'Stunning fusion' of storytelling and movement

An exquisite piece of theatre that transcends language, Last Rites heads to the Bristol Old Vic this summer. NATALIE BANYARD spoke to the show's Bristol-based artistic director George Mann

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CREATED by internationally acclaimed theatre-makers Ramesh Meyyappan and George Mann, Bristol's multi-award-winning Ad Infinitum's Last Rites redefines what theatre can be.

Taking to the Bristol Old Vic stage from July 15 to 19, Last Rites is a feast for the senses, and designed for everyone. Telling a universal human story, but through a Deaf perspective, this is a powerful tale of love and of loss, using a stunning fusion of visual storytelling, electrifying movement, and an immersive soundscape you can feel as well as hear.

How do you say goodbye when words were never there? Last Rites is the story of Arjun, a Deaf man who has to travel from the UK to India to perform his father's funeral rites. Arjun's father always refused to learn to sign, and now that he's gone, Arjun must find his own way to honour him.

In a world where ancient traditions meet modern reality, Arjun embarks on a deeply personal and visually mesmerising quest to create a farewell ritual for his father - one woven from memory, love, and loss.

"Last Rites is Arjun's story," says co-artistic director George, "but it also tells the story of three generations: him, his son and his father. The story is about Arjun grappling with losing his dad, and what it means to be a dad. Arjun was raised Hindu, so as the eldest son he is required to perform the funeral rites, or last rites. But because his father couldn't sign, he never explained the practices, stories or rituals of the religion, so Arjun has to rely only on what he could see when he visited the local temple as a child.

"He sets out on a deeply personal quest to create his own farewell ritual for his father."