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photo credit: Amy Downes

As co-director Arran Howie explains to Gareth Vile, Feral is not a new work. A cunning mixture of live performance, film and puppetry, it examines a theme that has sadly not lost its relevance in the years since the show’s debut. Following the experience of a young man, his sister and mother, it traces the descent of a seaside idyll from delightful retreat to a brash, alienating and violent resort.

Before the show’s revival at Edinburgh’s Hidden Door Festival, Howie took some time to discuss Feral’s continued relevance, the magic of puppetry and the importance of the live performance.

Gareth Vile (GV): Since we are all starting a new chapter after lockdown, what made you as a company decide to revive Feral in particular?

Arran Howie (AH): Feral was actually one of the last shows we performed before going into lockdown as we did a one-month stint at 59E59 Theaters as part of Brits off Broadway in New York and then we headed to the Kotorski Festival in Montenegro the month after.

The rest of 2019 was doing our festive piece Flutter and making our newest production Ragnarok, which unfortunately was supposed to premier in Spring 2020 but we are still waiting to unleash it to the world. Despite the fact that Feral was made back in 2013 the content and themes seem to be getting more relevant rather than less, which is a bit of a sad state of affairs but it means there is still a place for it. 

GV: One of the most striking aspects of Feral was the mixing of the media. Does this present many problems in the restaging, and has this incarnation seen many changes in the production process?

AH: We've changed a couple of the cast for this restaging, which has been really successful but is actually pretty difficult to do. The piece is very tightly choreographed with performers needing to undertake scene changes, filming, lighting states changes and puppeteering.

So, there are a lot of layers that all need to come together, be remembered and then also feel authentic. But the new team has done amazingly and we are so happy with them. Otherwise, there have been a couple of unexpected difficulties with tech updating and some of the things we use not existing anymore.

We have managed to work with some new cameras but also simultaneously adapting and fixing old tech which is integral to the style and feel of the piece. 

GV: Does Feral remain a good calling card for Tortoise...? It expresses so many elements, from the political consciousness through to an aesthetic restlessness?

AH: Yes, Feral is still a good example of the type of work we like to make and the open dialogue and debate we hope to stimulate in our audiences. We have developed our techniques, style and experience over the past 8 years. This piece still excites us and we hope it gets people interested in different forms of theatre and opens them up to new experiences. It's a unique piece that we still love after hundreds of performances around the world.  

GV: And so, the puppetry questions! How do you feel that the use of objects and puppets impacts on the production of Feral? Would you ever consider going 'full animation' with the show?

AH: Oh no! I mean it would make a cool animation but it would be a completely different thing. The reason the show is successful is its liveness, the fact the piece is manipulated and created right in front of your eyes, ensuring no two shows are ever the same. The simplistic puppetry, objects and style allows the audience to colour in the details with their own experiences and imaginations and means it can be happening at any place and time. 

GV: More generally, how would you define the company's relationship to puppetry? 

AH: We do love a bit of puppetry but it's actually not always the first thing we go to. We describe ourselves as a visual theatre company, we create originally devised productions and have a really strong focus on access. Puppetry will often lend itself to being able to portray so many stories, themes and issues. You can shape a puppet to exactly what you need for a piece and only that piece. In general, we play a lot with form in early development, exploring the best format for each production and what will be the most exciting and engaging experience for the audience and take it from there. 

GV: How do you feel about being part of this year's Hidden Door programme? Does Feral speak to some of the festival's concerns?

AH: We are delighted to be part of the festival this year. There is such a buzz and excitement around the site. It's fantastic to be part of something that is happening live and we are surrounded by a wealth of exciting work from different genres. It is great to be performing across the whole weekend and the ethos of Hidden Door is very similar to how we try to create and present work. We both want to look at making accessible work in different and unconventional spaces, bringing in new and different audiences and exposing them to all different types of art.