“The towering monoliths of trash owing to the bin strike at the end of last year’s Fringe, made us 100% glad that chosen to go completely flyer free! We invited people to take photos of our poster board or scan the QR code instead of handing out paper.”
WHO: Noel Byrne
WHAT: “‘Who is this who is coming?’ You are invited to the edge of your seat, on a journey to the darkest corners of the night… Expert on the so-called supernatural, Edward Dunning, is a scholar and a sceptic. But when he crosses paths with the mysterious Mr. Karswell, Dunning’s life becomes a waking nightmare. A chilling new adaptation of MR James’ classic ghost stories featuring remarkable puppetry and a haunting original soundtrack. Our advice? Don’t come alone… Praise for Box Tale Soup: ‘They are wonderful’ **** (Times). ***** ‘Remarkable’ (TheWeeReview.com). ***** ‘Brilliant’ (ThreeWeeks).”
WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Pleasance Above (Venue 33)
WHEN: 11:45 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is far from my first Edinburgh Fringe. My company started bringing shows to the Fringe in 2013, and we’ve been every year since. However, I first came to the Festival when I was just sixteen years old, and it just blew my mind. I was into theatre and circus, and just fell in love with the atmosphere and feeling of possibility. I’ve performed at every Fringe since then, often as a street performer, and it’s an important part of my year. In addition to providing a platform for my company to share work, it gives me a chance to connect with artists from all over the world, and even after all this time, I still leave feeling inspired!
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
The towering monoliths of trash owing to the bin strike at the end of last year’s Fringe, made us 100% glad that chosen to go completely flyer free! We invited people to take photos of our poster board or scan the QR code instead of handing out paper. We make most of our set and puppets from reclaimed, recycled or sustainable material and avoiding waste is important to us – ‘Don’t be wasteful, be creative’ is a kind of unofficial motto for the company. We’ll definitely be taking the flyer free route again this year.
Aside from that, last year was our boldest and most creatively challenging show yet – we really had no idea what our audiences would think, which was nerve-wracking to say the least! But it paid off, so we’re determined to be brave and keep pushing ourselves, and hopefully ‘Casting the Runes’ reflects that.
Tell us about your show.
The show is called ‘Casting the Runes’, and it’s a supernatural thriller, a classic ghost story with two performers, several of the most beautiful puppets we’ve made to date, and a fantastic original soundtrack. The promo for the show says ‘don’t come alone’, and there’s definitely some truth in that – it’ll set spines tingling and hearts racing, with a few good scares in there too! The script is a new adaptation written by myself and Antonia Christophers, based on the stories of M.R.James, generally considered the grandfather of British horror.
After meeting while playing Romeo and Juliet (yes, really) Antonia and I founded Box Tale Soup in 2012, and since then we’ve created 14 shows, usually involving a lot of puppetry and inventive design. We’ve worked on ‘Casting the Runes’ before, near the beginning of the company’s life, but for 2023 we thought we’d re-invent the show using everything we’ve learned in the last ten years!
After the Fringe, the show is touring the UK, and many of the autumn dates are up on our website already.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
I will definitely be going to see Police Cops – absolutely hilarious, they’ve gone from strength to strength, and they’re one of the tickets I’ll buy without a moment’s hesitation!
Adam Lenson, who directed our show, is also doing a solo show at Summerhall, called ‘Anything That We Wanted To Be’, which you should catch. He’s a very smart and witty writer, with a passion for tech and musicals, which makes for a very entertaining, funny and moving bit of autobiography.
Stuart Goldsmith, host of the Comedian’s Comedian Podcast is an old friend of mine, and he’s doing his stand-up show ‘Spoilers’ at the Monkey Barrel. He’s a brilliant joke writer, and his shows are always beautifully crafted, but this show in particular is more than just stand-up -it’s a very honest and informative look at climate issues, without sacrificing the humour for a second.
Also, take some time to go and see some of the street performers. The Fringe attracts some of the greatest buskers and circle shows from around the world, and you can see some truly amazing stuff if you keep an eye out!
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