Horse Girls
"Contrary to the belief of both my peers and society at large, hobbyhorsing is a SERIOUS business. The concept of the modern hobbyhorse has existed in societies across the world for centuries. The hobbyhorse has had multiple names, including “stick horse” and “cock horse.” Professionally, we do not use the term cock horse."
**Available for touring. Please contact lucianasfernandes0@gmail.com with your inquiry
​​
by Jessie Walker
​​
An Out and Around Theatre Co. production​
Performed as part of the Halifax Fringe at the Bus Stop Theatre in 2024.
Presented by Chester Playhouse and by DramaFest in 2025.
​
Director: Luciana Silvestre Fernandes
Photography: Stoo Metz Photography
Props/Production Manager: Gina WoodWard
Puppets: Logan Robins
Performers: Jessie Walker, Ella MacDonald, Riley McGill
Jessie sent me the script for Horse Girls early in 2024; and as soon as I read it I knew I just HAD TO DO IT.
It had everything: teenage hormones, queer panic, hobby-horses, competition, comradery, homoerotic stretching scenes, dressage routines, puppets, Finnish mythological serpents, goofy-ness and realness in the perfect balance.
​​
While the play is absolutely hilarious, and something anyone who has engaged in competitive sports as a teen can relate, it is truly about the complexities of queer love and friendship.​
​​​​
Our Fringe run has several sold out shows and won 7 wards: including best of fest and best direction.​​
"My Day 1 of Halifax Fringe ended with Around-Out Theatre company’s production of Jessie Walker’s new play Horse Girls and it was one of the best Fringe shows I’ve ever seen in any city. Stop reading this right now, buy your tickets first, and then come back: this show is going to be a super Fringe hit.
...
The girls now only really speak pleasantly to one another (haphazardly and only when absolutely necessary) through their horses, Buttercup and Daisy. When a new competitor from Finland arrives, however, all Missy’s dreams are put in jeopardy and she becomes desperate: will this unexpected hurdle bring the girls closer together or tear them apart forever?
Everything about this play is so solid, so funny, and so beautifully constructed by the delightful imagination of Jessie Walker and the clarity of space and movement of director Luciana Silvestre Fernandes.
...​
The puppets by Logan Robins are incredibly detailed and imaginative, the costumes beautifully capture so much about the girls’ personalities, and the way that Fernandes has the girls’ move on their hobby horses really evokes how both serious and how perplexing this sport really is. There is also great choice of music throughout that always roots us in the world of these two teenage girls. "​
​
Review by Amanda Campbell (TWISIT)- full review at: https://www.twisitheatreblog.com/?p=5196
​
