MIKRON Theatre Company will put their Best Foot Forward in York tomorrow when performing at YHA York, Water End, Clifton, for the first time.

Now in their 46th year of presenting “theatre anywhere for everyone”, the waterways theatre company from Marsden in West Yorkshire will be taking a hike through the history of youth hostelling in Maeve Larkin’s new play.

In keeping with the company’s tradition of telling stories of our national institutions and the social histories of everyday people, Best Foot Forward traces the history of youth hostelling from its inception in 1911 in the mind of a young German teacher-soldier, who later found himself in No Man’s Land at the Christmas Truce, through to its founding in Britain in the 1930s, to the youth hostels of today still holding true to the founding ideals.

In Larkin’s four-hander, something’s afoot at Pearling Manor and it isn’t only the walkers. The youth hostel, rich in YHA history, is beautiful but falling apart; external forces are intent on turning it into a golf club. Enter Connie, the warden with a heart as big as her rucksack, to take the audience on a journey through the YHA’s past in the hope of securing its future.

The history of YHA has been full of ups and downs, with difficult paths and boggy lands to navigate along the way, and consequently Larkin’s fast and funny script is replete with memorable characters, shenanigans and peril, and even a hint of romance along the way; all brought to life by four lusty-singing, instrument-playing, character-swapping actors.

“I’m chuffed to be back with Mikron, with a subject close to my heart,” says Larkin, who has three past Mikron shows to her name. “Writing for Mikron about YHA felt like a marriage of minds. And as both have an appetite for wanderlust, the passion is kept alive. It’s been a pleasure to write.”

Director Marianne McNamara adds: “The idea for the show came from Maeve, who grew up going youth hostelling and walking, when she lived in Essex. She pitched the idea to me and I was slightly apprehensive at first, but when you start looking into it, hostelling is all about sharing and community experiences: perfect for Mikron.”

As ever, Mikron will be touring in the spring and autumn by road and in the summer on their 80-year-old narrowboat, Tyseley. Best Foot Forward travels the country from March to October, visiting youth hostels and Mikron’s regular venues, going hither and thither alongside Mikron’s other new show, In At The Deep End, an “exhilarating trip with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution”.

Should you miss tomorrow’s performance, Best Foot Forward will return to York on September 24 for a matinee at Clements Hall, while In At The Deep End will be staged outdoors at Scarcroft Allotments on May 16 at 6.30pm.

Mikron Theatre Company present Best Foot Forward, at YHA York, Water End, Clifton, York, tomorrow at 7.30pm. No tickets are required; a cash collection will be taken after the show.