Combining physical storytelling with dynamic projection and a soundtrack that can be felt and heard, Last Rites is a non-verbal solo show told through a deaf man’s perspective. Northern dates are Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough (February 8), and Salford's Lowry (February 18-19).
Co-devised by Scottish-Singaporean theatremaker and deaf artist Ramesh Meyyappan and George Mann (co-artistic director of Bristol-based internationally renowned theatre company Ad Infinitum), and performed by Meyyappan, the show follows Arjun, who has to travel from the UK to India to perform his father’s funeral rites.
Ramesh develops performances using an eclectic mix of visual and physical theatre styles. Over the years, his solo performances and collaborations have toured nationally and internationally and he has been nominated five times for best actor awards at the Life! Theatre Awards (Singapore) and awarded the accolade twice. In 2024 his groundbreaking new show Love Beyond won the Leading Light: Best Scottish Production award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Scottish Theatre Awards.
The show's co-creators said, “We're delighted this piece will tour nationally to mid-scale venues, where historically, underrepresented perspectives haven't been given much stage time.
"We found ourselves creating a universal human story, but through a deaf perspective. The experience of losing a parent and becoming one is hard to describe. Theatre feels like the right medium to explore this experience, a space that we hope will provoke audiences to think, connect, and share their own stories.”
More info and tickets here