Finding Joy

Vamos Theatre bring Finding Joy to the Belgrade Theatre on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 February, both nights starting at 7.45pm. It's a full-mask, wordless production from the UK's leading full-mask company, and it's performed entirely without words, which makes it accessible for D/deaf audiences without needing BSL interpretation.

The story draws on the true experiences of one family: 17-year-old Danny takes on the care of his gran, Joy, who is funny, kind, loves to dance, and is losing her memory to dementia. It's a familiar sort of story, but told through mask and movement rather than dialogue, so the emotional weight comes from what's shown on stage rather than what's said. The show runs for around 70 minutes with no interval, and it's recommended for ages 12 and over.

Finding Joy first went out in 2013 and has since been staged across the globe, from Shanghai to Switzerland and from Liverpool to London, picking up the Argus Angel award at the Brighton Fringe in 2014. This 2027 tour marks Vamos Theatre's 21 years of work across theatre, health and education, so it's a bit of a milestone for them. Schools and learning settings can also book a two-hour full-mask workshop to go alongside the show, if that's of interest.

Tickets start from £12, which includes the booking fee. For schools, it's £10 per pupil, with one free teacher for every ten pupils. Both performances are at the Belgrade Theatre, Belgrade Square, Coventry, CV1 1GS, starting at 7.45pm on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 February.