sale now.

David Byrne, the New Diorama’s artistic director, said: “We’re glad to have three of the very best – Kandinsky, Rhum + Clay and Deafinitely Theatre – back home to celebrate this moment with us, each with their best work yet.”

Free slices of pizza will be available after every performance, with a £15 concessionary rate for deaf audience members.

A ‘babes-in-arms’ performance is due to take place at 2pm on Thursday 9 June.

Everyday will then be performed at the Northern Stage in Newcastle on 24 and 25 June, with further UK tour dates across two weeks “to be announced”.

Details of the cast and creative team for the production are also set to be shared “soon”.

As well as their production of Everyday, Deafinitely Theatre will release a film project called “Talking Hands”, in association with Paines Plough.

In a YouTube video announcing the company’s plans, Paula said: “We’ve commissioned a number of deaf writers to create short films that showcase their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

“These films will shine a light on their experiences and will feature a number of deaf actors performing in them.”

The videos are set to be made available online “very soon”, she added.

Commenting on the upcoming anniversary of Deafinitely Theatre, Paula continued: “I’m so proud of all of Deafinitely Theatre’s achievements over the last 20 years and I am so excited to bring this new devised play – Everyday – to audiences.

“It feels as if we’re going right back to our roots, as we began Deafinitely Theatre 20 years ago with devised plays, showcasing deaf people’s experiences and stories.

“Next year we will present this brand new, devised work and I can’t wait to share this new play with you all.”

More information about Everyday can be found on Deafinitely Theatre’s website.

Photo: Guy J Sanders/Deafinitely Theatre

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.

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Note: If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, help and support is available. SignHealth’s domestic abuse team can be contacted on 07800 003421 (SMS) and da@signhealth.org.uk. More information is also available on the NHS website.