TO close our current season Ilkley Playhouse presents a classic, elegant drama, Terence Rattigan’s 1952 classic The Deep Blue Sea. Rattigan spent much of his career dismissed as a relic of interwar theatre, but his revival is well underway: The Deep Blue Sea, now widely regarded as his masterpiece, has seen recent productions in the West End and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

In an article in The Independent earlier this month, Trevor Nunn, director of the Menier Chocolate Factory’s recent production of Rattigan’s Love in Idleness, explained that “Rattigan is now being rediscovered as a writer who defies the century’s onrushing escalation of social, political and scientific change, because his human insight was and remains so penetrating.” It is this insight, and Rattigan’s respectful handling of deep yet fragile emotions, which lies at the heart of the brilliance of The Deep Blue Sea.

An overlooked gem of post-war theatre, it tells the story of Hester Collyer, who leaves her husband, high court judge, for an alcoholic former pilot. A gifted craftsman, Rattigan draws out the story and the characters with stark, understated emotions. A 2016 National Theatre production of The Deep Blue Sea, with Helen McCrory as Hester, received outstanding reviews: it was described as “devastating masterpiece (that) contains one of the greatest female roles in contemporary drama.”

The Deep Blue Sea runs from Wednesday, July 12 to Saturday, July 22nd. Tickets are expected to fly, so book soon to avoid disappointment!

Also with the close of the season we have a change of Artistic Director. David Kirk has come to the end of his tenure, and we are delighted to announce the appointment of Jamesine Cundell Walker as our new Artistic Director.

David will still be part of Ilkley Playhouse, taking his outstanding production of Kiss Me Kate to the Minack theatre in Cornwall in July, and is also currently in rehearsal with his pre-season fringe production of Kevin Elyot’s My Night With Reg. We’d like to thank David for his hard and wonderful work, and are delighted that he remains a member of the Playhouse family!

Theatre-goers may remember Jamesine’s superb production of Educating Rita last year. Jay has been involved in theatre all her life, first joining Ilkley Players in 1989 as an actor. Over the last 12 years she has been increasingly involved in directing and choreography, working with a number of companies in the North and West Yorkshire area. In 2008 she set up her own touring theatre company and has begun to write plays especially for them. In 2014, she was persuaded to return to Ilkley by former AD David Kirk. After her highly acclaimed production of 39 Steps, she has become a regular director and actor and now regards Ilkley Playhouse as her home theatre. She is as excited and delighted as we are that she’s taking up the post of Artistic Director.

To save you a journey further north, the Playhouse are bringing you an Edinburgh Festival preview this coming Saturday, July 8. Smug Roberts has appeared in Phoenix Nights and Cold Feet, among many other credits. Something of a veteran, his other CV highlights including getting to number 67 of the pop charts in 1998 with Meat Pie Sausage Roll.

We also welcome Mundo Jazz, a guitar-toting improviser who’s been described by the BBC as “a brilliant character comedy worthy of Coogan or Kay”. The line-up will be completed by one-liner specialist Dan Triscott, and, “Amazing” Grace Johnson, an improvisational punner. As always, the audience is in the safe hands of our faithful compere Anthony J. Brown.

Stagefright Comedy Club is on July 8 from 8pm.

The Deep Blue Sea runs from Wednesday, July 12 to Saturday, July 22.

To book tickets for any of our productions, please visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or phone the box office on 01943 609539. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest news and backstage gossip!

by Claire Emmott