Focus on: Katie & Pip

They say never work with children or animals in theatre, but Tin Can People’s Katie & Pip boldly flouts this rule. Katie is a 15-year-old with type 1 diabetes, Pip is her medical alert dog, and the pair are the stars of this show. Katie is the kid sister of Rob Gregson who, along with Charlotte Berry, make up Tin Can People. Though full of chaos and joy, there’s a lot more to this show than throwing around hundreds of tennis balls.

“It challenges the perception of type 1 diabetes and hopes to raise more awareness of this serious autoimmune condition, and invisible disability as a whole,” says Berry. “The media often insinuates that sugar is bad and all diabetes is caused by lifestyle choices. type 2 diabetes is usually conflated with type 1 under generalised ‘diabetes’, so type 1 diabetics are stigmatised.”

Many people with disabilities, both visible and invisible, find themselves excluded from theatre. The industry has only recently woken up to its ableism and while change is happening, progress is slow. At the Fringe, this discrepancy is pronounced. Out of 3,548 shows, 49 offer BSL-interpreted performances, five offer audio description, 47 are captioned and 75 are relaxed. Wheelchair accessibility is much better, with 2,181 shows accessible to wheelchair users. There are 464 shows providing hearing loops.

Tin Can People believe that “work at the Fringe and art in general becomes much more interesting when it is platformed to a diverse audience. Work should be diverse in how it's made, as this helps give a unique voice to the overall experience.”

Katie’s story is certainly a unique one. The teenager trained Pip to the nationally recognised standard for service dogs, and Pip helps Katie stay alive. People with type 1 diabetes experience blood sugar highs and lows, so as well as the chaos that comes with working with a dog and a child, Berry says that “audiences can expect to be told a story about Katie’s diagnosis and condition, about family, about hurdles and the love of Scotland. Expect Kit Kat breaks, blood tests and insulin injections.”

The intelligent, energetic Pip also keeps the performers on their toes. “She needs to be occupied at all times. There are moments in the show where it's important that the audience hear the performers. This can be really difficult when Pip is crying at the tennis balls or ragging her squeaky toy.”

Kids, animals, disability and illness – Katie & Pip is an unpredictable show, but it’s serious about increasing access and representation. Type 1 Diabetes impacts about 400,000 people in the UK, and for Katie, this is her chance to share her story.