Barrier(s) at Camden People’s Theatre: A Tender, Unflinching Portrait of Connection at Camden People’s Theatre
Barrier(s) at Camden People’s Theatre is a remarkable theatrical experience that refuses simplicity. With a script by Eloise Pennycott and direction from Paula Garfield, the show zeroes in on Alana (Em Prendergast) and Katie (Zoë McWhinney), two women from different worlds, one hearing and one deaf, and asks how they make a life when communication isn’t guaranteed. The staging is intentionally inclusive: performances integrate British Sign Language, spoken English and captions so that accessibility is built into the very structure of the piece.
Plot-wise the action is spare but potent. There is no grand external event; instead we watch small negotiations of gaze, gesture and meaning. Alana and Katie inhabit the same space yet speak different languages until they invent their own. The world around them keeps erecting walls: noise, expectation, silence. The play asks: how do you hold on to love when your voice is opposed or ignored?
What works most is the balance of vulnerability and power. Em Prendergast brings sensitivity to Alana’s hearing world, the ease and the frustration. Zoë McWhinney gives Katie a palpable presence, not muted by her deafness but defined by it. The interaction between the two is alive; moments of laughter, misunderstanding, longing and triumph sit side by side. The creative team don’t embellish with spectacle; the honesty of performance and clarity of design do the heavy lifting. On the one hand the show doesn’t shy from pain; on the other it welcomes triumph and connection. If there is a minor caveat, it’s that the pacing occasionally rides high, leaving little quiet for reflection between intense beats.
In the theatre, the audience settles into something rare: we listen not just to words but to spaces between words. The gaps between sight and sound become visible. The mood is intimate, charged, communal. After the show the echo of things unsaid lingers. You leave wondering about the barriers you live with and the ones you build. Barrier(s) is bold, compassionate and essential theatre. It doesn’t just tell a story; it makes you feel the cost of silence and the triumph of translation. If you care about voice, identity and connection, this is a show you should see.
