The crate and the good: Stuffed

IN Ugly Bucket’s unruly, heartfelt production Stuffed, we’re told “running a food bank is a lot like putting out fires.” Clad in red overalls, protective goggles and head torches, the five performers (Jessica Huckerby, Grace Gallagher, Angelina Moana, Adam Nicholls and Canice Ward) resemble fire fighters.

The stage is littered with crates; a stepladder stands on one side, a DJ deck on the other, and the cast emerge from behind a short curtain.

Co-directed by Rachael Smart and Gallagher, this devised show is sadly all too topical.

Using deliberately self-conscious clowning, the company take us through a series of skits: a gameshow aimed at “better budgeting”, a man with his guts hanging out, and two performers mimicking pigeons fighting for scraps.

In more serious interludes, slightly at odds with the slapstick, they lip-synch to fragments of personal testimonies from those involved with food banks.

The cast set a fast, furious pace as they lambast everything from the cost of living to loan sharks.

Each 60-minute performance is captioned and preceded by a shared meal (“the good stuff”), and audience members are encouraged to bring food and essential toiletries as donations. A call to action at the end adds to the sense of urgency.

The loud soundscape (music by Duncan Gallagher) and the shouting into mics can feel like overload, but it’s all good anarchic fun and the roughness around the edges adds to the show’s charm.

Until October 24
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