OUR next play to open in the Wharfeside theatre is Charley’s Aunt – a Victorian farce that premiered in 1892 and was so successful that it shattered theatre records at the time, becoming the longest running play with well over a thousand performances in London, a Broadway version and an international tour. Written by Brandon Thomas, the play concerns two Oxford students Jack and Charley who are in love with Kitty and Amy respectively. The two girls are visiting from Scotland but before they leave Oxford, the boys want to have a private moment with them to confess their love. However the girls are bound by Victorian moral values: they cannot meet the boys without a chaperone. When Charley’s millionaire Brazilian Aunt, Donna Lucia plans to visit, they realise she will make perfect chaperone material and a meeting is arranged. But then Donna Lucia puts back the date of her arrival. So they ask their friend Lord Fancourt Babberly to step in, who just so happens to be in an amateur theatre production playing an old woman…….What can go wrong? Come and find out and enjoy one of the funniest and most entertaining farces of all time. The plays runs from Thursday 8th to Saturday 17th December.

This coming weekend the roof will be raised off the Wildman Studio with two very different musical events. On Friday 18th November join Celtic folk trio Roisin Ban for an evening of lively Celtic folk music and song. This is the band’s debut performance at Ilkley Playhouse but this accomplished, professional band is well respected on the UK folk scene, having performed at numerous folk festivals in the UK. Meaning White Rose in Irish, Roisin Ban will be playing a mix of mainly traditional Irish and Scottish folk songs and tunes.

Award winning tribute artist Richard Griffin performs Elvis – The Songbook on Saturday 19th November, singing many of Elvis’ classic hits including My Way, Suspicious Minds, Blue Suede Shoes and many more. So get your blue suede shoes on and join us for a night of all things Elvis.

The Soul Train Experience is back by popular demand on Saturday 26th November to delight audiences with their fantastic renditions of timeless Soul and Motown classics. Climb aboard and take a journey back in time to the sweet soulful years of the 60s and 70s, tributing legendary artists such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder and many more. Soul Train features two powerful vocalists, who together deliver an energetic, flamboyant performance with outstanding vocals and stage presence.

Ilkley Playhouse Christmas coffee morning takes place on Saturday 3rd December from 9.30am-1.00pm. Come along for some festive cheer and enjoy watching our young actors perform. Enjoy a mince pie, a warming drink, mingle with friends old and new, browse our Christmas stalls and win a wonderful raffle prize.

We kick off the New Year with one of the greatest musicals ever written: Guys and Dolls. First performed on Broadway in in 1950, it is now a period piece but Frank Loesser’s songs are hard wired into our memory banks and can still make us laugh and occasionally cry. It tells the intertwined love stories of Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide and Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown. Directed by David Kirk and choreographed by Ted Oxley-Kirk, this production promises a joyous evening of vitality, energy and pure pleasure. Guys and Dolls opens on 10th January.

Back by popular demand for 2023, the Rob Dylan Band returns to Ilkley Playhouse on Friday 27th January. Formed by a group of musicians who share a passion for the music of Bob Dylan, their performance captures the spirit of the Rolling Thunder Revue with exciting and dynamic playing and powerful vocals. It was a sell-out performance the last time they performed at Ilkley Playhouse so book your tickets early!

Start the year with a laugh at our next Stagefright Comedy Club on 28th January. Frontlining this event is Matt Richardson, a brash but self-deprecating, multi award winning comedian, delivering every memorable punchline with an irresistible twinkle. His TV credits include Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Celebrity Juice, Pointless Celebrities, and Dancing on Ice. He also has his own critically acclaimed show on Virgin Radio. Joining him is Masai Graham, twice winner of the Funniest Joke of the Edinburgh Fringe Award and former UK Pun Championship winner. Expect puns, one liners and dizzying wordplay. Also performing is Percy Savage, a middle class Cumbrian with a plethora of inventive and effortlessly rib-tickling perspectives. And Eddy Midgley, an endearing chap in his early twenties making sense of the bizarre world of grown-ups with devastating comedic aplomb. This is all fabulously compered as usual by Anthony J Brown.

To book tickets for all our plays and events visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.