Writer and storyteller John Edgar has been telling tales all sorts of audiences in all sorts of venues – theatres, arts centres, schools, libraries, festivals, pubs & clubs and the open air – since 1990. He draws his material from all over the world and links traditional tales with his own writing. His lively cabaret style offers a unique entertainment that has taken him all over the country. Armed only with a guitar, John introduces us to a range of chilling, eccentric and comic characters.

“In the daytime the land belongs to the living. But after dark …”

Drawn from traditional Breton folklore, writer, storyteller and performer John Edgar’s new solo presentation is a collection of dark, eccentric and often bleakly funny stories of Breton life - and death - after sunset. It’s a time when trees walk, dead skulls regain the power of speech and the locals venture abroad with their heads down, hoping that they won’t encounter the Ankou with his fatal scythe (even though we all will, one day), the Lavandières, the washerwomen of the night, washing sheets to make the shrouds that will be needed at dawn, or the strange and charming horseman eager to invite you to supper in his mansion house below ground, where, whatever the weather outside, it’s always warm.

All these characters and more are vividly drawn in some of the darkest tales ever to cross the channel !

Curses, Corpses and Conjurations

More Breton Tales After Dark

In 19th Century Brittany life could be dramatic enough, but what happened next was far more exciting. And even if you were still alive there was always someone who knew a curse to speed up your journey to the great beyond.
In this collection of dark, eccentric and bleakly comic stories and folklore we learn about the voueueses, those with the knowledge and power to curse, we meet the dead who won’t keep still (like the skull that wants its bonnet back), and we encounter the exorcists whose job is to try and make sure that the departed stay where they belong. And there are John’s usual hints and tips for keeping on the right side of death.

All of these characters and more are brought to life, for want of another phrase, in John Edgar’s unique writing and performance style. Linked with traditional Breton songs, the stories in Curses, Corpses and Conjurations will give you a night to remember – though whether or not you’ll thank John for that is another matter altogether …

Breton Christmas Spirits

Say a little prayer for those who’ve gone before,
Say a little prayer for those we’ll see no more,
And when I’m carried through death’s door,
Say a little prayer for me …

Christmas Eve was always special in Brittany. Not only was it the beginning of the most celebrated feast in the Christian calendar, it was also the night of miracles. It was a night when the ox and ass in the stable regained the power of speech in recognition of their good work on that first Christmas night. It was the night when the ageless standing stones left their ancient beds to drink from the rivers, and there was treasure to be had – provided you were quick. Midnight was the hour when the waters in the wells would turn, for two seconds only, to the sweetest and strongest wine ever tasted. You were either at midnight mass or you were in bed. For, of course, the dead also walked abroad …

This selection of dark and eccentric tales from across the channel celebrates this wondrous, mysterious and downright dangerous festive season.