The Barrington Hippo
A geological story for children and adults
Most recent performance 14 August
Tête-à-tête at Kings Place
Most recent performance 14 August
Tête-à-tête at Kings Place
Director: Sinéad O'Neill
Composer: Kate Whitley
Shadow-painting: Sally Todd
Storytelling: Steve Tiplady
Soprano: Héloïse Werner
Cello: Corentin Chassard
Photographs by Claire Shovelton
This project is a collaboration with St Andrew's Primary School, Soham
Thank you to all the Year 5s, also Mrs Cole, Mrs Dakin and Mrs Cooper!
First performed at Cambridge Science Festival, March 2018
This fossilised hippo is part of the ‘Barrington Beds’ find, a collection of bones found in a village near Cambridge and dating from the most recent Ice Age. Our short performance imagines how hippos came to Cambridgeshire, how they died out, and how the fossilised hippo was discovered and brought to the Sedgwick Museum, where it can be visited today. Through the story of the hippo, we explore the life of an individual, the passage of generations, cycles of ice, geological time, and our changing climate.
Find out more about The Barrington Hippo and other fossils found nearby.
Find out more about The Barrington Hippo and other fossils found nearby.

Cheeky Fest
Be part of something bigger; Connect through music
Cheeky Fest is a 3 day arts festival, comprising an opera in progress @WAKTM, performances inspired by the opera, mentorship / management / education, charity fundraising, and a platform / investment for music / arts / events startups through
@CheekyStartups
We are proud to be supported by The Ambache Charitable Trust, The Bernarr Rainbow Trust, The Golsoncott Foundation, The Hinrichsen Foundation, The Radcliffe Trust, The RVW Trust, and the UK Friends of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
Cambridge City Opera Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation Registered in England and Wales, Company No: 07954358