A GHOST AMONG THE LIVING Will Make World Premiere at Edinburgh Fringe
Performances will run 5 – 31 Aug 2026.
Inspired by the iconic Hammer Horror aesthetic, this new adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic works fuses haunting puppetry, original music and supernatural storytelling with a shape-shifting set. Weaving together several tales from the master of the macabre—the famously dark The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, Ligeia and The Cask of Amontillado as well as poems The Raven and Lenore — this two-hander follows a mysterious scholar who takes the stage to honour Poe's masterpieces. But truth shall not be buried in fiction, and his ominous companion seems to have an agenda of her own. As lines blur and reason spirals, the stories twist into a dangerous confession. Returning for a thirteenth year, Fringe veterans Box Tale Soup have handcrafted the puppets, set, and props almost entirely from recycled and sustainable materials.
A Ghost Among the Living is the company's third commission from the Clark Memorial Library (UCLA), along with Gulliver's Travels and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In preparation for writing and devising the production, Box Tale Soup were granted rare access to the library's archives to browse first editions of Edgar Allan Poe's work, handwritten essays and correspondence to provide valuable insight into his style and narrative devices.
Co-writer and performer Noel Byrne said, “Although we've tackled ghost stories before, Edgar Allan Poe is an entirely different beast. Poe's stories are dark, strange and grotesque, qualities which lend themselves to puppetry in a way that we haven't explored before. We want the show to feel like the best kind of haunted house ride, a rollercoaster in the dark -anticipation, excitement, twists and turns, sudden drops and some sinister surprises! Poe's stories often build to a fantastic and terrifying crescendo, and we want our audience to experience that same thrill by the end of the show!”
Box Tale Soup is an award-winning theatre company whose critically acclaimed productions have delighted thousands of people in the UK and abroad. Founded in 2012, the name comes from their signature style, packing whole handmade worlds into a vintage trunk with a delicious mix of puppetry, movement, theatre and music. Past Edinburgh shows include 1984, Casting the Runes (winner of Best Stage Play at Edinburgh Horror Fest Spookies Awards), Gulliver's Travels (winner of Best Production of 2022 from Chris On Theatre), Northanger Abbey (Argus Angel Award for Artistic Excellence 2013), Great Grimm Tales, The Turn of the Screw, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Manalive!, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Buxton Fringe Best Show For Families award 2014).
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