“Kevin Gleeson’s droning sound design is gorgeous and primal.”
Time Out Magazine

“The plush textures of Kevin Gleeson’s sound design often blur and muffle the speaking world. Townsquare chatter and traffic envelop us, then falls silent.”
The Guardian

“The bride spins in ghostly blue light to a warped, underwater version of Dancing Queen. Kevin Gleeson’s sound design transforms the familiar melody into something decaying and half-remembered.”
The Irish Times

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, 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 a co-production with Royal Court Theatre in association with Dublin Theatre Festival and Complicité. It premiered at Royal Court Theatre Downstairs on September 4th 2025.

Adaptation by DEAD CENTRE and ZOË MCWHINNEY
Stage Design JEREMY HERBERT
Sound Design & Composition KEVIN GLEESON
Costume MAE LEAHY
Light AZUSA ONO
Video GRANT GEE