DO not miss the chilling, tense and fast-paced drama The Incident Room, which is in its second week at Ilkley Playhouse.

The reviews from last week’s audiences really speak for themselves and will hopefully encourage you to come and watch this stunning play:

“It was terrific. Tightly directed, movingly and believably acted. …..we loved it. It will live long in my memory. If you love theatre, if you love drama, if you can take the emotional hit of this story of the failed search for Peter Sutcliffe, then you must go.”

“Really great show, excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

“Excellent night for The Incident Room. A real buzz in the bar after silence for the closing moments of the play. This is a good production.”

“Fantastic acting and production and a suitable tribute to those poor women. Really well-executed by everyone involved.”

“What a superb production! Acting, direction, staging and tech all absolutely perfect – a credit to Ilkley Playhouse.”

In 1970's Leeds, the Millgarth Incident Room is the epicentre of the biggest manhunt in British history, for one of the most notorious criminals, Peter Sutcliffe. With public and political pressure mounting, hundreds of officers must work around the clock to end one man’s reign of terror in this gripping retelling of true events that took place on our doorstep. In this play Ilkley Players present a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of a pivotal moment in British history. The Incident Room explores the wider issues of misogyny and institutional negligence that surrounded the case, both at the time and in the present day. Olivia Hirst and David Byrne’s ‘beautifully crafted’ play goes behind the scenes to investigate the case that nearly broke the British police force. Tickets are selling out quickly so make sure to book yours soon! The Incident Rooms runs until Saturday 11th November.

Next Friday evening, the November 17, Roisin Ban return to Ilkley Playhouse following a sell-out show last year. Meaning White Rose in Gaelic, Roisin Ban is a Celtic folk trio playing a mix of mainly traditional Irish and Scottish folk songs and tunes. This accomplished, professional band is well respected on the UK folk scene, having performed at numerous folk festivals in the UK, including their annual fixture at the Whitby Folk Week where they play for the set dance night as well as other concerts. Join this talented trio for an evening of lively Celtic folk music and song. The bar will be open from 7pm, the performance starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10.

The following evening, Saturday, November 18, Stagefright Comedy Club returns to the Wildman Studio. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Stephen Bailey is now unable to frontline this event as planned. However we have been very fortunate to secure another fantastic comedian, Tom Wrigglesworth, described as ‘constantly hilarious with an unrivalled turn of phrase’ (The Guardian). Tom has featured on Russell Howard’s Good News, Comedy Central and the Comedy Store, Live from Sydney Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Comedy Fest and Electric Dreams. He is Sony Award winner for his critically acclaimed Radio 4 series Open Letters. ‘The Gods of comedy chose greatness for Tom’ (The Scotsman).

Joining him is Ant Dewson, a piano playing comedic tour de force with his incessantly hilarious songs and witty asides. Ant has written comedy for BBC Radio 4 and Sky TV. He performs on BBC Radio London and is the co-host of Carpet Martin’s Comedy Market on Riverside Radio. Also performing is Welsh comic Vix Leyton. Discovered by Mark Watson on Twitter in 2019, she is an affable and ebullient storyteller with a keen eye for observation. Her panel show podcast 'The Comedy Arcade' is both an audio success and compelling live show. She picked up a nomination for Leicester Comedy's best podcast in 2021 and is racking up sell-out shows at Edinburgh Fringe. Helen Rice will also be performing on the night. Helen has been Showing Off at various venues around Yorkshire and the Midlands for the past four years and within her home city of Sheffield she has developed something of a cult following. She writes quirky songs and poems exploring a broad range of themes and reflecting on her experiences as a middle-aged disabled woman who ‘likes bread a bit too much’. She plays the accordion, keyboard and guitar in her own ‘unique, lo-fi style’. Her work is hard to categorise but usually results in equal amounts of amusement, bemusement and general musement. Northern comic Ben Silver will be joining this line-up of talented comedians. He will deliver tales of the human spirit through an absurd kaleidoscope of impressions, mis-directions and sprawling vignettes. The evening will be compered by the fabulous Anthony J Brown.

Opening on Thursday, November 23 in the Wildman Studio is our second fringe production of the season, Constellations. The play was originally performed at the Royal Court Theatre in 2012 and won the Evening Standard Award for Best Play. It received international acclaim and transferred to the West End and Broadway. Constellations is a mesmerizing exploration of love, science, the multiverse and the endless possibilities of hope or heartbreak. A quantum physicist and a beekeeper meet at a barbecue. They hit it off, or perhaps they don’t. They go home together, or maybe they go their separate ways. In the multiverse, with every possible future ahead of them, a love of honey could make all the difference. It is a high concept romance. It is many things at once: a drama about time and memory, about death and grief, it is playful and profound, comic and mournful. It asks big questions about existence, purpose and free will. But if this all sounds a bit heavy, be a reassured that this play is also weightless and fun. It affirms life, love and companionship. There will be a Q&A with the director and cast after each performance. The play runs until Saturday, November 25.

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