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The Puppet as The Other
The Puppet as The Other
Gareth K Vile considers how two artists at the Edinburgh Fringe use puppetry to examine pressing contemporary concerns.
The puppet’s presence on stage is, inevitably, associated with ‘the other’. As an inanimate object manipulated to move, it simultaneously speaks to the idea of the non-human, often fluctuating between sympathetic, recognisable qualities and representation of unfamiliar shapes and alien entities. Despite its ancient pedigree, the otherness of the puppet makes it a medium adaptable to even the most contemporary preoccupations, simultaneously comforting audiences with its familiarity and posing complex questions.
Although Something in the Water and Merrill Means Well deal with radically different subjects (trans identity and adult ADHD respectively), both shows place puppetry at the heart of their dramaturgy. And while they sit in different genres, their use of the puppet tackles fundamental concerns without compromising their seriousness or humour.
S.E. Grummett’s Something in the Water explores transgender identity with the help of tiny paper drawing and a giant squid. Grummett admires the power that the puppet can exert over an audience: ‘We have the amazing ability to fall in love with a hunk of clay, or a mess of foam,’ she observes. While the squid provides a way of engaging with identity = ‘as a giant squid, Grumms can playfully demonstrate what it’s like trying to pass as either male or female or find the freedom to exist as something else entirely’ – Grummett also recognises that working with puppets aided their own journey.
‘I was touring with a children's puppet show and it was the first time I was able to perform different genders,’ they say. ‘Before this, I felt very disconnected from the gendered roles I was cast in. But with puppets, I got to become other genders, animals, inanimate objects. And I realized I wasn't trapped in this gender I was assigned at birth, that didn't feel right. And I could be something else if I wanted to.’
Merrill Davis’ approach is perhaps more directly autobiographical, combining puppetry, stand-up comedy and advocacy for neurodiversity. ‘The puppets represent the mental health medications I take.’ she states. ‘I feel they add a lot to the performance because meds generally don't feel fuzzy, comfy or cute, but these guys are! They help tell part of the story: getting diagnosed and how they've become such a big part and necessary part of my life. It's funny and fits in well with the rest of the show.’
In line with Grummett’s hope that ‘Edinburgh can help take this show into the mainstream, as a platform for transgender and queer stories,’ Davis has a clear aim for Merrill Means Well. ‘Humanizing the meds helps people learn more about them and hopefully realize that it's ok to need support,’ she adds. ‘I've had audience members tell me that they feel better taking their medication now. That they don't have to feel like something is wrong with them.’
Both transgender identity and neurodiversity are subjects that have developed a presence in performance in the past decade: neurodiverse and trans characters have traditionally been used as plot devices, and it is only recently that artists with lived experience have been able to express their sense of self. ‘Authentic’ representations – grounded in the artists’ biography – challenge stereotypes and seek to educate as they entertain. The adoption of the puppet, in the case of Davis and Grummett, has been driven by their respective careers but also offers an approachable dramaturgy to examine the issues.
‘I think it's so important right now for us to see empowering queer stories, ones that can make us laugh and help us feel seen,’ says Grummett, in a sentiment echoed by Davis. ‘I hope the audiences laugh a lot, have fun, learn, enjoy, and most of all realize that we are all flawed humans so maybe we can be more understanding and supportive of those who struggle with their mental health.’
Something in the Water
Summerhall Cairns Lecture Theatre
August 3 – 28 (not 15, 22), 8pm
Merrill Means Well
TheSpace Triplex
5 – 27 (not 14, 21), various times
