The Potty-Mouthed Puppet Who Fights Prejudice comes to Newport this October!
The award-winning Hijinx theatre show, Meet Fred, will be heading to the Riverfront, Newport on 15 October, 7.30pm before heading on a 30 date tour of France from October to April.
Meet Fred, the two foot tall cloth bunraku puppet that fights prejudice every day. He just wants to be a regular guy, part of the real world, to get a job and meet a girl, but when threatened with losing his PLA (Puppetry Living Allowance), Fred’s life begins to spiral out of his control.
The show is an original exploration of what it means to be different. With wit and dark humour, Hijinx explores themes of independence, empowerment, care and social injustice, and exposes the ridiculous situations some of the most vulnerable in our society encounter when their support is taken from them. It explodes the myth that ‘we are all in this together’.
Meet Fred is produced by Hijinx in association with Blind Summit. The production was met with rave reviews following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016, which led to international appearances including at the World Puppet Theatre Festival in Charleville-Mézières, France. It has continued to tour and now, in its fifth year, Meet Fred has been performed over 230 times, seen by over 23,000 people and visited 19 countries including the USA, China, and South Korea as well as across Europe.
Ellis Wrightbrook, Hijinx’s Senior Producer said: “After 235 performances, Meet Fred has been shaped by the immensely talented artists that have been part of the ensemble over the years. Each new actor or puppeteer brings a fresh perspective and energy into the performance, and with this next leg of touring featuring our biggest cast change to date – it feels like we are premiering all over again!”
Hijinx is one of Europe’s leading inclusive theatre companies, striving for equality by making outstanding art with learning disabled and/or autistic actors on stage, on screen, on the street, in the workplace, locally, nationally and internationally for Wales and for the world.
This is a rare chance to catch the production in the UK, before it embarks on an epic 5-month tour in France! Make sure you catch Meet Fred while you can!
14+. Contains strong language and puppet nudity.