A darkly satirical comedy about a cloth puppet’s attempts to navigate society and disability rights in order to live an ordinary life, Hijinx Theatre’s Meet Fred is heading out on a major UK tour to celebrate its 10th anniversary. But, as its director, Ben Pettitt-Wade, explains to What’s On, the show is also aiming to remind audiences that the issues it highlights are as relevant as ever...

When director Ben Pettitt-Wade began work on his first theatrical show involving puppetry, little did he know he’d still be getting its two-foot-tall cloth-puppet star in and out of its storage box 10 years later. 
But it seems Fred is no ordinary puppet, Meet Fred is no ordinary play, and Hijinx - which promotes the work of actors with learning disabilities and/or autism, and where Ben is artistic director - is definitely no ordinary theatre company. The production opened to audience and critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2016 and has since toured to more than 20 countries around the world.

“It’s been an amazing ride,” says Ben. “The show was my first as artistic director, and I don’t think we could’ve dreamed that it would have been such a success. The reception [at Edinburgh] was brilliant; incredible reviews came in - which was a real buzz - and from that point on, it toured throughout the UK and then started going international.”

The overseas demand was largely prompted by an appearance at the World Puppet Festival in Charleville-Mézières in France.

“It’s kind of like the Edinburgh Festival but for puppets, so it has a mainstream programme, a fringe programme and an off-fringe programme. We were part of that. A lot of different programmers from across the world saw the piece, and we started travelling further and further afield with the show.”

Meet Fred has since gone on to play all over Europe, as well as the US, Japan, China and South Korea. That’s some achievement for a show based around a cloth puppet and performed by actors with and without learning disabilities, whose lived experiences add depth and authenticity to the titular character’s struggle.

The connection between the puppet and the extended lives of the puppeteers - they all effectively rely on others - inspired the show’s creation, according to Ben, who had been exploring ideas with puppetry experts Blind Summit.

“They have this specific form of puppetry which they call extreme Bunraku. We spent five days workshopping with these cloth puppets, and what became apparent was how fascinating this was as a form to explore. I then ordered a set of our own cloth puppets, and we spent six to nine months exploring it with our artists.

“During those sessions, what came across was the importance of the puppeteers who hold the puppets. In essence, the puppet doesn’t exist without his puppeteers. I think that parallel became apparent between many of our artists, all of whom have learning disabilities and autism, and who therefore have a network of support around them - whether that’s parental or paid-for in terms of carers - enabling them to live their lives to the fullest.

“This was all at a time when benefits were being cut, barriers were being created, and there was the threat of having care packages taken away. There was a lightbulb moment of what it would be to explore this show using the puppet as a metaphor for the issues that many of our artists were facing.”

The link made, the company went on to create a dark comedy that follows Fred as he tries to live an ordinary life - get a job, find love, and simply be part of society. All of which would be fine if his Puppetry Living Allowance wasn’t under threat, causing his world to start to spiral out of control.

The result is a production which features black, farcical and even X-rated humour - the show comes with warnings about adult themes and ‘puppet nudity’. It also takes a poignant look at disability rights, the absurdity of bureaucratic red tape (and its impact), and ultimately what it means to be human. “And there’s lots of bad language as well,” interjects Gareth John, who has Down’s syndrome and is one of the show’s stars. He’s been part of the cast for nine years and gleefully reels off places he’s performed in the UK as well as “China, South Korea, France and Germany”.

“There is a lot of swearing,” laughs Ben, who suggests the show is suitable for audience members aged 14 and older. He also acknowledges how important international touring has been for the production and its performers, not least because it reinforces Cardiff-based Hijinx’s aim to exceed expectations and break down walls and stigmas.

“The opportunities this show has presented for our artists to be able to travel and perform and work professionally in the UK and across the world is something quite unique that we’re very proud of. The value of experience that people get from being in a place like China - completely out of their comfort zone, and what that means in terms of how a person approaches their life - is something pretty special.”
This is all well and good for the company and its performers, but it’s always important for any show deemed ‘worthy’ to also entertain its audience - something Ben is both acutely aware of and quick to confirm.

“Absolutely. In our minds, a lot of the work we make is a deliberate attempt to avoid those kinds of tropes of worthiness that can sometimes be connected to this sort of issue-based work. [Meet Fred] is certainly not that - it’s satirical, dark, and I think speaks to the frustrations that people have in all walks of life.”

Ben is confident that the show’s audiences typically come out of the theatre feeling energised, maybe a bit angry, but with no sense that a message has been laid on too heavily.

“It’s very much focused on finding humour in the situations that people find themselves facing. Often, it’s true that a certain element of dark humour exists for anyone who’s facing these sorts of challenges, because naturally it’s bureaucratic and Kafka-esque, and you need some sort of humour to get through those moments.

“Our role as a theatre company is to provide entertainment for an audience. Of course, a lot of our work is based around issues that are pertinent to the artists making it, but unless that’s presented in as entertaining a format as possible, then we’ve lost the fight already. So it’s even more important for us to provide a cracking evening’s entertainment alongside whatever our message is.”

Meet Fred shows at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on Tuesday 10 February; Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, Monday 2 & Tuedsay 3 March, and The Rep, Birmingham, on Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 March. It then returns to the region in the summer, visiting Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn on Tuesday 2 & Wednesday 3 June and Lichfield Garrick on Fri 5 June.

By Steve Adams