Nalaga'at

Co-producer Nick Sweeting and I discovered Nalaga'at, Hebrew for "do touch" in Jaffa, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. We were enthralled by the magical experience of the place. In the Blackout restaurant on site, we were served by blind waiters in complete darkness. We enjoyed a coffee in Cafe Kapish, run by deaf waiters, where we had to use simple sign language to order. 

Situated in an old warehouse overlooking the Mediterranean, Nalaga'at is the world's only deaf-blind ensemble. Most of the performers are non verbal, communicating only through touch, and yet they manage to make the most extraordinary, compelling theatre. 

We bought their show, Not by Bread Alone, to London as part of the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) in 2010. Even though this project was so many years ago, I include it here as it's one of my favourites. The show lasted as long as it took for the cast to make bread, which was then shared with the audience. It was a quality piece of theatre that played in London to sold-out audiences and 5* reviews, before touring to NYC.