With over 400 hand-drawn images strapped to performers, Noted is a minimalist, multimedia experience that transforms illustrations, everyday objects, and simple gestures into an ever-evolving visual narrative. Creatively combining animation and live video through an overhead camera with music and dance, The Back Pack peels through layers of drawings in a live action cartoon with twists and turns that challenge expectations. The Back Pack's signature style aims to provide a fast-paced, mischievous experience that welcomes the chaos of live storytelling.
Noted is part of Dutch Kills Theater Company's wider programme of performance at the Fringe this year, including Channel (Assembly George Square), a live electronic music performance that encourages audiences to reflect on the overwhelming noise of social media, Peregrinations (Assembly Roxy), a wordless work of masked physical theatre and puppetry exploring the immigrant crisis in America, and Double Take (Underbelly), a non-verbal, physical-theatre collaboration with Broken Box Mime Theater looking at the hidden layers beneath everyday moments.
Pete Betcher, the creative director of The Back Pack said, “The origins of Noted stretch all the way back to 2008, where it began as an experiment to push very basic elements (simple drawings on pads of paper) to their creative extremes. This was so satisfying and fruitful, we couldn't help ourselves and have continued creating with the same process ever since; a few wrinkles here, a couple curveballs there, and constantly refining until Noted became what it is today. Through the entire process, a foundation of playful inventiveness has remained at the centre of it all. We're excited to bring this to Edinburgh because we believe in the joy it brings. It's simultaneously weird and one of a kind, as well as completely approachable. The humour and creativity bring audiences together and leaves them with a post-party glow in their heart. All without saying a word.”
Dutch Kills Theater Company is based in New York, developing and producing new work by emerging artists. Founded in 2011, they brought The Sister and Adventure Quest to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016. This was followed by the critically acclaimed The Providence of Neighboring Bodies by Jean Ann Douglass in 2018, and Solitary—a powerful look at solitary confinement in the U.S.—by Duane Cooper and Blake Haberman in 2019. In 2021, they staged the immersive UK premiere of KlaxAlterian Sequester on demand, and in 2022 presented Intelligence at Assembly Roxy alongside the critically-acclaimed Temping that ran from 2022 – 2024. In 2025 they returned to Edinburgh Fringe with the world premiere of Channel and the UK premiere of Whisper Walk. Dutch Kills has also produced critically acclaimed pieces in New York City and at the Adelaide Fringe.
The Back Pack is a curious bunch of multidisciplinary artists who are inspired by the comedy of everyday experiences. They devise experimental, non-linear, high energy shows that stylistically combine movement, technology, and a sharp sense of humour into one fanciful fantasia. They create work with disciplines such as clowning, puppetry, illustration, shadows, animation, foley, music composition, video, and stop motion. The foundation of their work is playful inventiveness. They aim to bring more joy into the world through unique, accessible, quality art that softens the edges of a traditional theatre experience. They have been awarded two B. Iden Payne awards, an Austin Critics Table Award, four Best of Fest accolades by Frontera Fest, and were among the Top 4 recognized acts in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
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