The Mothman Cometh returns to Edinbrugh Fringe this August
- Immersive Rumours
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Following international acclaim, Richie Schiraldi’s The Mothman Cometh will return to Edinburgh Fringe for a second year this August.
Lit only by Mothman’s glowing red eyes, the show is a dark, immersive, experimental, character-comedy about a strange and cryptic creature that is recruiting Minions of Darkness. Mothman will guide the audience through a variety of games, rituals, and happenings to navigate the void, embrace the unknown, and find power in community. Mothman uses the power of literal and metaphorical darkness to playfully approach vulnerable topics with the audience such as fear, anger, and loneliness.
Writer and creator, Richie Schiraldi states:
There’s something about being in the dark together, led by this spooky, odd, and endearing creature that allows us to enter an open, playful state where we can more easily approach some of the more vulnerable themes of life. It’s an evening of dark, spooky fun ending in a heartfelt ritual to reclaim the darkness. Come, join us in the darkness. We only get through this together.
The show has achieved a range of award wins and acclaim, including winner of Best Comedy at the Edinburgh Spooky Awards and winner of Audience Choice at Green Bay Fringe.
Richie Schiraldi is a circus and devised physical theatre performer based in Chicago, and the Co-Artistic Director of Whisper Theatre. He specialises in physical comedy, Cyr wheel, partner acrobatics, character work, and movement, and focuses on blending circus, movement, and character work to create interactive pieces that playfully embrace the darker things in life.
Richie is inspired by his own vivid, lucid dreams, as well as a fascination with cryptic creatures, old surrealist films, and 60s/70s performance art. This has led him to create strange and absurd pieces aimed to share similar experiences with audiences. He aspires to generate a sense of magical realism in his art, and hopes to use interactive character theatre to build community while making vulnerable things less scary.
Whisper Theatre Collective is a Chicago-based company that specialises in experimental, original, and physical theatre. Created by five graduates of Arthaus (formerly LISPA) and Columbia College Chicago, Whisper has produced 8 original works that have been presented in Chicago, IL, around the US, the UK, and Europe.
Their most recent works include The Mothman Cometh, Athena, and Well-Balanced Dads. Whisper’s mission is to produce works that challenge theatrical conventions, encourage connection between the artists and the audience, and engage with innovative, interdisciplinary techniques ingrained in physically devised storytelling.
The Mothman Cometh runs at Just The Fancy Room at Just The Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88) from 6th to 30th August at 22:10. For more information and to book tickets, visit edfringe.com
