Theatre / kid carpet
Kid Carpet on his forthcoming Noisy Animals panto: ‘I’m making a type of theatre that I pretty much detest’
Better known as his anagrammatic alter ego, Kid Carpet, Bristol musician, video and theatre maker Ed Patrick has been producing creative projects for over two decades, as well as undertaking several years of collaborative work in schools.
His work is characterised for its anarchic, DIY aesthetic, deceptively simple and undeniably catchy music – often made using loops and found sounds – as well as a warm comic sensibility.
In his own words, Patrick is dedicated to “creating superheroes out of everyday people and ordinary things”.
Kid Carpet in The Noisy Nativity
Fans of his on-stage outings with frequent co-stars The Noisy Animals will be used to watching seasonal shows, including previous forays to The Garden Centre, the Super Mega Rockin’ Rockshow, and the Noisy Nativity.
New for the winter of 2025, Kid Carpet will be rejoining his small animal pals – Bear, Gorilla, Badger, and Hedgehog – for a panto with a difference: Jack & The Beanstalk (sort of).
Hedgehog, Gorilla, Bear and Badger – aka The Noisy Animals
Think the classic story as if “it’s been thrown in a blender with a drum machine and dodgy celebrity lookalikes.
“Part air guitar workshop, part magical mess, this lo-fi, hi-tech, big-beat bonkers show is stuffed with songs, silliness and surprise grannies.”
The production will be available for touring until May 2027. As Patrick shared with Bristol24/7 during the development process, it’s no mean feat, given how much he dislikes the medium of panto.
Kid Carpet and the Noisy Animals, Jack & the Beanstalk (Sort Of) – artwork: Hannah Broadway
What’s going on at Kid Carpet HQ at the moment?
“Hello Sarski and Bristol 24/7; thanks for saying hello.
“Currently at Kid Carpet HQ the main driver is getting the new Noisy Animals show ready for its Christmas run. I’ve written a script and have started on the songs. I need to get into a room with my co-conspirators and do some hard-core mucking about before I know what shape this beast looks like.
“Besides that, I’ve been working on some public engagement projects – mostly in schools. I’ve just set up a community interest company in order to help facilitate those kind of projects. I’ve been collaborating with children, making performance ideas about economics and money and equity, and then talking about those things through dance and puppetry and song. It’s been super fun, insightful and sometimes quite moving. I love it.
“I’m also writing songs for myself, and gigging here and there when I can.”
Kid Carpet playing some interactive table tennis
During the development of the show, have you had to get yourself into the Christmas spirit pretty early this year?
“Not really. I find searching for the Christmas spirit a bit tricky to be honest. Usually I like the distraction of having a show to make up or perform, because it helps me in not having to think about Christmas at all particularly. Also, our version of Jack and the Beanstalk is being designed to be able to play outside of the Christmas season, so yeah, it’s a panto, it’ll feel a, little Christmassy but it’s not about Christmas (oh yes, it is. Oh no, it’s not…).”
How do you go about getting that added Christmassy magic into a show?
“Simple, there’s three rules: big songs, big heart and then throw a load of stuff about on stage.”
A Kid Carpet & The Noisy Animals show, with most of the audience on-stage
Can you give us an insight into why you decided the show should take the direction that it has? What was your starting point?
“With the previous Noisy Animals show, Noisy Garden Centre, it was an exercise in trying to make something really stupid from the premise of something really boring, ie. a garden centre – and lo and behold it’s been a difficult sell for some venues and for some audiences!
“When booking that show I was told by quite a big venue that they couldn’t afford to programme anything other than titles of books that people already know. So that led me to go for a biggie; why not? The previously unmentioned venue have now booked Jack & the Beanstalk (sort of) and the business side of my brain feels vindicated.”
Kid Carpet’s Super Mega Rockin’ Rock Show
“Meanwhile, the artistic side of my brain is excited by the idea that I’m making a type of theatre that I pretty much detest: ie. a pantomime. I can’t stand them. I don’t like the cheese. I don’t like the innuendo. I don’t like the costumes. I don’t like the fact that they’re always the same. But I do like that a different audience goes to see them than your typical middle class lovey theatre-going audience… they’re kind of for everyone.
“The Noisy Animals on the other hand absolutely bloody love panto; they think it’s the best. As far as they’re concerned, it’s the only real reason to go to the theatre. They love the participation, the boo and the hiss, and they think of it as a lofty art form. I’m hoping that we’ll discover some dramatic tension between us.”
Kid Carpet and the Noisy Animals in: Noisy Garden Centre
As characters, how easy is it to collaborate with the Noisy Animals? You know their traits incredibly well at this point; can you just throw them into any given scenario and know intuitively how each one of them will react?
“It certainly feels like it, yes. I’ve been thinking about casting the characters in the show, and it’s already quite apparent that both Bear and Gorilla want to be Jack – of course they do. And I’m pretty sure I know who they’re going to want to cast me as.”
What are you most looking forward to about this festive season?
“To be honest, having my new show, seeing what people think of it and getting to sing songs all the time: that’s what makes me tick. I’ve spent a lot of the last year doing admin and I really don’t like doing admin. I like singing songs, making up songs and doing shows, and I’m going to get to do about 25 of those. Why not come on down to one?”
Kid Carpet & The Noisy Animals: Jack & The Beanstalk (sort of) is at The Wardrobe Theatre on December 18-January 4, 11am and 2pm. Age recommendation is 3-10; ages 2 and under go free. Tickets are available at www.thewardrobetheatre.com.
Find out more at www.kidcarpet.co.uk or follow @kid_carpet.
All photos: Ed Patrick
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