What's on at Ilkley Playhouse

Tuesday, 28 January 2025 10:17

By Caroline Mutton, Ilkley Playhouse

Daughterhood opens at Ilkley Playhouse on 18th February

Over the next month at Ilkley Playhouse you can enjoy a variety of musical entertainment, Stagefright comedy and quality domestic drama.

This coming Saturday, 1st February, Fire and Rain return to Ilkley Playhouse where once again audiences will be entertained by six of the best musicians from the North of England who come together to play music they love. Expect the classic James Taylor songs including Steamroller Blues, Shower the People, Fire and Rain and many more.

The award-winning Jon Palmer Acoustic Band (pictured below) return to Ilkley Playhouse on Friday 7th February following their previous sell-out performances. They are a high energy six-piece folk/rock band based in West Yorkshire, where they have built a strong reputation. The band’s latest album Vacca Wall has top producer David Crickmore at the helm, and contains a musically and lyrically varied mix of twelve great songs. The album has received outstanding reviews from the music press.

Our first Stagefright Comedy Club of 2025 takes place on Saturday 8th February. The event is frontlined by comedian Tony Law, acclaimed Canadian surrealist from Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock The Week and Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Three-time Chortle winner and Edinburgh Festival Award winner, he has been described as ‘taking post-modern stand-up to a dangerously funny new level.’ (The Guardian). Joining him is Howard Walker, who has oodles of warmth, dry wit and a disarming demeanour. He is a Best New Yorkshire Act award winner and Hilarity Bites award runner up. Mel Judson is also performing, described as ‘surprising, funny and just delightful’ (Daliso Chaponda). UK Pun Championship winner 2018 and London Evening Standard’s Critic’s Choice winner Rob Mann will also take to the stage. Jack Wilson, who has been described as ‘just brilliant’ by Micky P Kerr from Britain’s Got Talent, will complete the evening’s entertainment. The event will be brilliantly compered by Anthony J Brown.

Opening in the Wildman Studio on 18th February is Charley Miles’ Daughterhood. In this play the responsibilities and challenges of family bonds are put under a microscope to reveal where love has the power to both empower and diminish. Daughterhood tells the story of sisters Rachel and Pauline. With nine years between them, Rachel is finishing university while Pauline has given up everything to care for their terminally ill father. Reunited in their childhood home, Pauline and Rachel unearth more than the nine years between them. It is almost insurmountable and each is determined to let the other know who has done things right. The play’s director, Rachel Vernelle, says of the play “Daughterhood honestly portrays what it means to be part of a family, with its competitiveness, ancient in-jokes and innumerable slights. Anyone who has a sibling will recognise the distorted memories and ultimately, the fierce love between these two sisters.” Daughterhood runs until Saturday 22nd February.

Our next fringe production, Cassie and the Lights, opens in the Wildman Studio on Thursday 6th March. Based on true events, the story follows Cassie and her two young sisters on the painful journey they take following their mother’s disappearance. Cassie takes on the role of mother and is a strong and supportive mentor to her siblings, but is it right for her to give up her opportunities for university to look after them? The play highlights issues within the legal system and questions the rights and wrongs of painful decisions that have to be made. The audience are invited to consider and examine what is needed to make a family and what ultimately holds it together. The play celebrates the power of unity in extreme circumstances and the resilience and tenacity of teenagers, fighting for what they believe in. This production contains occasional strong language and is recommended for ages 12 plus.

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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