About the show

‘Everyone’s dad exists as a kind of statue, frozen in a certain pose. Mine is wearing his cream and black mac, standing in the rain watching football or cross country...it doesn't matter which: it was cold, and he was there.’

Ben's dad was born in London and only ever moved north, always loosely in line with the M1. So over six days in summer 2014, Ben hitchhiked south along Britain’s most beloved motorway from his birthplace in Nottingham to his father’s birthplace in Brixton, moving backwards in time through his dad’s life as he went, on a warts-and-all journey through modern Britain and his own family history...

Join acclaimed British writer-performer and newly crowned BBC Poetry Slam Champion, Ben Norris as he battles service station sandwiches and the perils of lower league football in search of the man behind his stoic father. In turns “hilarious and poignant” (Theatre Full Stop), 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Family' is a “modern pilgrimage” (The Stage); a poetic, multimedia, ramshackle road trip from a “prodigious talent” (Reviews Hub) that attempts to bridge the often impassable gap we feel from those we love, asking important questions of identity and contemporary masculinity - and Travelodge - along the way.

WINNER - Ideas Tap Underbelly Award, Edinburgh Fringe

Praise for 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Family' at Adelaide Fringe 2018

★★★★★ - The Advertiser

★★★★★ - Voice Mag

★★★★ - Fest

★★★★ - Adelaide Theatre Guide

★★★★ - The Clothesline

International Praise for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Family

★★★★★ “Will stir something in you for a long time to come” - Left Lion

★★★★★ “A truly talented performer with genuine presence and charisma to burn” - Three Weeks

★★★★ “This isn’t a fairytale with a perfectly tied-up ending. This is real life, with all the shitty bits left in. And that’s what makes it so watchable: it is relatable, sincere and true. This is an uplifting way to spend an hour for anyone who has ever doubted who they are (everyone).” - Broadway Baby

★★★★ “Incredibly powerful” - A Younger Theatre

★★★★/★ Reviews Hub

★★★★ The Stage

★★★★ The Skinny

★★★★ British Theatre Guide

★★★★ Ed Fest Mag

★★★★ Theatre Full Stop

★★★★ Mumble

★★★★ TV Bomb

★★★★ Fringe Guru

CREDITS

Writer/performer: Ben Norris

Adelaide Fringe 2018 News

★★★★★ '... regardless of your heritage, you will recognise yourself in his intelligent, witty insight into the parent/child dynamic.' - The Advertiser

★★★★★ 'A moving, emotive tale of physical and emotional journeys to connect with the people we love.' - Voice Mag

★★★★ 'The closeness he creates between himself and the audience is inspiring and incredibly effective.' - Fest

★★★★ 'Ben Norris was incredibly captivating and presented the beautiful poetic text with so much energy, genuineness and precision.' - The Clothesline

'This poetic, sometimes poignant, representation of a road trip explores the tricky gap we feel from those we love, addressing themes of identity and contemporary masculinity' - The Upsider

'Ben Norris is clearly a gifted writer.' - Adelaide Theatre Guide

'Ben Norris began a search for his dad... before it turned into something a lot bigger than that' -Scenestr

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