Life-size puppets tell a tale about women in a male-dominated world

An Arts Council England-supported production touring the UK this spring is bringing invaluable insight into the objectification of the female form in a male-dominated sphere – thanks in no small part to eye-catching full body puppets.

The Smoking Apples theatre company has announced that its Flux show will tour the UK during April, May and June, encompassing venues in such locations as Tonbridge, Kendal, Whitehaven, Peterborough, Maidstone, Salford and London.

The show premiered in November, its creation having been inspired by the recent centenary of women’s suffrage. It tells the story of Kate, a nuclear physicist in the male-dominated labs of the 1980s, and her discovery of her potential as a cutting-edge scientist.

Puppetry that takes a fascinating look at wider society

Smoking Apples has a reputation for producing high-quality theatre that doesn’t shy away from sometimes hard-to-digest subject matter, and Flux follows in this tradition.

The production follows the pop music and vinyl enthusiast Kate’s initial struggle to be noticed, until a male colleague uncovers her brilliance and pushes her forward. However, just as she begins to thrive as a scientist, an unexpected discovery suddenly forces her to carefully balance her personal and professional life.

On the backdrop of shadow, lighting, puppetry and a thumping ‘80s soundtrack, Flux not only tells Kate’s story, but also offers insight into what it means to be a woman in a male-dominated setting.

The show has been developed with Shoreditch Town Hall, Oxford Playhouse, Arts at the Old Fire Station, Cornerstone Arts, Brewery Arts Centre and the Institute of Physics, and supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Inspiring the production were historical examples of female scientists who were not credited for their research and discoveries, with praise often going to their male counterparts instead. The most notable of these was Lise Meitner, a physicist who discovered nuclear fission in the 1930s, only for her colleague Otto Hahn to be awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery.

More information about Flux can be found on the Smoking Apples website.

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