When actions speak louder than words

Acclaimed play Follow shares the theatrical elements of sign language with a wider audience, writes Pádraic Killeen

IN a short space of time Willfredd Theatre have become one of the country’s most admired companies. Their recent hit Farm built on the acclaim that greeted their debut production, Follow. Follow was devised to be accessible to both a deaf and a hearing audience, and was an award-winner at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2011. It’s now being revived for a national tour that takes in Galway, Cork, Roscommon, Longford, Navan, Derry, and Strabane. The tour kicks off next week with a run at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin.

Actor Shane O’Reilly reprises his solo role in the show, one close to his heart. The Dubliner is the son of deaf parents and many of the stories in Follow stem from his own family.