High Horse at Play Day

“I wanted something that gives kids the opportunity to have their say and get them on their High Horse – they often don’t have a voice, and this show gives them that.

“It’s been developed with feedback from kids, but also in line with COVID restrictions – we now have four versions that can be performed in/outdoors, with one performer or three. Having an in-house show that’s so flexible has been a great engagement tool.” – Louise Yates, Back to Ours Artistic Director

We’ve had an ace time performing and chatting with local families at the Hull City Council Play Days this year, bringing some High Horse sparkle to Queen’s Gardens, Alderman Kneeshaw Playing Fields and Pickering Park.

High Horse – written, directed and produced in-house – first galloped onto the scene back in 2018, appearing at our Bransholme Chat shop in North Point Shopping Centre. Engaging, bright and interactive with a beautiful carousel horse at the heart, it turns the tables by putting children in charge – what rules would THEY make for Hull, the country, the world?

The flexibility of the show’s form enabled us to create a cabaret-style event with other circus performers for Play Day, expanding the story even further and giving space for chatting with audiences and mixing the key Back to Ours ingredients of familiar BtO faces with acts our audiences might not be as familiar with. Over the past four years it’s been adapted for Big Malarkey, Bedtime Stories and Freedom Festival – there’s even been a pop-up book version! – expanding the narrative to take us out of Hull and round the world, sharing facts about customs and traditions about other countries.

It’s a show that keeps globetrotting, asking questions, and engaging in innovative new ways.