The Bookbinder

— They say you can get lost in a good book, but it's worse to get lost in a bad one...

From award-winning company Trick of the Light Theatre comes a story of boundless enchantment.

An old man sits down to read the tale of an erstwhile bookbinding apprentice. As he speaks the story spills from the pages and into the bindery. The Bookbinder weaves shadowplay, paper art, puppetry, and music into an original dark fairytale in the vein of Coraline and Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell. An inventive one-man performance for curious children and adventurous adults...

Running time 55 mins
Represented in North America by Boat Rocker Entertainment

Premiered February 2014

Arty Bees Bookshop, NZ Fringe,
Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington).

"A real delight"

The Guardian, UK
"Spell-binding storytelling at its purest and best..."

— Theatreview, Ōtepoti (Dunedin)
"A tiny gem"

★★★★½
— The West Australian, Perth
"A beautiful, articulate and inventive show that is as engaging as it is mysterious."

★★★★★
— alledinburghtheatre.com, Edinburgh

Best Theatre
Best in the Fringe
Tiki Tour Ready Award

New Zealand Fringe Festival 2014

International Excellence Award

Sydney Fringe Festival 2014

BDO Children's Theatre Award

Fringe World 2015

Cast

Narrator

Ralph McCubbin Howell

Crew

Director

Hannah Smith

Writer

Ralph McCubbin Howell

Composition & Sound Design

Tane Upjohn Beatson

Graphic Design

Edward Watson

Papercraft & design
Hannah Smith &
Ralph McCubbin Howell

Video trailer

Tane Upjohn Beatson

Pop-up book pages before being put together

Hannah operating the show with a crazy hairstyle

Ralph and Hannah carrying a big box at the airport

Ralph and Hannah peaking through gaps in the pop-up book

Previous seasons

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Till’s Bookshop – Summerhall, UK

Aug 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 2024
Aberdeen

Aberdeen Performing Arts, Aberdeen, UK

29-30 June 2024
Orkney

Orkney Theatre, Kirkwall and Cromarty Hall, St Margaret's Hope, St Magnus International Festival, Orkney, UK

22-23 June, 2024
Suzhou

Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, China

May 16-19, 2024
HANGZHOU

Grand Theatre, Hangzhou, China
May 9-12, 2024
Shanghai

The A.S.K. Theatre, Shanghai, China
Apr 25 - May 4, 2024
Beijing

Tianqiao Performing Arts Centre, Beijing, China
Apr 11–21, 2024
BATH

The Egg, Theatre Royal, Bath, UK

Jul 6-8, 2023
New Hampshire

Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA

Apr 1-2, 2023
Illinois

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana, USA
Nov 7 - 9, 2019
British Columbia

Surrey Arts Centre, Surrey, CAN
Nov 2, 2019
Hawkes Bay Arts Festival

Paisley Stage, Ahuriri (Napier), NZ
Oct 19, 2019
Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival

The Library Room, Poverty Bay Club,
Tūranganui-a-Kiwa (Gisborne), NZ
Oct 9 - 10, 2019
National Arts Festival

Victoria Theatre, Makhanda, SA
Jun 30 - jul 7, 2019
Auckland Arts Festival

The Loft, Q Theatre
Tamaki-makaurau (Auckland), NZ
Mar 21-24 2019
Horizon Festival

The Old Ambulance Station,
Nambour, AUS
Aug 24-26, 2018
Darwin Arts Festival

Brown's Mart Theatre, AUS
Aug 17 - 19, 2018
Calgary International Children's Festival

Engineered Air Theatre, Calgary, CAN
May 23 - 26, 2018
Sydney

Belvoir Theatre, Surry Hills, AUS
Sep 26-oct 8, 2017
ASSITEJ

City Hall, Cape Town, SA
May 20-21, 2017
Ōtautahi (Christchurch)

The Arts Centre, NZ
Apr 27-29, 2017
Parramatta

Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, AUS
Mar 14-15, 2017
New York

Lincoln Center Education, The Lincoln Center, USA
Mar 4, 2017
Awesome Arts Festival

Perth, Merredin, and Bunbury, AUS
Oct 7-23, 2016
Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Cellar - Pleasance Courtyard, UK
Aug 3-28, 2016
International Festival of Art & Ideas

Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
June 17-19, 2016
Salisbury International Arts Festival

Longleat House Library, UK
June 7-11, 2016
Edinburgh International Children's Festival

Traverse Theatre, UK
June 2-5, 2016
Brighton Fringe Festival

Sweet Dukebox, UK
May 22-28, 2016
Southland Festival

Various venues, NZ
April 30- May 5 2016
Ōtepoti (Dunedin)

Fortune Theatre, NZ
April 27 2016
Ōtautahi

Christchurch Art Gallery, NZ
April 20-23, 2016
Adelaide Fringe

The Bakehouse Theatre Studio, Adelaide, NZ
February 12 - 20 2016
Kokomai Festival

Senior Citizens Hall, (Paetūmōkai) Featherston, NZ
October 17 - 18, 2015
Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington)

Circa Theatre, NZ
September 26 - October 10, 2015
Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Assembly Roxy Downstairs, Edinburgh, UK
August 6 - 31, 2015
Arts on Tour

Tauranga, Opotiki, Whitianga, Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), Tokoroa, Ngāmotu (New Plymouth), Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta (Upper Hutt), Mapua, Mussel Inn, Hokitika, Haehaenui (Arrowtown), Bannockburn, Maruawai (Gore), Owaka, Roxburgh, Oamaru, Twizel, Hakatere (Ashburton), NZ
Jun 30 - Jul 24, 2015
Upsurge Festival

Pompallier Mission, Kororareka (Russell), NZ
Apr 25 -26, 2015
Wānaka Festival of Colour

Wānaka Masonic Lodge, NZ
Apr 21 - 23, 2015
Canberra

Gorman Arts Centre, AUS
Apr 17 - 18, 2015
Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival

Japanese Garden of Contemplation, Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), NZ
Feb 18 - 19, 2015
Fringe World Festival

The Blue Room Theatre, Perth, AUS
Jan 23 - 21, 2015
Nelson Arts Festival

St Peters Church, Founders Park, Whakatū (Nelson), NZ
Nov 22 - 23, 2014
Oamaru Victorian Heritage Celebrations

Oamaru, NZ
Nov 14 - 15, 2014
Waikari

The Old Mill, North Canterbury, NZ
Nov 8, 2014
Melbourne Fringe

Son of Loft, Lithuanian Club, AUS
Sept 19 - Oct 4, 2014
Sydney Fringe

Better Read Than Dead, Newtown,
AUS
Sept 11 - 13, 2014
Te Whanganui-a-Tara

BATS Theatre, NZ
Jun 8, 2014
Escape! Festival

Books A Plenty, Tauranga, NZ
May 31 - Jun 1, 2014
Dunedin Fringe

The Playhouse Theatre,
Ōtepoti (Dunedin), NZ
Mar 13 - 16, 2014
NZ Fringe

Arty Bees Bookshop
Te Whanganui-a-Tara, NZ
Feb 19 - Mar 1, 2014