Dumbshow is committed to telling powerful stories that explore the

human condition with wit, charm and emotional impact.

The Story So Far...

To the End of the WorldDumbshow was established in 2007 at The University of Warwick to make visually exciting work that asks questions about the world through telling stories.

We took our first show, To the End of The World to the Edinburgh Fringe that summer.

A story of seduction and love filled with; trains, dramatic shipwrecks, migrating geese, war and coffee on a Sunday which was narrated by a chorus of silk worm eggs, To the End of The World was a sell-out success. We were profiled on BBC 2 Radio by Mark Radcliffe, the show was on the front page of The Scotsman as a Hot Show and we were nominated for a Fringe First.

“Their joy in what they’re doing is a powerful antidote to anyone grown cynical about the Fringe.” Hot Show, ★★★★ The Scotsman

“Breathtaking” ★★★★★ BroadwayBaby

“Beautifully, colourfully staged” ★★★★ ThreeWeeks

“Fabulous … so visually inventive … I urge anybody that gets a chance to see it to do so”Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2

At the time we were only 20, and have come a long way since then.

Clockheart BoyIn 2008 Dumbshow premiered an original fairy tale called Clockheart Boy, by Sam Gayton aimed at audiences age 8+.

When a boy with no heart is washed ashore, the Professor and his creations vow to bring him back to life. With wide-eyed wonder Clockheart Boy learns the joys of stargazing, dancing, romance and friendship. Yet he soon discovers that a shadow lies over this castle in the form of the Professor’s daughter who disappeared many years before.

Clockheart Boy was also selected as a Hot Show in The Scotsman, which said it was “nothing short of a spectacle” while Fest Magazine called it “a play of stunning visual and emotional impact,” and The Guardian said; “the performances are so tender, the characters can’t fail to steal your heart.”

Over the next three years, Clockheart Boy continued to wow audiences when it toured to The Royal Exchange, Manchester in 2009 and then went on a national tour in 2012 to venues including The Lyric, Hammersmith, The Egg in Bath and North Wall Arts in Oxford.

“Moving, visually astonishing...its bittersweet beauty might very well stop your heart” Metro“A fast rising company with a very bright future” Fest “The latest young company to watch” Whatsonstage.com

★★★★ Metro

★★★★ Scotsman

★★★★ WhatsOnStage.com

★★★★ Fringe Review

★★★★ ThreeWeeks

★★★★ Fest

★★★★★ British Theatre Guide

Based on Euripides’s The Bacchae, Roar premiered at The International Youth Arts Festival at The Rose in Kingston and continued on to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2011.

London is in trouble. Greed, debauchery and excess are dancing like fire through the streets. A young woman is stolen from the arms of her husband on their wedding night and spirited away by the riotous Moll Cutpurse.

Roar is a lusty tale of 16th century London starring love and revenge, rampant Judges and raucous women, chaos and the darkest of desires.

Once again, we recieved critical acclaim and great audience reactions;

“I would pay good money to see this at The National.” The Stage

“What Dumbshow really excel at is creating striking images that stick in your mind long after you've left the theatre.” Fest Magazine

“Frequently hilarious but not without emotion. Brilliant fun.” ★★★★ The List

In the interim we have also made a brand new version of Oedipus for schools; we were commissioned to create a site specific show about Cholera for a National Lottery funded project and we have also produced numerous pop-up installations at festivals such as Glastonbury, and venues including the V&A.

The Pearl

When impoverished pearl-diver Kino finds the ‘pearl of the world’ he believes his family’s life will be transformed. Seduced by the pearl’s beauty and promise of riches, he’s blind to the danger of possessing something that everyone else wants.

A timeless fable about the allure of greed, the confines of class, and the redemptive power of love. It asks us to consider what we value most in the world.

Dumbshow bring John Steinbeck’s novel to life with their trademark visual inventiveness and playful theatricality.

The Pearl premiered at The Pleasance in 2013 at the Edinburgh festival to popular and critical acclaim.

“If you’re a fan of the rising company then you know not to miss out on this dream like offering. Catch them before they start selling out the big theatres.” ★★★★ The Skinny

“An imaginative Joy to behold.” ★★★★ Hot Show, The Scotsman

“Dreamy verse, dance-like movement, an original score of soft piano and puppetry make an imaginatively beautiful adaptation of Steinbeck’s novella.” ★★★★ ThreeWeeks

“Dumbshow have managed to find the beauty and levity in a tale that contains much darkness.”★★★★ Broadway Baby

“Dumbshow Theatre’s The Pearl is wondrous piece of new theatre and an absolute must-see at the Fringe this year.” ★★★★★ The Public Reviews

It was our most successful show to date, and has received considerable attention from theatres throughout the UK. We have been contacted by numerous venues including Battersea Arts Centre and The Curve in Leicester, as well as the organisation House Theatre who will be co-producing the South and South East England part of our forthcoming national tour of The Pearl.

It has laid the groundwork for creating more work in the future with plans for producing a number of new pieces up to 2016. For more information please contact us at admin@dumbshow.org.