Opening on Thursday 2nd November is Olivia Hirst and David Byrne’s thrilling, fascinating and fast-paced play The Incident Room.

Set in Leeds, 1975, the focus of the play is centred in and around Millgarth Incident Room as the biggest manhunt in police history unfolds. The play is based on the true story of Peter Sutcliffe, who evaded West Yorkshire police for years. The focus of the play, however, is on the police officers at the forefront of what became a five year investigation and their often desperate and poorly judged attempts to end this reign of terror. The play follows Sergeant Megan Winterburn as she works alongside hundreds of officers to catch the elusive killer, with the pressure mounting from the public and the media.

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. With a sharp focus on the experiences of women and the impact of violence against them, Ilkley Players present a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of a pivotal moment in British history. The play runs until Saturday 11th November in the Wharfeside Theatre.

On Friday 17th November 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.

Stagefright Comedy Club returns to the Wildman Studio on Saturday 18th November. Frontlining this event is Stephen Bailey described as ‘a superstar in the making’ (British Comedy Guide) and ‘charming, sassy and very funny’. He is a star of Live at The Apollo and host of Celebs on The Farm. He was tour support for comedian Katherine Ryan and has starred in Roast Battle, Celebrity Coach Trip, Zoe Ball On Sunday, Safeword, Celebability and Big Brother's Bit On The Side. 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 23rd November in the Wildman Studio is our second fringe production of the season, Constellations. What if you could relive the most significant moments in your life, over and over, to see how things could have turned out differently? This is the question at the heart of Constellations, Nick Payne’s gloriously romantic West End hit and winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Play revival. As heartrending as it is splendid, Constellations tells the story of beekeeper Roland and quantum physicist Marianne: two star crossed lovers whose relationship we see in a series of different ‘what if?’ variations – their joy and heartbreak, their laughter and quarrels, their break ups and make ups. The result is a rich, compelling and sensitive love story that reflects on the power of human connection in a seemingly random universe. Expect a captivating and intimate night of theatre for anybody who has ever wondered about the road untravelled or the opportunity unseized. Constellations runs until Saturday 25th November.

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