Caroline Mutton looks at what's on at Ilkley Playhouse in to spring.
Opening in the Wildman Studio next Tuesday 18th February is Charley Miles’ play Daughterhood. Following their mother’s abrupt disappearance, and their father’s development of an incurable disease, Pauline steps in to care for both her father and her sister who is considerably younger. Rachel matures and pursues life relatively untethered, while Pauline is constrained to a life that isn’t her responsibility. We watch them assume the roles they have adopted since childhood and in flashback scenes we begin to learn where their adult dynamic and the narratives they tell themselves have come from. They have to navigate profound shocks that have shaken their foundations at formative times in their lives that have made them who they are. Into that mix goes a ten-year age gap and unique personalities that have strained their relationship to breaking point. The play’s director, Rachel Vernelle, says of the play “Daughterhood honestly portrays what it means to be part of a family, with its competitiveness, ancient in-jokes and innumerable slights. Anyone who has a sibling will recognise the distorted memories and ultimately, the fierce love between these two sisters.” Daughterhood was first produced as a joint Pains Plough and Theatre Clwyd production in 2019. Its award-winning writer hails from North Yorkshire, has also had her work performed at Leeds Playhouse and most recently has been developing projects for television. Daughterhood runs until Saturday 22nd February.
Our next fringe production, Cassie and the Lights, opens in the Wildman Studio on Thursday 6th March and is a beautifully written play by Alex Howarth, first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022. The playwright says he aims to write theatre which is ‘playful, fresh and moving ‘ and with this play he has succeeded in spades. The play is about teenager Cassie, whose mother disappears while the family are on a visit to the bowling alley. Cassie and her two younger sisters are determined to look after themselves without any interference from the authorities. The play is set in Yorkshire and is based on real-life events and interviews with children in care. It is ‘a tender and playful examination of what makes a family and what holds it together’. At its heart, this play illuminates the passion and determination of young people fighting for what they believe in and illustrates how resilient they are in the face of adversity. Don’t miss this deeply moving and affecting play about love and hope which the Guardian describes as ‘glowing in the darkness’. Your heart will hurt with empathy for the characters. This production contains occasional strong language and is recommended for ages 12 plus.
Our next play to open in the Wharfeside Theatre on Thursday 13th March is William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Likeable rogue Falstaff was – and remains – one of Shakespeare’s best loved characters, embodying a British affection for one always out to pull a fast one to better himself, but who never quite succeeds. But in this play Falstaff is pitched in his scheming against Mistresses Ford and Page; the eponymous ‘merry wives’, in whom Good Sir John may just have bitten off more than he can chew. This fast-paced, battle-of-the-sexes comedy provides a welcome return of the ‘Bard of Avon’ to the main Playhouse stage, providing plots and sub-plots with greed, romance and wit aplenty. The Merry Wives of Windsor runs until Saturday 22nd March.
Stagefright Comedy Club is back to entertain audiences on Saturday 29th March. The event will be frontlined by Seymour Mace, a two-time Edinburgh Festival Best Show nominee and City Life Comedian Of The Year. From Dave's One Night Stand, The Weird World Of Russell Brand, The Stand-Up Show, Hebburn, Comedy Lab, The World Stands Up and Clive Anderson's Chat Room. He was also a regular in BBC2's Johnny Vegas sitcom Ideal. Joining him is Kelly Rickard, who has been described as ‘brutally honest and hilarious!’(Rosie Ramsey) and as ‘very funny’ (The Scotsman). She was awarded Best Show Panel Prize Winner at Edinburgh Fringe, Felt Nowt New Act Of The Year winner & Chortle Hotshots Finalist. Also performing is Gurps Cheema, who has ‘sharp wit and engaging storytelling’ (BBC online). Lizzie Norm, who was So You Think You’re Funny? runner up at Edinburgh Festival in 2023 and who has ‘wonderfully droll observations’ (BBC), will be joining them. Comparing the event is Metro Award winner and talented comedian Anthony J Brown.
On Friday 28th March Chris Bannister returns to Ilkley Playhouse showcasing his latest album The Calling Course. Chris Bannister is a singer-songwriter from the North of England and has released seven albums of critically acclaimed original material. His distinctive singing style has led to him being compared to the great American singer/songwriter John Denver, although the comparison ends with the vocals. His original material has many influences of folk, country and rock. All the songs are about working life and were partly inspired by his own family’s history in the coal mines of both Lancashire and Nova Scotia.
To book tickets for all our plays and events visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.