Eight models of orange squid legs, supported by puppeteers, in front of a crowd and a building.

Citizen Squid

A participatory big puppet spectacle about compassion, displacement and transition

Meet: Citizen Squid

A giant squid has been abandoned on the high street – but how did it get there – and what will we do with it?

A project about compassion towards others and ourselves – when we fear the barbarians at the gate, do we focus too much energy on finding someone to blame and risk missing the bigger picture?

Drifting boats and roaming tentacles trying to find their heart and a way home.

People scattered all around a giant orange squid puppet, supported by several puppeteers, in a park, in front of a block of flats.
Six models of giant orange squid tentacles, each pair supported by a performer. They're facing a large boat.
A giant puppet of an orange-yellow squid. Its eye stalk
Eight models of orange squid legs, supported by puppeteers, in front of a crowd and a building.
A crowd of children in a park surround a large orange-yellow puppet made to look like a squid - a huge body, one big eye, many tentacles. It is controlled by multiple puppeteers. Behind the park is a skyscraper.
A giant orange model of a squid, tentacles glowing slightly green and violet in the dark.
Two giant orange tentacles, supported by one puppeteer, in front of a crowd of people.
Two people, one in a yellow-orange coat, one in white overalls with a medical mask on their forehead and holding a clipboard. They're both in front of several giant orange puppets of squid tentacles.
A giant orange model of a squid, tentacles glowing slightly green in the dark.
Eight giant tentacles, tips meeting in the middle as if in a 'high five'. A person in a yellow coat stands underneath them with their arms stretched up to the 'high five' point.
A person posing for a photo with a puppet of two giant squid tentacles.
A giant puppet of an orange-yellow squid, supported by several puppeteers, in front of a crowd.
Eight models of orange squid legs, supported by puppeteers, in front of a crowd and a building. A person in white overalls stands in front of them, holding a clipboard.
Four models of giant orange tentacles, watched by a small crowd. In front of all of them is a person in a yellow coat, posed frowning with their arms outstretched and mouth wide open.
A child sitting on a man's shoulders amongst a group of people. Just visible are two giant orange puppets that resemble squid tentacles; one is outstretched to the child.
Close up of a blue eye on an orange-yellow puppet. The pupil and iris are slightly triangular. Behind this some children are sitting on the ground.
Some giant orange tentacle puppets, supported by puppeteers, behind a person wearing white overalls. Visible on their back is a label with the letters 'UFC'.
A puppeteer in a park, in front of a crowd, with four squid tentacle puppets. Behind them is another puppeteer, also with four.

Learning and Engagement

Citizen Squid received funding from Wandsworth Grant Fund and Arts Council England – Grants for the Arts to conduct a community engagement project in Wandsworth and a second stage development and national tour.

As part of this show, we offered optional workshops and an in-depth community engagement programme where participants investigated displacement, transition and compassion through creative practice. Participants became citizens of the project and we facilitated a complete re-imagining of the work, including designing and building bespoke puppets and learning high-quality performance skills and techniques.

Past Performances

Citizen Squid has toured extensively, appearing at Lyric Hammersmith, Watford Palace, Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, Birmingham Hippodrome, Streets of Battle, Hull Fair, Ramsgate Festival and Pumphouse Gallery.

What’s Next for Citizen Squid?

Squid has disappeared back into the ocean…

  • “Mesmerising performance.”

    GDIF Audience Member

  • “Enjoyed the surreal nature of Citizen Squid.”

    Birmingham Hippodrome Audience Member

  • “Fascinating, enjoyable, good to participate in, children enjoyed them. Also, adults enjoyed the performances.”

    Ramsgate Carnival Audience Member

  • “This one was fun, creative, imaginative and engrossing.”

    Streets of Battle Audience Member

  • “Good to see a piece of street theatre where the passers-by were stopped in their tracks, and young spectators from 5 to 50 years old were totally engaged.”

    Penny Francis MBE
, Puppet Centre Trust Board Member

Cast and Creatives

Artistic Director: Ivan Thorley
Designer, Lead Puppet Maker, Devisor: Caroline Bowman
Co-Devisors and Performers: Priya Mistry, Iskandar Sharazuddin, Ivan Thorley, Laura Cubitt, Sam Clark, Tom Wilton, Abigail Matthews, Jeremy Hancock, Roman Stefanski, Andrew London, Jamie Ducan, Peyvand Sadeghian, Rebecca O’Brien, Ben Thompson, Mikey Brett.
Puppet Makers: Christopher Kelly, Ruth Herbert, Jen Cardno, Alison Alexander, Miriam Hammond, Katie from Warhorse, Charlotte Quartermaine, Roman Stefanski, Ivan Thorley.
Puppet Maker Interns: Rosa Douglas, Eddie Bayemi, Jessie McGuire, Lucy Paskell, George Chaffey, Pip Herbst, Elaine Morris.
Sound and Music: Daniel Kempson, Rae Howell, Klaus Bru, Seb Silas.
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre Producer: Peter Holland
Consultant Producers: Stephanie Hay and Kate Anderson
Video Documentation: Zia Trench

Find out more about Our People

Commissioned by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Further developed with support from Wandsworth Grants Fund and ENABLE Leisure and Culture.

Special thanks to Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, Latitude Festival, Blind Summit Theatre, Stephanie Hay, Artem, Significant Object, Kate Anderson, Nick Barnes, Cornish Tiger, November Films, RCSSD, Byrony Kimmings, Nathan Curry, NT Warhorse, Hornsey Town Hall (HTH) and Southlands Arts Centre.

Puppets with Guts has been funded by Wandsworth Council’s Grant Fund to deliver a new physical theatre and puppet engagement programme called Kids Create. Through working with Enable Leisure and Culture’s Arts Team, The Pump House Gallery, The Rose Community Centre, The Yvonne Carr Children’s Centre, Carey Gardens, Patmore Estate, St George Primary, Griffin Primary and Heathbrook Primary all in Wandsworth, we have had a fantastic response. Puppets with GUTS is part of Wandsworth Fringe Festival which is funded by Wandsworth Council and delivered by Enable Leisure and Culture on behalf of Wandsworth Council.