BOOK OF SHADOWS To Premiere At Edinburgh Fringe
The performance is written by Daniel Wishes and performed with Seri Yanai.
Award-winning Japanese shadow puppet company Mochinosha/Book of Shadowz return to Edinburgh to unleash their latest creation, the premiere of their brand new show, Book of Shadows - a hilarious occult mystery for grown-ups.
Teenage sceptic Vi is forced to live with her grandmother, who claims to be the 200-year-old mystic and spiritual guru Madam Blavatsky. When Vi's friends begin to disappear, she reluctantly teams up with Granny to uncover a conspiracy of séances, unhinged cultists and suspiciously interested government agents.
A visually stunning dark comedy based on a possibly true story, Book of Shadows dives into the mysterious world of the occult and mysticism where audiences can draw their own conclusions as to what to believe.
Mochinosha / Book of Shadowz was founded in 2012 by Canadian artist Daniel Wishes and Japanese artist Seri Yanai and are known for their use of colourful hand-crafted shadow puppets to create live analogue shadow animation. The company has been recognised with awards from festivals around the world, including Critic’s Choice (Orlando Fringe, USA), Outstanding Production (Suginami Theatre Festival, Japan), and The Spookies Jury’s Choice Award (Edinburgh Fringe, UK).
Written by Daniel Wishes and performed together with Seri Yanai, Book of Shadows is a prelude to a larger tale exploring the occult and esoteric. The first chapter premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026, told through Mochinosha / Book of Shadowz’ signature shadow animation and puppetry, with a pitch-black sense of humour that will appeal to those of a weird and surrealist disposition.
Book of Shadows premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe, 18:30 at Underbelly Cowgate’s Big Belly, 05 - 30 August 2026 (no show 19-Aug).
Daniel Wishes (writer / performer) is a Canadian writer and puppetry artist based in Japan. He is a graduate of the London School of Puppetry's professional puppetry program. He is the lead playwright of Mochinosha, and hand-cuts and constructs the puppets used for Mochinosha productions based on Seri Yanai's designs. He has worked on various film and television projects over the years and uses that experience to help create Mochinosha's unique style of cinematic puppetry.
Seri Yanai (director / designer / performer) is a visual artist, performer, and theatre director based in Japan. She is known for her innovative and cinematic shadow puppetry. She has directed and performed numerous award-winning plays, which have toured in eight countries and been performed in English, Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese. Her most recent work, a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, was given the rare honour of being featured in the 2021 edition of Japan’s International Theatre yearbook.
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