"Back to Ours" brings Half-Term Entertainment to Hull Venues
Hull's Back to Ours festival returns for the October 2018 half-term with a package of dance, theatre, music and comedy.
Avant Garde Dance will be taking over Wilberforce Sixth Form College with the formidable Tony Adigun’s hip-hop reworking of the Dickens classic, Oliver Twist. Coming to the festival as part of their acclaimed UK autumn tour, Fagin’s Twist is the untold story of the notorious, complex, and perhaps even misunderstood villain. In his world, the streets are harsh and there’s no such thing as a fairy tale ending…
Not been to a gig at North Point yet? Well here's your chance, Britpop legends Rick Witter and Paul Banks will be performing a rare acoustic Shed Seven set, continuing the ever-popular sell-out live music gigs that have become a mainstay of the festival. Playing an intimate set of all their iconic hits, it’ll be another packed night with enough sing-along anthems to make your throat sore.
There’ll be double the mayhem as October brings two Secret Gigs to tickle your funny bones; it’s all top secret as always, but a big dose of Back to Ours mischief’s guaranteed. Previous names to grace the Secret Gig stage have included the Faaaaaaabulous Ceri Dupree, Tom Binns, Coronation Street and Phoenix Nights’ Janice Connolly, and most recently, the legendary Jimmy Cricket, so expect a comedy gold and a lot of belly laughs.
The festival also welcomes back Milk Presents, the company which brought the award-winning Joan to Back to Ours last February.
Based on the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, the performance follows a group of dreamers and rebels hoping to blag their way out of the Labyrinth where the Minotaur lives. When Theseus arrives, determined to kill the creature against all odds, will he succeed and at what cost?
A spellbinding story about power, love, and not taming the beast within, this show drops a proverbial bull into a china shop and hopes to break everything.
For younger children, leading Polish company Teatr Atofri will be performing the UK premiere of Mr. Satie, an enchanting interactive performance set in a world of paper. Let little imaginations soar as magic unfolds, and not everything is what it first appears to be.
Hull’s own The Herd Theatre will be performing Slime, getting little hands dirty with the story of two unlikely friends. When Slog the Slug is the only one who can help, will Coco the caterpillar realise that having a slug for a friend isn’t so bad after all?
There’ll also be a stay and play session afterwards, where little hands can get stuck into some VERY squelchy slime.
If this doesn’t tickle your bare necessities, Kipling classic Jungle Book will be brought to life in an all-singing, all-dancing stage version of the classic story from Gary Starr productions.
Join Mowgli, Bagheera and Baloo through the epic story of survival through the jungle – will they manage to stay safe from the cunning Shere Khan?
Louise Yates, Back to Ours Director, says: ‘It’s our sixth festival, and we’re constantly spoilt for choice with the amazing acts we want to bring to Hull. It’s really exciting to bring Theatr Atofri’s Mr. Satie all the way from Poland for its UK premiere, right into the heart of Hull communities – it’s a really beautiful show, and I really want everyone to see it.
‘I think October has a bit of something for everyone, from dance and minotaur cabaret, to family shows and live music. We always say we bring arts to people’s doorsteps; well this time we’re running longer than ever, so you’re probably going to need a bigger one!’
Tickets are available from backtoours.co.uk from Saturday 22 October, and half of ALL tickets will be kept back to buy in person from The Pod, Paragon Interchange, on Saturday 6 and 20 October, cash and card accepted.
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