Hodgepodge Theatre are a south-west based theatre company who bring innovative new shows to venues around the area.

Founded by husband and wife duo Liam and Harriet Wyatt in 2016, the company combines puppetry and theatre to create unique shows which they tour around the country.

“We founded the company after our initial production ‘The Homeless Panda’ which was created in conjunction with the Rondo Theatre Company in Bath,” explained Harriet, who grew up in Dorset.

“We had such a great time putting the production together and could really see the potential for this type of theatre, so we set about touring the ‘Panda’ the following year and have since created two other shows.”

Those shows included ‘Be Happy, Harry Hippo!’, and their latest offering ‘Reindeer on the Roof!’, which will be at The Sundial Theatre in Cirencester on Saturday 14th December.

The group first performed the show in 2016 – a two week run at the Rondo Theatre in Bath – and have since reworked it for touring.

Harriet continued: “Reindeer on the Roof is an original story about a young girl named Darcey who wakes up on Christmas morning to find one of Santa’s reindeer on her roof.

“Darcey then has to somehow get the reindeer flying and back home to Lapland. Obviously, it’s not quite as simple as that though, so there’s a lot of obstacles to work through, not least navigating her big sister George!”

Harriet adds that there’s a lot of creative freedom in the way the company puts their shows together, meaning often no two shows will be exactly identical.

She said: “Our shows are all devised rather than outright scripted, which means we can develop the show incrementally each outing, leveraging off the experience and skill sets of the performers we have on board.

“Naturally, we keep to a certain framework but it allows for a lot of creative freedom within the rehearsal room, developing elements of the previous story and adding new things to keep it all fresh. For example, this year Darcey has a sister named George, which is a first for the show!”

Rehearsals began at the start of November, with the tour starting on Friday 6th December in Andover in Hampshire.

The show features a life-sized reindeer puppet, which Harriet admits has brought some challenges to the production.

She added: “Our reindeer was built by Izzy Bristow, who has done a fantastic job of creating something that has such life-like qualities, not only in how it looks but how it moves around.

“That said, it’s a puppet that takes a lot of getting used to and comes with its own unique set of challengers for the puppeteers. The big thing is the size and weight, given that it’s been built to scale, it’s a pretty hefty beast to move around.

“It’s designed to be spread over two puppeteers, one controlling all four legs and the other controlling the body and head, so synergy between two puppeteers is paramount. What audiences will see during the show on Saturday is the culmination of weeks of co-ordination work.

“They do a brilliant job and the best compliment I can offer is that once the reindeer is on stage, you barely notice that the puppeteers are there!”

‘Reindeer on the Roof’ is at The Sundial Theatre on Saturday 14th December.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/hodgepodgetheatre