Shay Mace
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. It might sound like the plot of a thriller movie, but it’s actually the storyline of Book of Shadows‘ self-titled upcoming Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, which features two puppeteers casting giant shadows to conjure a hilarious occult mystery. We caught up with artists Daniel Wishes and Seri Yanai to find out more about the show.
You can catch Book of Shadows at Big Belly, Underbelly Cowgate on August 5th – 30th at 18:30 (60 min). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Daniel & Seri! Your new work Book of Shadows is described as an ‘occult mystery for grown ups’, and follows a character forced to live with her grandmother, who has a unique supernatural claim – tell us about these characters, and what the audience can expect from the piece.
Seri: Our hero is a teenager named Vi who is sent to live with her grandmother who claims to be the 19th-century mystic Madame Blavatsky. Together they explore the real world of occultists in order to track down a group of missing kids. The story is told with hundreds of shadow puppets projected onto a large screen.
Shay: How has the creative process been of putting the show together? Give us an idea of the journey you’ve been on with it so far.
Daniel: We have a deep interest in the history of magick and the occult. Not the fictional version but the real-life lore. We had been dreaming and planning to make this show for about ten years. Like all our shows, the process begins with Daniel’s story. Then Seri makes storyboards and designs several hundred puppets. Then we have a lengthy process of building all the puppets and choreographing how they’ll be manipulated in the show. This time, however, our creation process has been a bit slowed down by strange, unexplainable events. Sometimes, we enter our workshop in the morning and find the puppets scattered around the rooms as though thrashed by an angry poltergeist. Which makes sense because that’s how we usually leave it.
Shay: What will be the first thing the audience sees, feels, and hears as they enter the space?
Daniel: Big Belly is located inside a spooky, damp, historic vault with tall curved ceilings. It is most certainly haunted. As they search for their seats, the audience may sense the presence of ethereal beings, as chills run up their spines. On the stage, standing before them, they will see our towering shadow puppetry screen. Then they will hear the voice of a tiny wizard frog begin to tell our tale of magick.
Shay: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Seri: We want the audience to have fun and feel empowered so that they can leave the theatre ready to summon demons and create their own magical rituals to help better the world.
Shay: What journey has the show been on to find itself at EdFringe 2026?
Daniel: It’s a brand-new show so its journey is just beginning. However, our company’s journey has been a long and exciting one. This will be our fifth time at the Edinburgh Fringe but our first time premiering a new show. We’re just a small two-person company with a Canadian and a Japanese artist. We have been developing our unique style of puppetry for over a decade but it’s only now that we felt ready to make this crazy adult occult puppet show we’ve always dreamed of making.
Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Seri: There are a ton of shows we are really looking forward to watching; Creepy Boys, the Birdmann, The Ritual. But the greatest joy of the Fringe is exploring and discovering new shows that you’ve never heard of before.
Shay: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
D&S: Death in the Afternoon. This is a cocktail invented by Ernest Hemingway, champagne on ice with a bit of absinthe added to it.
Champagne is fancy. You could go so far as to say that champagne is the champagne of beverages. But then, we add a splash of goth green fairy absinthe to it. We like to serve ours in a punch bowl with a bit of dry ice to make it smoke and bubble like a witch’s brew. Highly enjoyable but also a little dangerous.
A reminder, you can catch Book of Shadows at Big Belly, Underbelly Cowgate on August 5th – 30th at 18:30 (60 min). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
