Quotes

Puppetry is always thought of as for kids, and cute, little, soft, talking animals. And so I've spent the better part of two decades trying to wrest the form from that preconception.

My dad would pack up the car with my stage and my gear, and drive me around to those lucrative $50 gigs. It's only since my dad passed away a year ago that I realized he probably lost a lot of money on gas and hotel rooms and things, while I pocketed the $50 cheque, but that was the beginning of [my career].

I don't want my audience to be fat and pink and polite. I'm not a court jester for the rich.

Some of my best crying was when witnessing incredible beauty, and my best laughter was in the most bizarre sadness.

I am a good sponge. I watch what is going on around me and then I use it.

For me, the true monsters have always been my own species. Right from the start I've always been interested in shrinking people down to take a closer look.

[on his audiences] I extend a hand to them, in effect saying if you breathe with me in the dark for a couple of hours, and let me control your breathing, I will try and make it worth your while.

[observation, 2013] For two decades I've been doing work that is pretty heavy, pretty dark and weighty in terms of text. I just need to lighten up and have some fun on the side. I wanted to go in front of an audience again and be sometimes political, sometimes dirty, sometimes cheeky. I wanted my laboratory back.

[on the three key cast members of 'The Daisy Theatre'] I call them the Holy Trinity. Schnitzel, Edna and Esme are all one-third parts of me. Schnitzel is the innocent-hopeful-me that I can never show the world because I'm a big, tall, older man now. Edna is the Canadian-confused-hopeful version of me. And Esme is the bitter old queen-who's been on-the-road-for-too-many-years version of me.