Box Tale Soup’s Casting the Runes at Waterside Arts

Box Tale Soup are taking their puppet-based literary adaptation of M.R. James’ chilling supernatural thriller on tour, with puppets, set and props made using recycled materials.

 The two-hander pays homage to a writer considered the grandfather of British horror (inspiration for writers such as Susan Hill and Lovecraft), taking audiences on a ride through dark magic and intrigue, and further establishing the company as one of the go-to creators of classic Gothic theatre. Carefully crafted with tense original music, bespoke puppets, and a shape-shifting set, it follows the increasingly sinister haunting of an academic after he’s given some mysterious runes. The tour follows a hugely successful run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023.

Expert on the so-called supernatural, Edward Dunning, is a scholar and a sceptic. But when he crosses paths with the mysterious Mr. Karswell, his life becomes a waking nightmare. Haunted by something sinister at every turn, he must uncover the secret of the mysterious runes handed to him by Karswell, before his time runs out and the dark presence at his heels finally catches up with him…

Writer Noel Byrne said “”Puppets have a natural magic and sense of otherworldliness. They can be charming of course, but they can also be unnerving and strange – often what we imagine is worse than what we see. This works to our advantage in Casting the Runes, a fantastic example of M.R. James’ skill in building tension and dread, creating an incredible atmosphere. It’s a rollercoaster of a story, slowly ratcheting up and up until the inevitable final descent. We’ve just finished an amazing run at the Edinburgh Fringe, with sell-out crowds and wonderful reviews, so we can’t wait to get the show out on tour and share it with audiences around the country!”

Box Tale Soup have toured extensively throughout the UK and abroad including: Lyric, Hammersmith; Home, Manchester; Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham; Broad Stage, California; Long-Fu Theatre, Beijing. They have had seven commissions from the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham and two from The Clark Memorial Library, UCLA, and have collaborated with world renowned choral ensemble The Sixteen and Guardian Charity of the Year winners Music Action International.

Their critically acclaimed shows have been delighting audiences of all ages since 2012. Previous productions include Gulliver, Northanger Abbey, Great Grimm Tales, The Turn of the Screw, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Northanger Abbey, Manalive, Midsummer Night’s Dream. They will also be touring Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from 23rd September – 26th November, coinciding with the Casting the Runes autumn tour. 

Their 2013 version of Casting the Runes sold-out at Wilton’s Music Hall in 2015 before touring the UK. Its online audio adaptation has over 8,000 listens, and they have combined the two and created new material for their 2023 offering. The company’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 run of the show was critically acclaimed and they played to sold-out audiences across the month.