A NEW play based on a series of Michael Morpurgo tales, is set to present Cornish stories to audiences across the country.

Five years in the making, White Horse, a play engulfed in Cornish culture is set to take to the stage in Redruth.

The story follows sixteen-year-old Annie Veluna who is spending the summer with her estranged father, in Zennor, West Cornwall. There’s nothing to do, no one to hang out with and as for phone signal…

Her dad Arthur - never the chattiest of men - is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders as he struggles to save his family farm from ruin and the reality of this ‘holiday’ is far from postcard perfect. But they say a place reveals itself through its stories, and stories is one thing Zennor has plenty of.

Whatever happened to Cherry and her Giant’s Necklace? Was Billy Tregarthen really lost at sea? And who is the mysterious loner Marney who lives in the run-down shack at the top of Zennor Hill? As summer wears on and reality and myth blur, this ancient weather-beaten land will force Annie to make pivotal decisions which will redefine her families’ future forever.

Simon Harvey, artistic director of o-region and writer and director of the show, has worked extensively with Kneehigh Theatre and was the co-director of the show Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of) which won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2022.

As part of White Horse’s development o-region - the company developing the piece - has been undertaking an outreach project across Cornwall and Isles of Scilly called From the Horse’s Mouth. Teams of artists led by Simon Harvey and lead writer Anna Maria Murphy undertook a series of residencies in St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, Bude, Launceston, Redruth and Penzance.

They hosted drop in story collecting sessions, art and craft activities, song composition, drama and writing workshops and conducted interviews with members of the community to explore the themes of place, family and home which formed the basis for a series of curated performance events which took place across Cornwall last autumn.

The team has now released a new podcast based on these stories from Cornish communities. After working with 136 people across the five communities, the writers created 76 original pieces of writing. The podcast continues this work, creating a treasure trove of Cornish community stories about what makes the place they live in distinct.

With Cornish tales at its heart, the piece has been described as ‘a 21st century Cornish folktale about place, family and the stories that bind us.’

Simon Harvey said: “I’m delighted to have brought together a stellar cast of some of Cornwall’s finest actors, musicians and creatives to help bring this production to life. This is a story which I have wanted to tell for a long time and all the ingredients of design, puppetry, music and film will make this a really special show."

He added: “I am passionate about telling stories which shine a light on Cornwall’s landscape and people and WHITE HORSE fits that bill - it’s about storytelling, spirit of place and celebrating Cornwall. In producing the show, we have prioritised cast, crew and creatives that are Cornish or Cornwall-based. We have also built in training opportunities to upskill emerging Cornish artists to work on a show at a scale that is rarely being produced here."

The production also features a number of talented actors. The full cast for the ensemble show includes:

The whole project is supported by the Shared Prosperity Fund, Arts Council England, Hall for Cornwall, FEAST and Michael Spiers.

The production opens on February 28, though it is hoped that following this initial run of the show that we will be able to tour this piece of Cornish culture nationally in 2026.