Somewhere out there, in the murky no-man’s-land between reality and “are you pulling my leg?” there's a mechanical island inhabited entirely by dads. 

Bodged together out of mangled metal and broken dreams, Dad Island is a flawed coping mechanism that barely manages to hold itself together. Then one stormy night, a tiny barnacle encrusted bottle floats into the harbour with a crumpled note inside which reads, “remember me?”

The Ballad of the Underwater Daughter is a strange sort of odyssey. A woozy universe of messy minds and monstrously fishy metaphors. Overloaded with puppets, props and machines, it is unquestionably the latest production from Leeds' own theOBJECTproject (the company that may or may not have traumatised you with PIXIEMATOSIS.)

The show is suitable for adults and people aged 14+. It contains very strong language and exploding dads.

theOBJECTproject is curated by UK puppetry director and puppet designer Mr Marc Parrett. The project uses random objects and abandoned puppets to help unlock stories about the complexities of day to day human existence. PIXIEMATOSIS was the first production; a tale of ambition and compulsion played out in a twisted magical midnight garden. It toured the South West of England and played at the prestigious Moving Parts Puppetry Festival in Newcastle 2023. 

The Ballad of the Underwater Daughter is larger and more complex. Building on the success of PIXIEMATOSIS it explores issues surrounding male mental health and family crises. This show is also the culmination of an Arts CouncilProject which sought to explore a crossover between puppet theatre and art gallery exhibition.

1hr 15 mins performance plus a 30 mins post show exhibition.

Additional material created by Tash Hudson and Frances Merriman.

Tour Produced by Ione Vaughan.

Tags: group, object, professional, spring2025, ThePlace