Theatre is all about communication, but what do you do if you can’t hear or speak or even lip read? 

Extraordinary Wall of Silence, created and performed by a hugely talented cast of three deaf and one hearing actor delivers the vital ingredients of being able to entertain while educating.  The concept of hearing and the lack of it combined with the way that humans communicate when what is perceived as ‘normal’ speech and language are not readily available is integral to this piece. 

Building on testimonies from real deaf people, Ad Infinitum company explore the  otherwise untapped world of Deaf Culture, revealed in turn as Alan, Graham and Helen are told that they are broken and must be fixed. The telling reveals many simple truths which have been silenced in the same brutal way that deaf people have been throughout the modern era.

Who knew that sign language was effectively outlawed in 1880 in a now notorious Milan Congress of Education?   ‘Oralism’ was to be the only acceptable way for deaf people to communicate; trying to use spoken or written language taught by forcing people to adopt to what was seen as the norm and if they didn’t to face ridicule, oppression and violence.

The three stories are unfolded in scenes from the 1960s to the current age while common refrains start to emerge; that deaf people are seen as inferior or stupid and need to conform by undergoing ruthless therapy or even invasive and painful surgery.

Deborah Pugh narrates the whole story in a bravura performance while David Ellington, Moira Anne McAuslan and Matthew Gurney are focal points of each narrative.  Each one is fantastic, and all the more so when realising that apart from Pugh, each is themselves a deaf person. 

The combination of swirling choreographed production, expertly marshalled by Director George Mann, with the equally balletic use of British Sign Language gives the performance an energy all of its own.  Scenes take on a unique symbolism demonstrating the lack of ownership and isolation that it seems only mime can truly conquer. 

Surprisingly for a show based around a lack of hearing, the excellent sound design by Sam Halmarack is an essential element of the show.  Perfectly cued sound powerfully underlines the lost sense that deaf people inevitably experience.  Scenes of violence reverberate around the walls of the theatre while music loses its melodic charm when experienced by the deaf.  

All four actors combine impressively as the characters stories are told, with Pugh providing constancy in each scene for a hearing audience, while the often haunting accounts are explored and made equally accessible to others.  

The freedom from using sign language and the emotion it brings when shackles imposed by a lack of communication resonate in a show that breaks down barriers as well as taboos.

Extraordinary Wall of Silence opens up our hearts, our minds and our ears so that we can finally let the voice of deaf people be heard.   ★★★★☆      Bryan Mason   10th October 2019