Halifax Thespians raise the curtain on their new season at the Playhouse

.An Evening with the Bard is a celebration of Shakespeare’s 401st birthday with fun, frolics, murder and glorious insults.

Members of the Halifax Thespians will perform their take on the bard’s work on Friday September 13 and Saturday September 14 in the Playhouse Studio Bar.

This is the same weekend as the Heritage Open Day on Sunday September 15 with free entry and backstage tours daily between 2pm and 4pm.

As part of the nationwide Heritage Open Weekend this is a great opportunity to see around this beautiful grade II listed building, which began life as a Methodist chapel.

In 1945 it was converted into a 238-seat theatre becoming the home of the Halifax Thespians.

A riotous comedy Moonlight and Magnolias will grace the stage from Tuesday September 24 to Saturday September 28.

The play goes behind the scenes as three movie masters set about creating one the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of all time, Gone with the Wind, which is in trouble only three weeks into filming.

The film starred Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland.

In 1988, two Birmingham school friends tentatively come out to one another; Edward as gay; Peter, even more daringly as an Abba fan.

Thirty years later they meet again and take a chance by forming the world’s first Abba tribute band in drag.

The Way Old Friends Do is a tender, laugh-out-loud comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens.

The riot of platform boots and dodgy beards will take place in the Playhouse Studio Bar from Tuesday October 22 to Saturday October 26.

The Wind in the Willows will delight audiences of all ages in the run-up to Christmas.

Tired of spring cleaning, the curious Mole leaves his home at Mole End and ventures out on to the river bank, where his life will change forever.

Befriending Ratty, a resourceful water vole, they embark on an adventure full of fun, laughter, excitement, danger and most importantly friendship, meeting characters such as car-crazy Mr Toad, the old and wise Mr Badger of the Wild Wood and his devious neighbours, the Weasels.

Join Mole and Ratty on their adventures from Wednesday December 11 to Sunday December 15.

In March the Halifax Thespians will present the fabulous Blackadder Goes Forth – based on the BBC sitcom.

It’s 1917 and waiting in fear of the order to go ‘over the top’ from the patently insane General Melchett, Captain Edmund Blackadder devises several attempts to escape the banality of the trenches.

With the gallant-but-dumb Lieutenant George and the even dumber Private Baldrick, the trio’s efforts to evade their inevitable fate involve a plump-breasted pigeon, the Royal Flying Corps, a libido-driven air hero, as well as the constant offer of a cunning plan.

Come and enjoy this stage version of one of Britain’s best loved TV comedies from Tuesday March 18 to Saturday March 22.

In addition to the excellent Halifax Thespians productions the Halifax Playhouse will host a wide variety of entertainment, from music to mediums – starting with Lollypops and Moptops on Sunday October 6.

To book tickets visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/HalifaxPlayhouse, ring the box office on 01422 365998 or email: [email protected]