Rita is really confused.
She can’t understand why the deaf education system she’s tirelessly championed throughout her teaching career is getting worse and worse, or why there is only one care home in the whole of England that looks after people in her language. On the Isle of Wight.
She’s also confused about where her family is, and why she can’t remember where the milk goes…
This striking world première from the nationally acclaimed British theatre company Deafinitely Theatre (The Vagina Monologues, Everyday and 4.48 Psychosis) is inspired by the extraordinary experiences of deaf people living with dementia.
Written by Paula Garfield and Melissa Mostyn, The Promise is directed by Paula Garfield in the company’s renowned highly visual style combining British Sign Language and English.
In association with Manchester British Sign Language Festival 2024.
BSL Video
What the audience think
Production images
‘Stunning and poetic, this show is an inclusive masterpiece of visual theatre.’West End Best Friend
‘The team has crafted the most beautiful piece of art, this show deserves to be seen by the masses’Theatre and Tonic
‘A powerful, moving and important piece of theatre’What’s On Live
‘An engaging, necessary play that depicts experiences which are hugely underrepresented. It's rarely an easy watch, but it’s an important one.’Broadway World
‘Profoundly moving and disturbing in equal measure, it asks us very compellingly what kind of a society we have if we cannot care for its most vulnerable.’Whatsonstage
‘The Promise is a timely reminder that behind the statistics lie real people who have to live with the consequences.’British Theatre Guide
‘Delicately expressive performances and beautifully crafted effects.’The Guardian
‘Deafinitely Theatre have become renowned for producing exquisite, culturally significant visual theatre.’Disability Arts Online
