Caroline Mutton takes a look at the Autumn/Winter programme at Ilkley Playhouse, copies are available to pick up in Ilkley library, Ilkley Visitor Information Centre, and the Clarke Foley Community Hub.
Ilkley Playhouse has been producing high-quality drama in our beautiful town since 1928. We are a community theatre tucked away on the banks of the River Wharfe but we are very much at the heart of Ilkley’s thriving community arts scene and in more recent years we have become an accessible cultural hub in the town. Each season we offer audiences a wide range of excellent and affordable plays: modern dramas, comedies, classics, musicals, farce and productions that the whole family can enjoy.
Throughout our Autumn/Winter season, which starts in September, five plays will be performed in the Wharfeside Theatre and Wildman Studio, all carefully selected by Ilkley Playhouse’s Casting Committee to suit all ages and interests. Ilkley Playhouse is also a venue for touring theatre companies, musicians, comedians, writers, singers, Ilkley Literature Festival, Ilkley vintage fair and art, literature and poetry courses, so in addition to our main plays we have an exciting and varied line up of events to keep you entertained this coming season.
Our Autumn/Winter season kicks off in the Wharfeside Theatre with Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, opening on 12th September. When Dr Stockmann discovers the town’s famous spa waters are poisoned, she expects to be treated as a hero for averting an environmental catastrophe. Instead, she is accused by her brother - the town’s mayor - of threatening the town’s livelihood. Public and media opinion divides and the community splits into factions. Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s contemporary take on Henrik Ibsen’s powerful classic drama tackles fake news, whistle-blowers and the corruption of power – all issues that concern us today. The play runs until 21st September.
On 7th November sharp and witty play The Herd opens in the Wharfeside Theatre. It’s Andy Griffith’s 21st birthday. Not that he’s counting. But his mother Carol is; an anxiety-ridden mother who has arranged a small family party to celebrate the 21st birthday of her severely disabled son. She counts the minutes until he arrives, counts the unexpected guests, counts the times that this has happened before. This is a moving and heartfelt play that looks at family life when it doesn’t quite turn out the way you imagined. The play runs until 16th November.
Get in the festive mood with Bleak Expectations opening in the Wharfeside Theatre on 5th December. Follow half-orphan Pip’s extraordinary exploits with sisters Pippa and Poppy and best friend Harry Biscuit, as they attempt to escape the calculating clutches of the Mr Gently Benevolent, defeat the hideous Hardthrasher siblings and deflect disaster at every turn! Will evil be vanquished by virtue? Can love triumph over hate? Based on the award-winning Radio 4 series, Mark Evans’ play is a hilarious, chaotic caper featuring dastardly villains, preposterous names, pulse-quickening romances, heart-rending death scenes, and, of course, a happy ending! The play runs until 14th December.
The Trials, by Dawn King, opens in the Wharfeside Theatre on 16th January. In a future when air has become unbreathable, three adult Defendants fight to clear their names. Called to account as the generation responsible for the crisis that’s unfolding, they are being judged by a Jury of twelve teenagers – those paying the price for the actions of their elders. With their own futures hanging in the balance, are they seeking justice or revenge? This thrilling story of responsibility and climate crisis gives a voice to the young people who have no choice but to live with its consequences. The play runs until 25th January.
Our final play of the season is Daughterhood which will be performed in the Wildman Studio from 18th to 22nd February. This is a beautiful and ferocious play about the bonds that tie us, and how we sometimes need to break them. One sister stayed at home to care for Dad. The other set out to ‘make a difference’. Reunited under their childhood roof, Pauline and Rachel unearth more than the ten years between them. Each is determined to let the other know exactly who has done things right. Anyone who has a sibling will recognise the depth of these sisters’ rivalries, resentments and the rawness of love.
The first of our two fringe productions of the Autumn/Winter season is Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons and will be performed in the Wildman Studio from 26th to 28th September. The average person will speak 123,205,750 words in a lifetime. But what if there were a limit? This play imagines a world where we are forced to say less. The play is a tender and funny romantic comedy about what we say and how we say it, about the things we can only hear in the silence, activism, eye contact and lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons.
Junior Greenroom students aged 8-12 will throw their energies into our second fringe production of the season on 11th and 12th January: the audience-friendly adaptation of the much-loved story of Aladdin. Enter the treasure cave, rub the magic lamp, awake the powerful Genie, mount the flying carpet, battle the evil magician and win the heart of the beautiful Princess.
This season’s poetry and literature course is a combined ten-week course starting on Thursday 5th September. The literature element of the course tackles the work of French novelist Marcel Proust and attempts to remove the intimidation factor that his writing can sometimes present. The course offers a friendly, supportive and encouraging environment in which to delve into his work. The poetry section of the course concerns ‘place’ – a subject that has long fascinated poets. Pastoral, landscape, cityscape, nature – a host of locations have inspired poets to contemplate the relationship between humans and the places we inhabit. The course features poetry from the Romantics to the 21st Century, from Wordsworth to Armitage.
Ilkley Playhouse is well-known for the quality and variety of music events it hosts and this season is no exception. The season opens with the return of Roisin Ban, a Celtic folk trio who have been very popular with Ilkley Playhouse audiences in recent years. Playing a mix of traditional Irish and Scottish folk songs and tunes, this accomplished band is well-respected on the UK folk scene. Join them on Friday 1st November for an evening of lively, Celtic folk music and song.
On Friday 22nd November prepare to be entertained by a group of five of the finest musicians around today. Stony Jazz are purveyors of songs from the Great American Songbook. Their set includes instantly recognisable songs from swing to blues and ballads to Latin, which are performed with style, energy and entertainment.
Get ready to step inside the fabulous music of the 1960s on Friday 31st January where we celebrate some of the best icons of the decade. Shout Out to the 60s is a toe-tapping, head-shakin’ celebration of the greatest idols of the 1960s – Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, The Supremes and everyone in between! Listen to the unforgettable voices and harmonies of former West End singer Sandy Smith, along with the talented vocals of Sophie Mairi.
On Saturday 1st February Fire and Rain return to Ilkley Playhouse where once again audiences will be entertained by six of the best musicians from the North of England who come together to play music they love. Expect the classic James Taylor songs including Steamroller Blues, Shower the People, Fire and Rain and many more.
The award-winning Jon Palmer Acoustic Band make a welcome return to Ilkley Playhouse on Friday 7th February following their previous sell-out performances. They are a high energy six-piece folk/rock band based in West Yorkshire, where they have built a strong reputation. The band’s latest album Vacca Wall has top producer David Crickmore at the helm, and contains a musically and lyrically varied mix of twelve great songs. The album has received outstanding reviews from the music press.
Our popular Stagefright Comedy Clubs continue to feature throughout the Autumn/Winter season, filling the Wildman Studio with laughter on Saturday nights. On Saturday 2nd November the event will be frontlined by Mick Ferry. Joining him will be comedians Karl Porter, Stevie Cairns and Andy Ellis and compered by Anthony J Brown. Stagefright Comedy Clubs have become a regular favourite here at Ilkley Playhouse and showcase the finest comedy acts on the UK and international comedy circuits. Over the years, the club has featured the likes of Joe Lycett, Chris Ramsey, Gary Delaney, Shazia Mirza and Justin Moorhouse. Keep a look out for details of the forthcoming Stagefright Comedy Club on Saturday 8th February.
Come along for some festive cheer and support our Greenroom actors as they perform at our annual Christmas Coffee Morning on Saturday 30th November. It is a great opportunity to mingle with friends, browse the Christmas stalls, have a mince pie, a warming drink and take part in our wonderful raffle.
Looking ahead to our Spring/Summer 2025 Season, we have a super line-up of plays including The Merry Wives of Windsor, Mary Shelley, Bronte, Labour of Love and The River. Save money with a season ticket – book all seven Ilkley Playhouse Wharfeside Theatre productions at the same time and get one free. The season includes An Enemy of the People, The Herd, Bleak Expectations, The Trials, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Mary Shelley and Labour of Love.
For the latest plays and events please check our website, Facebook page, X and Instagram account.
You can also find out more on our website about hiring our venue, costume and prop hire, our Greenroom drama classes and how you can get involved,
To book tickets for all our plays and events visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.