OPENING this Thursday, September 26 in the Wildman Studio is the first fringe production of the Autumn/Winter season; Sam Steiner’s bold and brilliant play Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons.
The play captures the conversations of young couple Bernadette and Oliver who live in an alternate dystopian world. This is underlined by The Quietude Act, which allows only 140 words to be spoken per day – resulting in fault lines between the two as they grapple with social restrictions that limit their means of expression. This playful romantic comedy was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015 and made its West End debut in 2023 starring Aidan Turner and Jenna Coleman. With sharp wit and emotional depth, Steiner’s play explores the power of language, the struggle for connection and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of authoritarian control. The play runs until Saturday, September 28.
Starting on Wednesday, October 23 is this season’s six-week History of Art course. From the cave paintings of Altamira to the cinema of Pedro Almadóvar, Spain has an impressive history of visual art. This course offers a selective introduction to that history. Each session considers a major Spanish artist or an artist working in Spain. The emphasis throughout is on the dialogue between tradition and modernity: how old masters such as El Greco, Velázquez and Goya anticipated aspects of modern art and how modern artists like Picasso, Miró and Dalí continued to find inspiration in the work of the Spanish masters. Each session offers an introduction to an aspect of Spanish art and will address specific themes, contexts and artists. The sessions will typically consist of two halves: the first giving a broader overview of an artist’s career; the second an in-depth discussion of a particular artwork. The course runs from 10.30am till noon every week and is great value at £42 for the six-week course.
Popular Celtic folk trio band Roisin Ban return to Ilkley Playhouse on Friday, November 1 for an evening of lively, Celtic folk music and song. Playing a mix of traditional Irish and Scottish folk songs and tunes, this accomplished band is well-respected on the UK folk scene.
Our first Stagefright Comedy Club of the season takes place on Saturday, November 2. The event will be frontlined by Mick Ferry who is renowned as a fine purveyor of surrealism and voted best UK Stand-Up in a national poll of his peers. Mick has starred in The Comedy Store for Comedy Central, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Edinburgh Comedy Fest, The World Stands Up aswell as the Ken Loach film Looking for Eric. Joining him will be comedian Karl Porter – a fantastic natural born gagster from the North-West England. A ‘Lad of the Year’ nominee, you can’t but help love his cheeky and unique self-deprecation, laced with tall tales and hilarious observations. Stevie Cairns will also be performing, described as having ‘an immediately likeable stage presence, delivering inventive storytelling material and memorable punchlines’. Joining them will be Andy Ellis, described as ‘one of the best new acts around’ (Micky P Kerr – Britain’s Got Talent Finalist). The event will be compered by Anthony J Brown.
Our next Wharfeside Theatre production is sharp and witty play The Herd, opening on Thursday, November 7. 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 November 16.
On Friday, November 22 a group of five of the finest musicians around today make their debut performance at Ilkley Playhouse. 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.
To book tickets for all our plays and events visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.
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