Can I Start Again Please

Can I Start Again Please investigates childhood trauma using semiotic theory and Wittgenstein’s philosophy.

The piece examines the power of language, as well as its failings. Why does language conceal as much as it reveals? How can it determine what is heard and what is ignored, what is articulated and what is silenced?

Parallel narratives are told in the parallel languages of spoken English and British Sign Language, which intersect, diverge and build to create a mesmerising mix of verbal, visual and physical performance.

Winner, Total Theatre Award 2015

‘You emerge wondering how a staging so kind can be so devastating.’
(The Sunday Times)

Conceived and written by Sue MacLaine
Performers: Sue MacLaine & Nadia Nadarajah
Outside eye and dramaturg: Jonathan Burrows
Designer: Lucy Bradridge
Production management: Sean Phillips
Producer: Jane McMorrow
Research and Development: Charlotte Vincent
Photography: Matthew Andrews

A Sick! Festival commission made with support using public funding from Arts Council England

Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 February

Spirit Level (Blue Room) at Royal Festival Hall