Barrier(s) tells a story that feels familiar and intimate. Two women meet at a party and feel drawn to each other. They begin a relationship, try their first meal together, move in, share hopes, and face challenges that come from living in a world shaped by sound. These are everyday moments, yet Eloise Pennycott places them in circumstances that reveal how much love must stretch and adapt when one partner is deaf and the other is hearing.

Katie, played with presence by Zoë McWhinney, works as a teacher in a deaf school. At home, she brings Alana into parts of her world that are new to her. She explains the strain of navigating safety, public services and health systems that often fail to listen. Her account of the historic treatment of deaf children carries real weight and remains one of the play’s sharpest moments.

Alana is portrayed by Em Prendergast, who finds a calm honesty in the role. She begins the story with no knowledge of BSL and becomes more confident as their relationship grows. Both languages are used throughout the play, with English translations projected onto Paul Burgess’s digital set. The staging is simple, but the projected designs help shape the different places the characters move through, from the classroom to the cinema.

There is gentle humour woven through the play. Early scenes show Alana trying to communicate in ways that fall short but still feel full of warmth. These lighter moments return in later episodes, giving the story balance as the couple move through more complex issues.

The question of whether to have a child becomes central towards the end. Their journey through IVF touches on access, fear and the desire to build a life together in spite of the barriers they meet. The conversations between them feel open and real.

The final scene shifts the tone. The actors step out of character and speak directly to the audience, offering a quiet wish for more stories that centre joy rather than hardship. It is a simple moment, yet it carries a gentle sense of hope.

Barrier(s) speaks clearly about queerness and deaf identity, and about the ways people learn to live beside one another with care. Pennycott writes with honesty, and the performances from McWhinney and Prendergast give the story warmth and depth. The play uses BSL with intention, and its themes will feel familiar to many who recognise these experiences in their own lives.

It is a thoughtful piece of theatre that trusts its audience to listen.

Barrier(s) runs at Camden People’s Theatre from 19 to 30 November 2025.

Tickets are available here

Cast
Alana, Em Prendergast
Katie, Zoë McWhinney

Creative team
Writer, Eloise Pennycott
Director, Paula Garfield
Associate Director, Lynn Stewart Taylor
Dramaturg, Rio Matchett
Set, Costume and Video Design, Paul Burgess
Lighting, Tom Mulliner
Sound, Marie Zschommier

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