Today's episode is a little different as we're talking about our own project: The Truth About Trees.Ahead of its Fringe production, Director Laura Hounsell and Writer Alex Zawalnyski discuss the show's history so far. They talk about the multiple rounds of development, making puppets come to life, and how children engage with analogue technologies.

In the world of theatre, few companies embody creativity and innovation like Trick of the Light, an Aotearoa New Zealand-based theatre company led by Hannah Smith and Ralph McCubbin Howell. Since their inception in 2011, they have captivated audiences worldwide, showcasing their unique blend of puppetry, storytelling, and visual theatre. This year, they return to the Edinburgh Fringe with two productions: The Bookbinder and The Suitcase Show.In this episode, Hannah and Ralph explain their creative process and how sustainability sits at the heart of their work. They explain the concepts of footprint and handprint, encouraging us to considerate impact of theatre, and ensure that it's positive.

Wonder Fools is Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse. They met at RCS and make work that is socially engaged – working with communities to help putting on a work. Over the past few years they’ve worked with David Greig, told stories about Scottish involvement in the Spanish Civil War, won awards, and written stories about the Homeless World Cup.

Orla O’Loughlin is currently the Vice Principle and Director of Drama at Guildhall. Before that she was the Artistic Director of The Traverse and Pentabus Theatre, and Associate Director of The Royal Court.Her list of directorial credits is extensive. She’s worked with The National Theatre of Scotland on Enough of Him, Traverse with Mouthpiece which then transferred to Melbourne and Auckland, and What Girls Are Made Of travelled around Scotland as well as Adelaide and Sao Paulo.She’s been named in the Observer as one of the top fifty cultural leaders in the UK, and the List’s top 100 women in the arts.

David Greig is a playwright, producer, artistic director, and dramaturg, the list goes on. After studying at Bristol University, David Greig started his career working with ‘Suspect Culture’, writing most of their shows. From there, he focused on playwriting, with his work being picked up by The Traverse, Paines Plough, the RSC, and the Edinburgh International festival.He worked with the National Theatre of Scotland when it was founded in 2006, as well as taking roles in the Traverse, before becoming Artistic Director (a decade later) at the Lyceum Theatre, alongside Zinnie Harris.  He recently announced that he’ll be stepping down from the Lyceum to focus more on his own writing.

Isobel McArthur is a writer, director, and actor, best known for doing all three in Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of), her award-winning adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, from the perspective of the servants. The show started off at the Tron in Glasgow, before transferring to the West End and going on multiple tours.She has also adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped with NTS and The Fair Maid of the West with the RSC.

Finn Den Hertog is a Glasgow-based theatre-maker. He trained in acting at the RSC and went on to have a series of roles across tv, stage, and radio. Now, Finn spends more of his time directing, and has worked with NTS, Young Vic, The Traverse, and the National Theatre, to name a few. In 2024, he has directed Morna Young’s adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s novel, Sunset Song, as well as directing Jack Lowden and Sean Gilder in The Fifth Step, David Ireland’s latest play for the Edinburgh International Festival.Credits include: The Enemy (NTS), Square Go (Francesca Moody/Paines Plough), Squash (Traverse), The Last Dictator (Oran Mor), Amadeus (National Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire (Young Vic).

Laura Keefe is an Associate Director and Head of Training at Wise Children, the theatre company led by Emma Rice.Part of Laura’s role is overseeing Wise Children’s training programme. Before working for Wise Children, Laura worked with Watermill Theatre, the North Wall in Oxford, Kneehigh, and the National Theatre, amongst many others.

Alex Bird is one of the founding members of Tortoise in a Nutshell, a Leith based theatre company with a focus on making creative work that often uses puppetry, physical theatre, and cameras.Credits include: The Lost Things, Feral (Winner Scotsman Fringe First, Winner Kotorski Festival Grand Jury Prize, Nominee Total Theatre Awards, Nominee Drama Desk Awards), The Last Miner (Nominee Arches Brick Award), Grit (Nominee Arches Brick Award, Nominee Total Theatre Awards) and Fisk (Winner Outstanding Performance Kotorski Festival).

Sophie Swithinbank is a London-based writer whose 2018 play, Bacon, was developed through Soho Theatre, resulting in her winning the Tony Craze award. When this play was staged in 2022, it won several Off West End awards, before transferring to New York and coming to Edinburgh in 2023. That year she also won the Peggy Ramsay/Film4 Award. This year, she’s worked with Phoebe Ladenburg on Surrender, a play that explores prison, motherhood, and abandoned love.