Action men, dead bodies, potato crisps and what it’s like to be a man in the modern world when you don’t fit a macho stereotype, Big Boys Don’t Cry, from Opposable Thumb Theatre takes the stage at East Riding Theatre (ERT) on Saturday, July 16th.
For adults and teens, Big Boys Don’t Cry, is a bold, brilliant and hysterical production which pulls no punches,’ it premiered earlier this year at the London International Mime Festival.
Kerrin Tatman, co-director of the Beverley Puppet Festival, said:
“Puppet theatre is not just for children and families but is powerful in its own right as an adult theatre form. Adam and Dik have made a name for themselves as Opposable Thumb, and Big Boys Don’t Cry will be a hilarious treat, following on from their success with Coulrophobia in 2018.”
Meet Fred by Hijinx Theatre Company, an Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit ‘full of expletives and puppet nudity’ is an adult/teen show at ERT on Sunday, July 17th at 8pm.
Called sharp, funny and vastly entertaining, Fred the cloth puppet is fighting to live in the real world, find a girl, get a job and keep his Puppetry Living Allowance, all while his life is spiralling out of control.
Meanwhile, dubbed ‘Earth’s funniest footwear’, The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre is fresh from the celebrity sock drawer after their appearance on Britain’s Got Talent; their Eurovision Sock Contest is at ERT on Friday, July 16th at 8pm.
“If action men and singing socks aren’t your things, we have so many other shows to fit the tastes of most audiences,” added Kerrin.
Amistad, a part performance, part workshop retelling of the 1839 Mende slave rebellion on board the Cuban ship La Amistad, has two shows in the afternoon of Saturday, July 17th, at Beverley Minster Parish Hall. Invisible Needs’ performance and workshop uses shadow puppets, cardboard rod puppets and call-and-response songs, to tell a tale of ‘slavery, friendship and freedom’.
Creation, by learning disabled About Face Theatre Company, uses micro-puppetry and music to weave ancient stories of greed, fear and redemption into today’s world. There are three intimate, small-scale shows a day at Beverley Parkway Cinema on both Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th July.
In all, tickets are now on sale for more than 60 events, along with free outdoor acts, from over 40 companies between Friday, July 15th and Sunday, July 17th.
Tickets and full details of the full programme are on the website www.beverleypuppetfestival.com