From drama classes to live music and comedy - it's all coming this autumn at Ilkley Playhouse.
Andrew Leggott - drama teacher, actor, Ilkley Playhouse Director and a member of Ilkley Playhouse for nearly forty years - will be running a series of adult drama classes from September to December 2025 (initially). We welcome adults of any age and those with limited or no dramatic experience to participate. You will learn/develop acting skills, consider aspects of the theatre, learn how to do warm-up exercises and improve vocal skills. You will work on body language and facial expression, improvisation and how to interpret a script. You will understand the role of the Director and maybe have a go at performing some Shakespeare! The classes will culminate in a brief performance at the Ilkley Playhouse Christmas Coffee Morning in December. Classes will be at Ilkley Playhouse on Saturday afternoons between 2pm and 3pm. The fee for the one term will be £45 for paid-up members of Ilkley Players, or £65 for non-members, with a reduction of £10 for each additional husband, wife or partner (up to a maximum of one!). Please register your interest by contacting Andrew Leggott by email a.leggott1@btinternet.com or by telephone if you wish to discuss the sessions (01943 602014 or 07986032574).
The perfect play to kick-start the Autumn and Winter Season is Toast, opening on 11th September in the Wharfeside Theatre. The play is based on the book Toast – The Story of a Boy’s Hunger, an account of the childhood and early adolescence of author, presenter and food columnist Nigel Slater. Named the Biography of the Year at the British Book Awards, Toast recreates the suburban England of the 1960s. From crafting the perfect sherry trifle to waging war over cakes, and the playground politics of sweets to the rigid rules of restaurants, the book and the play are a moving and evocative tale of love, loss and toast. Henry Filloux-Bennett (who formerly worked with Gordon Ramsey at Claridge’s), discussed his reasons for adapting Nigel Slater’s autobiography for the stage. “I first read Toast when I was working in a kitchen. Aside from the story itself, which I loved, it felt to me immediately like it had to be brought to life so that people could taste all of the amazing things that Nigel talks about in his autobiography. So many of the flavours in the book – everything from butterscotch Angel Delight to lemon meringue tart – are ones that you can immediately imagine, and the possibility of telling the story but also sharing those actual flavours was something I really wanted to explore.” Toast is a play about finding your place in the world, about some of the tastes and smells that define so many people’s childhoods, but most of all, it’s about the relationship between a mum and her son. There is some of the most incredible music, there are some funny moments, but there are also some beautiful moments when a tissue might come in useful. The play runs until Saturday 20th September.
Our second fringe production of the season is 8x8x8 Magic Waiting, running from the 25th until 27th September. It has a bit of everything – comedy, romance, drama, mystery – eight new plays in one evening, each lasting eight minutes and written by eight different playwrights! The plays are borne out of a recent writing competition, plays that have been carefully considered and selected by the judging panel. This production is part of the Bradford 2025 City of Culture festival, who together with Creative Lives, financially supported this venture and who selected the theme of the production: Magic Waiting, based on Bradford’s own J.B. Priestly, “I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.”
On Friday 14th November join us for an unforgettable Night Of The Blues in support of Ilkley Live, a local charity dedicated to supporting cohesion in the community and promoting live music in the area. Not one, not two but three acts showcasing blues music, covering the greats of the era and originally penned Yorkshire blues by incredibly talented local artists. The night is the first of many in partnership between Ilkley Live and Ilkley Playhouse. Please note this is a seated event. No dancing.
The first Stagefright Comedy Club of the season takes place on Saturday 15th November and will be frontlined by Mitch Benn, described as ‘the country’s leading musical satirist’ (The Times). His TV credits include The One Show as the writer and arranger of The Complaints Choir, Bremner, Bird and Fortune, The Comedy Store, Live at Jongleurs and Celebrity Mastermind amongst others. He is a regular writer and performer on The Now Show for BBC Radio 4 and It's Been a Bad Week for BBC Radio 2. Three series of his successful Radio 4 show, Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music have been broadcast so far. He also presented The Mitch Benn Music Show on BBC Radio 7. Mitch is one of the most sought-after acts on the comedy circuit for his 'song after song of exquisitely crafted satire' (The Scotsman). Joining him is Elaine Robertson, finalist in the Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award. Last year she also took her debut show Delulu to Edinburgh Fringe where it received widespread critical acclaim and garnered her the Edinburgh Fringe Awards Panel Prize. Also performing is Best New Yorkshire Act nominee 2025 Mick Tickner. 'Witty observations, unique but very relatable. One of the best new acts we've seen in ages' (Bee Funny Comedy). Completing the line-up is Kelly Edgar, described as an 'emerging comic oddball with a talent for outlandish storytelling and a penchant for trouble' (BBC Online). This year she was awarded Felt Nowt New Act of the Year. The evening will be compered by the talented 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.
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