It is festival season and that means that in the next month there is so many great comedy festivals to look forward to! This month we are looking at some of the great shows that you can see at the Edinburgh Fringe. So take note because we are going to give you all the information you need for just a handful of some of the great shows happening this year!

Gulliver’s Travels

Location:  Pleasance Courtyard – Above (Venue 33)

Dates: Jul 31st Aug 1st-13th, 15th-25th

Time: 13:00

Price: £14.00 Concessions £13.00

Ticket Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/gulliver-s-travels

Hello! Tell us about yourself?

Hi, I’m Noel, I’m a puppeteer, performer and Artistic Director of Box Tale Soup We’re a touring theatre company specialising in new adaptations of classic literature, using a lot of puppetry, original music, and inventive design.

Tell us all about your show!

‘Gulliver’s Travels’, based on the classic novel by Jonathan Swift,  an amazing adventure featuring a huge range of puppetry and original sea shanties – we’ve performed it around the UK and taken it to the US and Malta, again receiving outstanding reactions and reviews!

How did you come up with the name of your show that you’re taking to the fringe?

 ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is taken from the name of the book, but we thought we’d stick with the short version – the original title is a bit long to fit on a poster!

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?

The Fringe is such an amazing chance to see acts from all over, especially since we often don’t get a chance when we’re touring. Obviously we love to see some puppetry, so we’ll try to catch Blind Summit’s ‘The Sex Lives of Puppets’. Otherwise we keep our ears to the ground for interesting theatre, Ugly Bucket are in the same space as us with ‘Stuffed’ so we’ll see that if we can, and we always try to catch some circus too – we saw ‘Sophie’s Surprise 29th’ last year, which was great, and I notice they’re back again.

Have you done the fringe before? What are the key pieces of advice you have been given or would give to new groups or people performing at the fringe. And if you haven’t, how are you gearing up for it? 

As a company, we’ve been performing at the Fringe since 2013. I first came to the Festival when I was 16 though, and I’ve been back every year since… so, a long time! If it’s your first time, I’d say keep your expectations very realistic and don’t be too hard on yourself – there’s an immense amount of competition for audience time and attention, so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or lost. Don’t compare yourself to others or wonder why they had 10 more in the audience than you, just concentrate on doing your own show and making it as good as you possibly can. And don’t forget, even if there are only one or two people in the audience, you never know who they might be. One of our early shows to an audience of twelve people led to a long term collaboration with a major theatre!

The Fringe is pretty relentless, and if you’re having a tough time it can feel surprisingly lonely, especially when you’re surrounded by people trumpeting great reviews and sell out shows. The competition and noise can feel really intense, and you can quickly feel overwhelmed. But don’t suffer in silence, people will surprise you – ask for a bit of help or just a chat from friends or other artists, and usually you’ll find they can completely relate!

Talk us through your daily routine for a day at the Fringe

I’m also a street performer, so usually I’ll get up around 8am, do a little exercise and have breakfast, then head to the street performers draw, which is held near the High Street at 10am. When that’s finished I’ll go straight to the Pleasance Courtyard and start preparing for our first show at 11.35am. That will finish at 12.35pm, and then we have 25 minutes before our next show starts at 1pm! Once that’s done and we’ve got everything safely stored away for the day, we’ll get out at around 2.30pm and definitely be ready for lunch. If I was lucky in the draw I might go off to do a street show at some point in the afternoon, then we’ll fit promoting our work and going to see other shows in around that. In the evening, we’ll probably watch another show or two, and head out for a well earned drink!

What is the best way to enjoy yourself at the fringe?

Make the most of what’s on offer, don’t plan too heavily, and see shows you wouldn’t ordinarily see – take a few chances, catch some unexpected things! A lot of people make a list of stuff they know or recognise, but some of the best things I’ve ever seen have been recommendations from a random stranger in a queue or bar!

Ok, where is your favourite place to eat at the Fringe?

That’s a tricky one, because there are often a few new places to try or great pop-ups for the month. Nok’s Kitchen near Tollbooth Kirk is great if you like Thai food, the City Restaurant is amazing for fish and chips, I’ve been going there for years. If you want to go fancy there’s a huge range of great choices in Edinburgh, but I’m usually too busy to sit down for long!

Best thing about performing at the Fringe?

For us, getting to do a three week run is great, it helps to build an audience and develop the show. We’ve been going long enough now that there are people who will come back and seek us out too, which is just brilliant! It’s also absolutely amazing to spend time with so many other artists, to share work, ideas and feedback in a way that you rarely get the chance to anywhere else.

Top tips for travelling around the Fringe and getting to shows on time?

Unless you know where you’re going, leave plenty of time to get from one venue to another. If you’re visiting Edinburgh for the first time it can be a tricky city to navigate, as there are lots of nooks, crannies and alleyways, and the vertical element doesn’t translate well to a map! I often see people on Cowgate for example, phone in hand, staring up at a street 50 feet above them and wondering how they get up to the show they should be seeing! Take the opportunity to walk around though, and enjoy the city itself – it really is beautiful and quite unique, and it’s well worth getting out of the melee to places like Calton Hill, Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park for a break if you have time.

Oh, and never underestimate how long it will take you to walk along the High Street on the busiest days – leave at least twice as long as you expect!

What would be your top three items every performer must take to the fringe?

A really lightweight little rain coat that you can just stick into a pocket, because you’ll definitely need it.

Some super comfortable boots or trainers, because you’ll spend a lot of time on your feet.

A good, light little bag that’s easy and comfortable to carry.

Boring answers perhaps, but you’ll thank me…

What’s the secret to successful flyering?

Quality, not quantity. It’s about making a connection and getting someone interested in your work, not about getting rid of as many flyers as possible. We don’t use physical flyers anymore, partly for sustainability reasons and partly because of the huge amount of litter it generates, but even when we did, we never gave a flyer to someone who didn’t ask for one. Get a good pitch line that sums up what’s interesting about your show in a few words, and if someone looks intrigued, you can tell them more and offer a flyer. If you just try to shove it in my pocket as I walk past, I’m likely to avoid your show altogether!

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?

You can find us in all the usual places – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok. Just search for Box Tale Soup!

And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?

Seafaring puppet adventure!