Back ze Vore: Resolution and Independence

"All things that love the sun are out of doors;
The sky rejoices in the morning's birth;
The grass is bright with rain-drops;—on the moors
The hare is running races in her mirth;
And with her feet she from the plashy earth
Raises a mist, that, glittering in the sun,
Runs with her all the way, wherever she doth run."

Bringing to life English romantic poet William Wordsworth’s Resolution and Independence, through spoken word and puppetry accompanied by a curated soundscape, this telling describes an encounter with a leech-gatherer in the heart of the British countryside.

Back ze Vore is made up of skilled actor Ben Stretton and arts marketing professional Phoebe Mallows who formed a creative partnership in early 2021.

Their company debuted its first production , His Heart Belonged to the Sea, at Barnstaple's Fringe TheatreFest ’21, returning in 2022 with Poor Old Horse. The Hunting of The Hare hit the streets of Barnstaple in June '23 in the form of a wonderful collaboration of local performers for TheatreFest and what blimmin' marvellous fun it was!

Review by Mark Ashmore 28/06/2024

It is wonderful to see companies return to Theatrefest with new work, allowing audiences the opportunity to not only enjoy their work, but to see the progress they have made as creators and performers.

Back ze Vore have returned this year, with their fourth show at Theatrefest, a beautiful adaption of Wordsworth’s poem that combines, puppetry and performance with interwoven soundscapes. The piece asks us to look at the life of a lone leech gatherer’s life on a distant moor, it asks us to look past the outward facing details of the man’s existence and instead look for hidden strengths in his character.

Ben Stretton and Pheobe Mallows have been involved with TheatreFest in different capacities over the years, but with this show, it appears they have found the story they were meant to tell; both reach new heights in what they bring to their work.

While this was the first and only performance of the show at the festival this year, let’s hope they return to the moor soon and allow us the opportunity, to once again look for those hidden depths.