BLINDNESS

BLINDNESS

The Donmar Warehouse production of Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Jose Saramago’s Blindness, starring Juliet Stevenson and directed by Walter Meierjohann, took the form of a socially distanced sound installation, and was the only indoor show in London at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Audiences experience the piece through headphones, while sitting in a reconfigured Donmar Warehouse, with a stripped back and atmospheric set provided by Lizzie Clachan. The seats of the theatre were removed and audiences dotted around the stage and auditorium on chairs, listening to Juliet Stevenson's captivating performance delivered right in their ears. The cutting edge binaural sound was created by Ben and Max Ringham, with a fully realised soundscape transporting audiences to Stephens and Saramago's dystopian world. Jessica Hung Han Yun designed a dynamic and kinetic lighting installation, creating vivid cityscapes and stark stage images through the use of a moving lighting rig that descended to audience eye level to fully immerse them in the story.