c21 LAUNCHES BRAND NEW SHOW FOR DEAF AND HEARING AUDIENCES AT LYRIC THEATRE BELFAST AND NI TOUR APRIL/MAY 2026

Delighted to announce our brand-new play!!

On a follow up to our critically acclaimed international hit show Expecting, we are back with another Deaf/hearing production!

Step into the extraordinary life of Francis Maginn, pioneer of the Deaf community in Ireland and Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with this heart-felt drama Call to Adventure – The Life and Travels of Francis Maginn, written by hearing writer Charis McRoberts and Deaf writer/actor Paula Clarke.

This engaging ensemble performance charts Maginn’s journey, beginning with his experience of scarlet fever as a boy, which left him profoundly deaf at the age of five.

Follow his fight as a pioneer for the rights and education of the Deaf community across Ireland and Britain. Witness him confront the controversial ban on sign language decided at the 1880 Milan Congress and his founding of the British Deaf Association (BDA).

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate Maginn’s vital legacy and

discover the rich history of the Deaf community. This story resonates now more than ever, with The Sign Language Bill currently under consideration in Northern Ireland.

This inclusive production is made fully accessible through a blend of British Sign Language, English, creative captions, sign language interpretation and the presence of both Deaf and hearing actors centre stage.

NI Tour dates:

The Naughton Studio Box Office: 028 90381081

Lyric Theatre Belfast – 2/3/4 April 2026

Studio 1A Bangor https://tinyurl.com/yvymf4ur – 8 April

Courtyard Theatre Box Office: 0300 123 7788 – Newtownabbey – 10 April

The Market Place Theatre, Box Office : 03300 561 025 – Armagh – 30 April

Island Arts Centre Box Office : 028 9244 7744 – Lisburn – 1 May

Down Arts Centre Box Office: 0330 1374014 – Downpatrick – 2 May

Lyric Theatre tickets:

https://lyrictheatre.co.uk/…/call-to-adventure-the-life…

Arts Council of Northern Ireland Doyle Shipping Group National Lottery Good Causes The National Lottery Lyric Belfast Ards and North Down Borough Council Theatre at The Mill & The Courtyard Theatre The Old Church Centre, Cushendun. The Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre, Armagh Island-Arts Centre Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Department for Communities

Principle funder on this project is:

The Ulster Society for Promoting the Education of The Deaf and The Blind