Ilkley Playhouse

 

THE first day of Autumn has officially arrived and as the warm glow of summer fades, let the bright lights of Ilkley Playhouse illuminate your evenings.

With Autumn comes an enticing array of new productions and events starting with Flamingoland, opening this Thursday in the Wildman Studio and running until Saturday, September 25th.

Though it is set in the present Deborah McAndrew’s fabulous play reaches back 40 years, unearthing a family secret that’s impacted on the lives of sisters Mari and Bridie, as well as adult daughters Sadie and Kath. This fabulous play is a bittersweet comedy with witty Victoria Wood-like observations on ordinary, working class life, with memories of Mablethorpe and day trips to Flamingoland.

On October 6th Letter to Boddah opens in the Wildman Studio. In the disabled toilet in Tesco, we meet Billy and Neil. Dressed in combats and carrying enough explosives to blow the space sky high, they examine life and attempt to decide whether violence is sometimes the only way to be heard.

With a title inspired by Kurt Cobain’s suicide note, this is a darkly comic exploration of the lives of young, working class men in austerity Britain. Vividly exploring boys’ relationships with their dads, toxic masculinity and our attitudes to terrorism, it shows how two seemingly ordinary people can be pushed to shocking extremes without even realising it.

The characters are performed by two phenomenal professional actors: Tom Gibbons of Coronation Street and The Archers, and Dean Smith of Waterloo Road and Last Tango in Halifax. The play runs from October 6th to 9th.

Ilkley Playhouse is hosting two accessible and engaging courses this Autumn. Poetry and the Novel begins on Thursday, September 30th and will combine the study of two related novels with the reading of a range of poetry inspired by the themes of the novels. The two novels will be ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe and George Eliot’s final work ‘Daniel Deronda’.

The second course, Art in the Age of Industry - a ten-week History of Art course starts on Wednesday, October 27th. It takes a broadly chronological approach to British art and beyond from the nineteenth century to the present. From education, exhibitions, museum collections and processes through to emerging modernism, public art, contemporary practices, and the latest technologies. Join Dr Rebecca Wade on a journey across a rich and often surprising cultural landscape. No prior knowledge is needed and your experienced and enthusiastic tutor will lead you through a carefully selected range of artists, materials and methods, always welcoming your contributions to the discussion.

Ilkley Playhouse’s renowned Stagefright Comedy Clubs are back! On October 16th Stagefright features Sol Bernstein, who Harry Hill describes as ‘simply my favourite comic’. Joining him is Jonny Awsum, award-winning viral musical mirth from Britain’s Got Talent. Also featuring is Seeta Wrightson, a ‘fast-talking Bradfordian with insight, sharp wit and an infectious storytelling guile’ (BBC) and Guy Black, compered by Anthony J Brown.

For details of all our plays and events and to book tickets visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.