A HIT show that uses father and daughter relationships to examine what happens when our childhood heroes let us down is coming to Bradford Theatre in the Mill on May 13 - and one of the stories behind it happened in Ilkley.

TheatreState are based in London but 29-year-old co-director Tess Seddon grew up in Ilkley which is where her ‘half’ of the show about her relationship with her dad happened. She attended Ilkley Grammar School, worked as a receptionist in Bradford and Leeds while trying to break into theatre. She worked unpaid for lots of local companies including helping in the youth inclusion group at West Yorkshire Playhouse .

Now Tess is co-director of London based TheatreState (with Cheryl Gallacher) who are bringing their production Tribute Acts, a poignantly lovely theatre show that is perceptive, thought provoking, witty and ultimately uplifting.

Tess and Cheryl look back to their 1990s childhoods when their heroes were Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Pierce Brosnan and, of course, their own dads.

But Cheryl and Tess grew up, Tony took us to Iraq, Bill lied, Pierce lost Bond and their dads left home. As disillusioned adults trying to survive the New Labour aftermath, the young women wanted to know why their personal and political heroes lost our faith so spectacularly.

So Cheryl and Tess hit on the idea of asking their dads the tough questions. But after years of not speaking openly, they decided to interview each other’s dads instead. And they filmed it.

Frank video footage is at the heart of Tribute Acts. The fathers are projected as giant heads, constantly moving throughout the show. As the daughters question and probe, the men lose their caution and begin to divulge their views on their lives, their daughters and their own hopes. Hoping for a moment of profound understanding between estranged father and daughter, Cheryl and Tess soon get more than they asked for. As the camera turns on them, their mission to understand why their heroes failed them begins to ask the question why do we long for a hero in the first place?

The show enjoyed a successful run at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe, highlighted as a ‘bold and fiercely realised work’ by the Scotsman and ‘one to watch’ by Lyn Gardner in The Guardian.

Now TheatreState are taking a full-length, newly revamped version on a national tour that gives West Yorkshire audiences the opportunity to see the show when it visits Bradford’s Theatre in the Mill on 13 May.

Tribute Acts in on May 13, 7.30pm at Bradford Theatre In The Mill, Shearbridge Road, Bradford BD7 1NX. £9/£7 concession (limited student offer £4) 01274 233200, brad.ac.uk/theatre