EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - The Bookbinder

BWW speaks to Trick of the Light Theatre about their 2016 Edinburgh Fringe production The Bookbinder

Tell us a bit about The Bookbinder

The Bookbinder is a dark fairytale, in the vein of Neil Gaiman and SusannaH Clarke. It's a show about stories and storytelling - a bookbinder's apprentice who finds himself literally lost in a book. It's about light and dark, and making mistakes, and the monsters we carry inside us. Also, it's got a good joke about bathtubs.

The play is a one-man show, and we try to capture something of the intimacy of getting drawn into a book. So what at first appears to be straight storytelling spirals into something else - a world is conjured out of ordinary things: sea monsters in water jugs, and eagles in lampshades. The story moves from pop-up book to shadow play to spill into the real world.

What inspired The Bookbinder?

We first staged the show in the back room of a second-hand bookshop, to an audience that grew from 15 to fire hazard. We wanted to make a piece that resonated with the setting, and around the time we were making it a friend told us about a bookbinder he'd met in a small town in New Zealand. We ended up driving down to have a yarn with him, and then setting out on a road trip meeting bookbinders around the country. Since then we've travelled the world, and met bookbinders along the way, and their stories have fed into the show. It's an ever-evolving beastie.

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

It's a Gothic wee tale for a Gothic old town. We brought the show over last year and were lucky enough to have a sold out run, so we wanted to bring it back for people who didn't catch it here the last time. The Fringe is such an incredible, mad event, and when you're from the far side of the world it's a chance to put your work on a platform alongside acts from all over the globe. This year we're also bringing over another show called BEARDS! BEARDS! BEARDS!, which is a madcap musical romp in the vein of Flight of the Conchords and The Mighty Boosh.

What advice would you give to anyone making their Fringe debut this year?

Find your demographic. Flyering is so much better if you narrow down your intended market.

Timings and ticket information for The Bookbinder are available on the edfringe website.

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