Blind Summit are notorious for addressing subjects that were seemingly off-limits to puppetry. Their new show The Sex Lives of Puppets is clear evidence of that. The multi-layered pice of theatre explores, not just the desire of puppets but also human desires that will resonate with audiences; worries, fears and desires tied up in the idea of sex.
Co-written and co-directed by Mark Down, the Artistic Director of Blind Summit, and Perrier Award Winner Ben Keaton, the show opens in early January at Southwark Playhouse’s theatre in Borough.
What can you expect from a show about puppet sex? We had to ask Down himself about that, the inspiration for the play and what he hopes people take way from the show.
Q&A with Mark Down
What can you tell us about The Sex Lives of Puppets?
The Sex Lives of Puppets is a fictional true account of the state of puppet sexuality in contemporary Britain. It is inspired by the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. In the show a cast of 15 puppets and puppet couples talk about their sex lives in frank, open, improvised true life dialogues. The stories they tell are funny, moving, silly, rude and revealing. I hope they show that talking about sex is nothing to be afraid of. There is also some shadow sex puppetry and a puppet orgy.
What was the inspiration for the play?
It began with improvisations of puppets talking to one another about their sex lives. Then I did some research into the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles which revealed how people talk about their sex lives and something about what we get up to. Then we put the two together to create the play. Making the puppets work is always the priority so the show will end up being about whatever it is the puppets want to say!
There are shades of light and dark in the comic and serious elements within the production – how important was it to have that balance?
Puppets are inherently funny, and to some extent so is sex. On the other hand sex is actually a very serious subject and is at the centre of many of our life decisions: where we live, who we live with, how we present ourselves to the world and so on. When you start talking about sex you find you are talking about people’s relationships, their families, their hopes and fears, exciting experiences and frightening experiences. Sex is at the centre of people’s identity and it is a significant driving force in our lives. On the other hand puppets can’t and don’t actually have sex so the idea of the Sex Lives of Puppets is absurd. The show tries to reflect all of that.
Are there any particular challenges in engaging with audiences through puppetry?
Oh yes! People glibly say “puppets can do anything” and there is some truth in that, but actually I’ve found it’s a lot more complicated. Puppets are specifically made tools and usually they can only actually do one thing well. So that’s what you try to show audiences. In the end puppets are a sophisticated kind of stage prop. They are part of the scenery. When you decide to make your central characters puppets, you are trying to tell a story using scenery. That is challenging, but when it works it is transcendent. So that’s what you’re shooting for.
What do you hope people will take away from the production?
I hope they will have a good time. I hope that the show will make them talk about sex afterwards in the bar, on the journey home, and for the rest of their lives. I hope it will make them tell their friends to come and see the show. I hope it will inspire people to go to more puppet shows, to more sex shows, and maybe more puppet sex shows. I hope it will inspire people to have sex, not to have sex, to talk about puppetry, and not to. Everything is ok. I hope that will be the real message of the show.
The Sex Lives of Puppets is at Southwark Playhouse, Borough from 4 Jan to 13 Jan 2024
