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Can you experience music without hearing it? That’s the question that an inclusive theatrical performance in Scotland tried to answer - with a resounding “yes.” Kind of Silence used new technologies that allow deaf and hearing audiences to feel vibrations and rhythms together - rather than captions or subtitles to make the show accessible.
Directed by Australian composer and sound designer Danny Krass, the musical show was inspired by an innovative audio device called the Sub-Pac, which sends vibrations into the body, rather than essentially pushing air like a loudspeaker. The show followed the legend of Echo and Narcissus, from the third book of Ovid's Metamorphosis, with a cast made up of both deaf and hearing performers.
Kind of Silence appeared in theaters across Scotland throughout September 2015, and was met with rave reviews, seen as a piece of art that truly crosses boundaries and exposes people on both sides of the stage to other worlds. While there are no upcoming performances scheduled, Krass told the Herald Scotland that the show aimed to bring “a bunch of people together to try and understand each other better.” Sounds like a mission accomplished.
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