Paula Garfield News

New play The Promise, which has its world premiere at Birmingham Rep this week, looks at the intersectionality of dementia and deafness through the experiences of one family, and highlights the urgent need for more understanding and care options.

Deafinitely Theatre, Birmingham Rep and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre have announced the full cast for the world première of The Promise written by Deafinitely Theatre's Artistic Director Paula Garfield and Melissa Mostyn. The Promise is a new play also directed by Garfield in the company's renowned highly visual style combining British Sign Language and Spoken English.

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Deafinitely Theatre, in collaboration with Graeae Theatre Company, have announced the launch of a new, 5-day BSL Acting Intensive course in July 2024.

Can Bears Ski? explores the experiences of both hearing and Deaf characters and promotes familiarising relevant language such as ‘hearing’, ‘Deaf’, ‘British Sign Language’, ‘fingerspelling’, ‘lipreading’, ‘hearing aid’ – as well as modelling appropriate language and promoting positive representation, as advocated by the Deaf community.

Deafinitely Theatre, the UK's first deaf led theatre company, is launching their new digital streaming service Deafinitely Digital which will host some of their most celebrated productions to date.  

I first heard about the book Can Bears Ski? on the BBC news. I thought a play inspired by the story of Little Bear, who was born deaf, would be a perfect chance to bring awareness to our young audience, developing empathy and greater understanding of diversity in the world around them, in a delightful and fun way.

The Pied Piper Theatre Company and Deafinitely Theatre have announced the full cast of the Can Bears Ski? bythe award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus in a new adaptation for the stage by Tina Williams.

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has announced its Spring/Summer 2024 Season, opening April 2024 with Minority Report. Learn more about the full season and how to get tickets here!

DEAFINITELY THEATRE announces 'The Promise,' a story of a deaf woman living with dementia. Co-produced with Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, this new piece of writing is directed by Paula Garfield and written by Melissa Mostyn. Performances run from April to May 2024.

Additional shows have been added to the Hackney Empire's upcoming seasons. Tickets for these shows will go on sale on Friday 21 July at 10am, with tickets to Ed Gamble: Hot Diggity Dog on sale from Friday 28 July at 10am.

Marking International Sign Language Day 2023, Deafinitely Theatre presents a special charity fundraising performance of V's acclaimed The Vagina Monologues in British Sign Language (BSL) and Spoken English directed by Paula Garfield.

The Pied Piper Theatre Company and Deafinitely Theatre have announced a UK tour of award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus' Can Bears Ski? in a new adaptation for the stage by Tina Williams, Artistic Director of the Pied Piper Theatre Company, who will co-direct the production with Paula Garfield, Artistic Director of Deafinitely Theatre.

The world premiere staged reading of Belly of the Beast by Saana Sze, winner of the 2022 ETPEP Award, plays for one night at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre on Saturday, 15 April 2023 at 7.30pm.  

Now in its 20th year, Deafinitely Theatre, led by Artistic Director Paula Garfield, today announces Rose Ayling-Ellis as patron of Deafinitely Youth Theatre, where she started her acting journey in 2012, before moving up to Deafinitely Theatre's HUB development programme to further develop her training.

Actions can speak louder than words - a proverb that's especially relevant with the new release of Deafinitely Theatre's final two films of its Talking Hands series.

As part of its 20th Anniversary celebrations, Deafinitely Theatre, in association with Paines Plough, today release the final two films in their Talking Hands series. The short films are each performed in British Sign Language and were created as a response to the deaf experience of the coronavirus pandemic, extending Deafinitely Theatre's commitment to providing opportunities to deaf artists at a time when creative live theatre wasn't possible.

The National Theatre has announced two further productions to be staged this winter, Shakespeare's Othello and Kerry Jackson a new play by April De Angelis, both going on sale to the public on 21 July.

All new photos have been released for the upcoming production of Deafinitely Theatre’s Everyday, written and directed by Paula Garfield that opens tonight at New Diorama Theatre and runs until 11 June, ahead of a national tour visiting Birmingham Rep (16-18 June) and York Theatre Royal (21-22 June) before culminating at Northern Stage (24-25 June).

Deafinitely Theatre, led by Artistic Director Paula Garfield, today announce the full line-up for their 20th Anniversary Season. First in the line-up is James Baldwin's innovative new show, staged on board a bus, Getting There, produced by Toucan Theatre and Oxford Playhouse, in association with Deafinitely Theatre and Be Free Young Carers.

Ahead of their 20th anniversary in 2022 and the world première Everyday, Deafinitely Theatre, in association with Paines Plough, today announce a new initiative, Talking Hands, which launches with three new short films performed in British Sign Language.