Sarah Smith: Hear No Evil

One of three major performances this year looking at today’s Scotland through the lens of its past, present and future, Hear No Evil is based on the debut novel by Sarah Smith. This production uses a fusion of sign language, image and performance to tell the story of Jean Campbell, a Deaf woman in Glasgow, who in 1817 was accused of murder when her young child fell from her shoulders and drowned in the Clyde. Campbell’s court defence was made possible by a helper who found a way to interpret the hand signals she was making. It proved to be a turning point in the history of rights for Deaf people in Scotland.