Where Our Shadows Meet

An intergenerational story about love, loss and language, told with physical storytelling, live instrumental music, New Zealand Sign Language, and spoken English. This piece is performed by a Deaf and hearing cast and designed to be accessible for d/Deaf and hearing audiences.

When you and your father don’t share the same language…

A daughter sits in an empty bedroom desperately moulding a friend out of bed sheets.

A father sits on the floor of his home, holding his baby girl, whispering ‘everything will be fine’.

The collision of two worlds, two languages, and the pursuit of meeting in the space between.

Seeking connection and meaningful communication, a whole new world explodes from the daughter’s hands, where lines of the imagined and the real start to blur.

A story about love, loss and language, told with physical storytelling, live music, New Zealand Sign Language, and spoken English. This piece is performed by a Deaf and hearing cast and designed to be accessible for d/Deaf and hearing audiences.

‘Exquistively engaging, insightful and heartfelt’ (Theatre View)

‘The most innovative and collaborative use of NZSL anywhere in the New Zealand arts sector’ — Richard Benge, MNZM, Arts Access Aotearoa

The development of this piece has been made possible by funding from the NZSL Board, and the Aotearoa New Zealand tour has been possible thanks to funding from Creative New Zealand. We thank both funding bodies for their support.

Where Our Shadows Meet premiered at the Playhouse Theatre, Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand in January 2021, and toured to Circa Theatre in Wellington in February 2022. The piece was also booked at Carterton Events Centre in Wairarapa (postponed due to COVID) and Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival (cancelled due to COVID).

Working with an international Deaf and hearing team, we have turned to zoom to rehearse through lockdowns in Aotearoa New Zealand and in the UK throughout this project.

ALL NZSL information in NZSL video above from our NZSL Creative Consultant Rachel Turner.

February Tour Dates: (ticket links below)

Circa Theatre – 15th – 19th February 2022 – Still going ahead!

Carterton Events Centre, Wairarapa – 20th February 2022 – This event has been postponed.

Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival – 24th February 2022 – This performance has been CANCELLED due to the festival not being able to operate at red level.

Creative team:

Director, dramaturg, co-creator: Dr. Laura Haughey.

NZSL Creative Consultation: Rachel Turner.

Performer and co-creators: Thora Hubner, Mihailo Ladevac and Cian Parker.

Music: Dr. Jeremy Mayall.

Sign Theatre Consultant: Denise Armstrong.

Producers for development phase: Kayte Shaw, Cian Parker.

Producer for tour: Vanessa Immink.

Lighting: Alec Forbes.

 

Photo credit: Michael Smith

Performances

  • Pilot Performance

    Playhouse Theatre, Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand, 23rd Jan 2021

  • Aotearoa New Zealand tour - Wellington Season

    Circa Theatre, 15th - 19th February 2022

  • Carterton Events Centre

    This performance was postponed and will be rescheduled in 2023.

Links