THE Fringe season at Ilkley Playhouse presents a series of new or lesser-known productions, to entice a new audience in a short run.

The Wildman Studio is the perfect place to introduce new writing, and to tempt audiences in for a great night of theatre that is creative, informal and great value for money!

Unlike the productions on our main stage, the Wharfeside Theatre, you may not already have a strong personal connection with the story: it’s less likely to be a famous piece of writing or to have featured on renowned stages… but therein lies the charm.

Fringe productions are creative, interesting, stripped-back theatre, where something exciting can happen. The fringe offers an opportunity to explore new writers, new directors and concepts; always with a passion for theatre and connecting with the audience.

The next fringe production is a double bill: Harry, by Caitlin McEwan, and Young Souls by Sally Brockway. In Young Souls, the author imagines what it would be like if the elderly in an old people’s home were revitalised, and the young support staff aged. It’s a hilarious play which also plays with how we see and experience the notions of age and ageing.

Harry is a brilliant piece of new writing which explores what it’s like for young people to grow up in a society obsessed with money and celebrity. We meet two lively young women in their first year at university, who immediately bond over a shared love of the singer Harry Styles (he’s from a band called One Direction…you may have heard of them).

We follow their lives over hilarious six years; through the laughter, the play doesn’t hesitate to explore harsher realities of the girls’ post-university lives.

Set to a backdrop of great music, Harry was a huge hit at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017.

The double bill runs for three nights from March 22 to 24.

There will be a Q&A session after each performance; rumour has it there will be a very special guest joining us on the Saturday night!

Meanwhile please join us for the wit and wisdom of The Misanthrope, which runs from now until March17.

This elegant, eloquent presentation takes place in a contemporary, competitive world of celebrity chefs.

The rhyme of the script, Tony Harrison’s translation of Moliere’s masterpiece, adds to the sparkling humour that reveals lessons about life and honesty.

It’s a feast for the eyes and ears!

The Misanthrope runs from March 7 to 17; Harry and Young Souls run from March 22 to 24.

To book, please call 01943 609 539 or go to www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk

l Claire Emmott