Manipulate
When Prophecy Fails
★★★★★ Purposeful
Adapted from a 1954 American study into the social psychology and cognitive dissonance of a UFO religion called the Seekers, When Prophecy Fails is an exploration of the community and humanity behind what could easily be perceived as cult.
Manipulate: These Things Aren’t Mine
★★★★☆ Intense
Publicly screened only once before, at Bristol Circus City, Manipulate Festival marks the Scottish debut of These Things Aren’t Mine.
Ragnarok
★★★★☆ Dark
Tortoise in a Nutshell has brought all its considerable prowess in live animation to the stage with Ragnarok, a dark and foreboding take on an ancient Norse myth, foretelling the end of our world.
Plinth
★★★☆☆ Horrors of war
Writer and performer, Al Seed’s latest creation, Plinth, produced by his own company and Vanishing Point and touring to Manipulate, opens with Seed standing on a plinth giving a live rendition of a series of poses found in military statues.
The House
★★★★☆ Darkly comical
Danish director and puppeteer Sofie Krog introduces The House by reminding the audience that “walls have ears” and that the darkly comical tale will be told by the walls of the Warehouse Family Funeral Home.
Manipulate live listings
Visual Theatre Fest runs Feb 1 – 11.
The Manipulate Festival, home of animation, puppetry and visual theatre in Scotland, opens this Thursday, 1 February 2024, running for eleven days, with live performances in three Edinburgh venues.
Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance)
★★★★☆ Beautifully poignant
The Raw Material / Vanishing Point production of the world premier of Ramesh Meyyappan’s Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance) is a beautifully poignant contribution to this year’s Manipulate Festival.
40/40
★★★★☆ Joyful inspiration
Two Destination Language’s 40/40, at the Fruitmarket Gallery as part of the Manipulate festival before a mini tour, is full of optimism and fun, providing a truly joyful inspiration.
Ferguson and Barton
★★★☆☆ Clever and playful
Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950s film noir classic, Vertigo, Ferguson and Barton at the Studio as part of Manipulate, is a clever and playful attempt to reimagine the original through dance and multimedia projection.
Birdie and Arthropoda
Manipulate returns for 2023
The Manipulate Festival returns for a 10 day event, making use of a variety of venues to showcase Scottish and International visual theatre, puppetry and animated film, for adult audiences in Edinburgh. Allan Wilson reviews two shows from the opening weekend.
