EDINBURGH 2025: GARDEN PARTY Q&A

BWW catches up with Alessia Siniscalchi to chat about bringing Garden Party- Truman Capote's Black and White Celebration to the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Garden Party.

Garden Party is an immersive and theatrical event inspired by Truman Capote's legendary Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel in 1966. But our party is not focused on superficial glamorour. We imagine a night that is a surreal, sensual, and haunting experience —where glamour meets decay, and the boundary between guest and performer blurs. Where reality and fiction are intertwined. It's a celebration of memory, glamour, and secrets, where we can meet some ghosts from his books. 

Why did you decide to make this an immersive theatrical experience?

Capote's Black and White Ball wasn't just a party — it was a carefully staged performance, full of glamour, mystery, and hidden tensions. We wanted to recreate that spirit of spectacle and voyeurism, where the audience isn't just observing but becomes part of the world, complicit in its beauty and its darkness. Theatre in all its forms allows us to blur the lines between performer and spectator, just like Capote blurred the lines between reality and fiction.

What are the challenges of bringing an experience like this to the Fringe?

The Fringe is a whirlwind — fast-paced, compact, and full of surprises. Creating a piece in such a dynamic environment means adapting quickly and making the most of limited space and time. You have to trust the audience's imagination and create atmosphere with detail and intention. Logistically, it's a challenge to build a world that feels rich and layered in such a temporary setup — but it's also part of the thrill.

How involved do the audience get?

In Edinburgh, the audience will be seated, but they'll very much feel like party guests. The atmosphere is immersive — they're not just spectators, they're participants in the world we create. They are party to the secrets part of the sabotage and if they want they can be part of the songs. 

Who would you recommend comes to see it?

Anyone drawn to  theatre, lovers of mystery and elegance, fans of Capote, or those who've ever dreamed of slipping into a glamorous, forbidden world. If you enjoy being surprised, seduced, or just a little disturbed, this party is for you.