Bonjour! We are delighted to have our little pal Lapin back to the Centre for the Fringe, where he’s keen for little ones to meet his friends, get bilingual and have a carrot boogie!

We grabbed his creator and puppeteer Tania Czajka for a quick chat.

How would you describe your show in one sentence?

Written in English and French, it’s a puppet show accessible to all non French speakers about the World’s Tastiest Carrot competition and a hungry bunch of animals, all living in Tania’s Trunk Garden.

Is this a new show or have you performed it elsewhere?

The show premiered at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in 2015 and has toured throughout Scotland since, so it’s lovely to return to where it started for the Fringe Festival!

How many times have you performed at the Fringe before?

This is not my first visit but it will be my biggest and most important run so far. I performed for three consecutive years in the Fringe – 2011, 2012 and 2013 – and did one a one-off performance in 2016.

What’s your favourite thing about the Fringe?

I truly believe a full Fringe run is the best platform for pushing myself as a performer, perfecting the show to the best of my abilities and giving it all to the audience. It is a thrill every time.

How have you been preparing for the Fringe? How has the show developed/changed since your original idea?

Since our first performances in 2015, we have observed audiences’ reactions and new lines naturally found their way into the script. We also realised that our short dancing and movement sessions were very popular after the show, so we now include them as part of the performance.

Added to a taste of our succulent carrots, we believe this makes a complete theatre experience for little ones and their families.

This year, I am more excited than ever to be part of the Fringe! So I am preparing myself physically and mentally by eating good healthy raw chocolate and rehearsing as much as I can, of course.

What do you think sets your show apart from all the other Festival offerings?

I don’t know of any other company offering bilingual shows that are accessible to all. The Wonderful World of Lapin invites the audience into a little French world where characters naturally speak – and act – French.

Children are drawn into this world, hearing new sounds and learning new words in the most natural way – through having fun.

As the fruit of years of passionate work writing and performing with the puppets, the show is also the result of a fantastic collaboration with some of the most talented artists in Scottish Children’s Theatre.

What’s the show that you don’t want to miss at this year’s Fringe?

I am a huge fan of Shakespeare and love Andy Cannon’s work so I will definitely go and see Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth

I will also catch The Polar Bears Go Up for sure!

If your show was a place in Edinburgh, which place would it be and why?

Good question! This show would definitely be the Dunbar’s Close Garden, a small hidden garden down Canongate. It is the perfect place for a carrot picnic!

The Wonderful World of Lapin
Preview Thu 3 Aug, £6 (£4) (£16)
Fri 4 – Tue 15, Sat 19 – Sun 20, Sat 26 – Sun 27 Aug, £8 £6 (£24 family) (£5.50 SCS)
2 for 1 Mon 7 & Tue 8 Aug
10.30am (50mins), Age 3+

Book Tickets