The Fetch Mask & Puppet Theatre

The Fetch Theatre Company was created in 1999 by visual theatre artists Andrew Purvin and Sarah Frangleton. They had both worked extensively in touring theatre, nationally and internationally, and came together to create a new company that incorporated many of their ideas about theatre, and in particular puppetry.

Andrew Purvin is probably best known in this country for his work at Pentabus Theatre, where he was Co-Artistic Director for seven years. However he has also spent much of his time working abroad and became a founder member of Teatro de seara da Montemuro, one of Portugal’s top touring theatres. He has also worked in India both as a lecturer and as a designer, most notably designing Rasalu at a derelict fort in the Punjab, a production viewed by over 6,000 people over 3 nights.

Purvin has designed and directed all of The Fetch’s previous touring productions – The Land of the Five Rivers, The Masque of the Red Death and A Right to Passage. He also undertakes projects as a designer or director for other theatre companies.

Sarah Frangleton toured as a performer with Horse and Bamboo for many years. Sarah worked on The Fetch’s first production as a performer, touring the UK and Portugal. She now lives and works in Spain but retains a connection with The Fetch as a maker of puppets.

The Fetch is primarily a mask and puppet theatre company rooted firmly in the West Midlands, touring to and working within different communities, both rural and urban, with a unique blend of highly entertaining visual theatre. They

produce touring theatre that taps into ancient forms of puppetry and yet is both contemporary and challenging for adults and children alike. In terms of work for young people, The Fetch makes both productions and workshops for secondary school and higher education audiences and participants and has this year initiated a programme of workshops in mask and puppetry, Second Skin, for this age group.

The Fetch explores stories that are local and stories that come from other sides of the world; whilst doing this we hope to create honest and meaningful relationships with artists from different countries, cultures and social backgrounds.
The Fetch is committed to promoting theatre as an activity for everyone, insisting that its work is both accessible and appealing to audiences that for any reason feel excluded from participating in the arts. The company seeks to amplify the voices of those who feel unheard and become a platform for which differences can be discussed and celebrated.

www.thefetch.co.uk