Pixel Puppets Work with us

Pixel Puppets. Live comedy. Digital puppets. Real-time chaos.

Live comedy.
Digital puppets.
Real-time chaos.

Two Pixel Puppets performers, one wearing a green suit, bringing the smiling Moon to life on the screen behind them.

“I genuinely
cried
laughing”

Audience feedback · The Big Thing, September 2026

See the show in action...

The first Pixel Puppets show at Venue Cymru.

Work-in-progress trailer · The Big Thing, Venue Cymru · 10 September 2026

Watch on YouTube

ABOUT

Saturday morning TV nostalgia. Very grown-up problems.

Delivery driver Matt is trying to save Denby Dale’s pie festival and keep a promise to his son. The neighbours have stopped talking, the shops are disappearing, and the delivery giant thinks everything would be better online.

A live comedy about community, connection and an unreasonable amount of gravy.

See the show

“I loved that it reflected our current slice of dystopia but actually offered some hope at the end.”

Audience feedback · The Big Thing, September 2026
Two performers rehearse with controllers beside a screen showing Matt.
Rehearsing Matt.

FORMAT

  • Live
    performers.
  • Digital
    puppets.
  • You in
    the room.

Performers bring the characters to life in real time. The audience plays the games, takes the controls and helps the story along.

Rita blowing a pink cloud.

“Just lots of
shambolic fun”

Audience feedback · The Big Thing, September 2026
Handmade brown-paper parcels tied with string and finished with pink character stamps, made for the audience delivery game.

Special
delivery!

Handmade parcels for an audience delivery game.

MADE IN SHEFFIELD

Sheffield friends watch an early Pixel Puppets sharing, with the performers, musicians and digital world together in the rehearsal room.
An early work-in-progress sharing with Sheffield friends.Photography by Helen Murray.
Yorkshire Artspace’s Persistence Works, Sheffield.

TEAM

Made in Sheffield by a team of performers, writers, artists and creative technologists.

Creator & Artistic Director

Ben Carlin

Ben created Pixel Puppets and leads its artistic direction, bringing together live performance, digital puppetry and playful technology.

Producer

Joe Duggan

Joe leads partnerships, production planning and communications, and helps shape Pixel Puppets’ commercial development and future touring.

Lead Developer & Show Operator

Danny Bacchus (opens in a new tab)

Danny leads the show’s Unreal Engine development and runs its live cues, alongside performing on cajón.

THE WORK-IN-PROGRESS SHOW

Creative credits for the September 2026 version.

Story by

  • Ben Carlin
  • Jasmine Naziha Jones

Direction

  • Matt Harrison

Devised and performed by

  • Ben Carlin
  • Stan Skinny
  • Paigan Gibbons
  • Danny Bacchus

SUPPORTED BY

Immersive Arts Arts Council England, National Lottery funded XR Stories

Arts Council England supports Pixel Puppets with research and development funding. Immersive Arts supports the project through its Experiment funding. XR Stories is our evaluation partner.

The initial concept was developed through the BFI Immersive Fiction Lab. The Big Thing showcased the first-ever work-in-progress version of Pixel Puppets at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, on 10 September 2026.

WORK WITH US

We’re refining and expanding Pixel Puppets following its first work-in-progress show. We’re looking for funders, investors and venue partners to support the next stage of development and help build a tour.

If you’re a cinema, theatre, festival or someone with an idea for where this could go, we’d love to talk.