Village Halls Week: Celebrate the Spring Equinox with Carole Vegan

The short audio piece, described by The Stage as, “Sheer silliness...It’s funny, it’s funky and it’s only five minutes long” on its original release, takes the form of a calisthenics class, led by athlete and academic Carole Vegan, hunting the mythical Equine Ox.

Folklore and Fitness follows in the footsteps of Monty Python, Spike Milligan, and What We Do In The Shadows, in that it is joyously draft. It’s written and performed by Foley with infectious enthusiasm.

This release also celebrates Village Halls Week, which runs from 17-23 March, and this year shines a light on the efforts of volunteers who keep England’s 10,000+ village halls running.

Writer and performer Tim Foley has a long relationship with Pentabus. Foley was Pentabus’ Channel 4 Writer-in-Residence in 2016, has led Pentabus Young Writers and National Young Writers, and his play Driftwood was commissioned by the company, toured rural venues in 2023, and is currently on a mid-scale tour of the country, playing sold out houses from coast to coast. Both tours were co-produced with ThickSkin.

Tim Foley commented: “Pentabus Theatre Company have made me the playwright I am today. They unabashedly supported me and my weird scribblings through thick and thin, and I’m not the only artist to benefit from their nurturing and encouragement. The theatre industry still feels like it’s on fire in places, but I truly believe that it’s companies like this one who will help quell the flames.

"I’m delighted Pentabus are celebrating Village Halls Week by remembering the Equine Ox, first sighted on this merry plane of existence four years ago today. Mr C Vegan would like to inform his audiences that he's doing very well, he now runs a yoga retreat for cryptids in Wigan.”

You can listen to Folklore and Fitness with Carole Vegan on the Pentabus website.