Fringe favourites Box Tale Soup are back in Edinburgh this Summer, premiering a new show: an adaptation of George Orwell’s ‘1984’. Co-founded by Noel Byrne and Antonia Christophers, the company is known for its visual theatre, specifically puppetry and set design. If it’s not already obvious, I am a big fan of their work and after getting to ask the team more about their theatre making practices last year, I couldn’t wait to hear about their plans for ‘1984’. Antonia kindly took the time to share some insights into why they chose Orwell for this year’s show and also how they are preparing for their return to The Pleasance.
What has Box Tale Soup been up to over the past 10 months, since presenting ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ and ‘Casting the Runes’ at last year’s festival?
Wow, it has only been 10 months! Although having said that, EdFringe always seems to come around so quickly. Firstly we returned to our studio to write our ‘1984’ adaptation – an intense but strangely relaxing process, particularly after the mayhem of the festival. We then moved onto the set design, which I had to do left-handed after I broke my wrist during the Fringe – this had a lasting effect on the design, as drawing with your non-dominant hand is tricky! The result is there are pretty much no right angles, which definitely adds to the sense of oppression from the Party regime in the story. After a fun Halloween tour with Casting the Runes and another Cunard voyage with the same show, we then toured ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ to theatres across the UK. This was a revamp of a previous iteration of the show that visited EdFringe in 2017. That finished just before Easter and since then we’ve been thoroughly immersed in all things ‘1984’.
You are returning to the Edinburgh Fringe for 2025 with an adaptation of George Orwell’s ‘1984’. What made you decide to focus on the one show this year?
Last year was a little unusual for us, as we were bringing back shows that had already had a recent Fringe run. Doing the two back to back everyday was reasonably manageable as they were both so familiar – like two old friends! ‘1984’ is a brand new show, so we want to be able to give it our complete focus and attention. It’s also always nerve wracking premiering a show at the festival, so we wanted to be kind to ourselves and our stress levels!
Your adaptation of 1984 is described as a ‘timely reimagining of Orwell’s visionary dystopian novel with puppetry and original music’. What inspired you to look to George Orwell’s writing for your next show?
‘1984’ is an incredible story, and it feels perhaps more relevant than ever. We re-read the book last year and we all started to have staging ideas immediately, which is always a great sign. We felt that our style of adaptation, in particular our use of puppetry, could bring something new to a stage production. People often suggest texts for us to adapt and ‘1984’ had been mentioned a lot. I expect this was why we decided to re-read it, and then our next consideration is: will our style of theatre serve the story well, and what can we bring to this incredible classic that hasn’t been done before?
As a theatre company, you “love to use puppetry in your work”. How are you preparing the puppets for this year’s festival?
The puppets have a strict conditioning routine in the weeks leading up to the festival to ensure they have the stamina for such a long run! Just kidding – they are all handmade and this cast are probably the most realistic faces we’ve crafted. Some have visible wrinkles on their foreheads and lines around their mouths, and their eyebrows are made of tiny individual strands of coloured paper. For the first time we’ve also had to make a puppet that looks exactly like a cast member which was a big challenge. I had to do various modifications to the face shape to make him as identical as possible – once I got the eyes right, and the hair, he really came to life and I’m very pleased with the result.
I was so impressed by your commitment to sustainability and paperless approach to flyering and promotion at last year’s festival. To what extent are you sticking to your unofficial motto “Don’t be wasteful, be creative” for 2025?
As much as we possibly can. We always have this in our minds from designing the set, right up to when we’re in the rehearsal room eking out every possibility that set has to offer. Sustainability wise, the puppets are all made of recycling using our favourite frozen pizza boxes to build the frames for their faces, and tin foil tubes and delivery boxes for their bodies. Much of the set is made from foam board that was destined for landfill, as it was damaged stock, and there are various items that are reused from other productions. In terms of flyering we will be paperless once again. Not only do we find it more effective, it’s less wasteful and also less expensive. We would recommend giving it a go if you’re up for something different. You have to hold your nerve as you don’t have the visible result of your pile of flyers disappearing, but you do have some great conversations with people.
What are you most looking forward to returning to The Pleasance for another year?
The Pleasance is a wonderful creative hub and it always seems to be buzzing and full of excitement, so we’re looking forward to the atmosphere and seeing lots of brilliant shows. As with all Fringe venues you share the storage and dressing room area with other companies, so you inevitably end up making friends with the cast and crew of the shows either side of your own. Along with the crew for your venue they all become a kind of family for the Fringe which is always a lovely thing.
Puppetry and politics at this year’s Fringe
I am always thoroughly inspired by Box Tale Soup’s innovation. It is fascinating hearing about their creative process and very exciting that they will be premiering a new show this year. The company’s adaptation of ‘1984’ is based at the Above venue at Pleasance Courtyard from 30th July to 25th August (not 13th). Performances start at 11:25am daily and tickets can be purchased via the festival’s website.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
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