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!
Ghost Among the Living
Location: Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23)
Dates: Aug 5th-18th, 20th-31st
Time: 12:25
Price: £17 Concessions £16
Ticket Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/a-ghost-among-the-living
Hello! Tell us all about your show!
This year we’re bringing A Ghost Among the Living to the Fringe, a brand new show inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. It takes in several of Poe’s most haunting tales and poetry, told in our signature style with puppetry, original music, inventive staging and a healthy dose of creeping dread.
We like a challenge and Poe has certainly provided that! His stories are so atmospheric and psychological, full of strange imagery, unreliable narrators and people making truly terrible choices in dark rooms. It gives us a lot to play with theatrically.
The show moves through humour and horror in a way that feels very true to Poe, but hopefully also very accessible even if you’ve never read a word of his work. If you like imaginative theatre, ghost stories, and things that are a little strange and unsettling, I think you’ll have a good time!
What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the fringe?
We always try to catch as much puppetry and theatre as possible because that’s obviously our world, I’m interested in ‘The Wreck’ and ‘ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS’ at Summerhall, ‘Suitcase Show’ at Assembly and ‘Book of Shadows’ at Underbelly, and ‘Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book)’ and ‘Tiny Planet’ at Pleasance.
If you haven’t seen ‘Police Cops’ then that’s got to be one of my top comedy recommendations, they’re brilliant. I’d also highly recommend my friend Stuart Goldsmith’s new stand-up show ‘Canary’ – he is a fantastic comedian and somehow makes the topic of climate change smart, intelligent and incredibly funny.
It has to be said though some of the best things I’ve ever seen at the Festival have been complete accidents — a random recommendation from somebody in a queue or a cafe. It’s always worth leaving room for surprises…
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.
Yes — our company has been performing at the Fringe since 2013, and I’ve personally been going every year since I was sixteen, which even I can’t quite believe.
The biggest piece of advice I’d give is: don’t let the Fringe trick you into thinking everybody else is having a perfect time. The Festival can feel relentless, especially when you’re tired and surrounded by posters touting five-star reviews and sold out shows. But behind the scenes, most performers are just trying to get through the month in one piece!
Try not to obsess over audience numbers, and don’t compare yourself too much. Focus on making your show the best version of itself. And don’t forget to go and see things! The Fringe is one of the greatest concentrations of creativity in the world and it would be a terrible shame to spend the whole month only staring at your own ticket sales page.
And wear comfortable shoes. That’s not artistic advice, but it is important.
Talk us through your daily routine for a day at the Fringe
I’ll get up around 8am and do a bit of exercise, then have breakfast and start preparing for the day. I’ll usually go along to the street performing draw at 10am (I like to do a few street shows during the Festival if I get the chance). After that I head to the venue and start getting ready for the show.
Once the show is finished we’ll usually grab some lunch, do a bit of promotion, and try to see a couple of other productions if possible.
Then in the evening we’ll usually go and watch more shows, and catch up with friends and fellow artists. Repeat until September!
Ok, where is your favourite place to eat at the Fringe?
I’m very fond of the City Restaurant — partly because the food is good and partly because I’ve been going there for so many years now that it’s become a Fringe tradition.
Pizza Posto is excellent too. Lovecrumbs for coffee and cake. Edinburgh has a lot of great places to eat though, go and explore!
Best thing about performing at the fringe?
It might be the audiences. Fringe audiences are wonderfully adventurous because they’ve actively chosen to spend their day discovering new things. They’re incredibly open to unusual work, and we’re very grateful to those people who support us by coming back every year!
It’s also amazing getting to perform a show repeatedly in one place. As a touring company we’re usually constantly moving, so having the chance to refine and deepen a production across a long run is really lovely.
Do you bring anything special from home to make it feel more special whilst you are away?
Honestly, as I said before, after this many Fringes Edinburgh already feels like a second home!
What are your best hacks to save money whilst at the Fringe?
Make the most of performer perks. You can often get into other shows for free or cheaply through passes or by meeting other artists and companies, which is brilliant.
If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?
We’re on all the usual platforms — Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Bluesky and so on. Just search for Box Tale Soup and you should find us lurking somewhere in the digital gloom.
You can also visit our website for tour dates, trailers and more info.
And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?
Creepy puppet horror!
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