Many great plays balance light and shade, mix humour with gravitas. Set in the trenches in World War One, the next Playhouse production, Journey’s End, sounds like it could be a heavy, serious piece of drama.

And it is serious, in parts. But it’s also very human, and in a very British way. And how do we deal with a serious and bleak situation? Why, with humour, of course.

This production of Journey’s End is special in several ways. First, it’s the centenary of the end of the First World War. Second it’s a classic script overseen by an exceptional director, Yvette Huddleston, and with a cracking cast. What also makes it shine is this deft balance between light and shade – the personal interactions, shared experience and the humour that enables the characters cope in their extraordinary situation.

So come along, and do expect the play to have a serious nature, but also expect camaraderie and humour that bring Journey’s End to life.

There will be a Q&A on Tuesday, April 24 with the cast and director: perfect for students, book groups and anyone with an interest in history and drama.

Journey’s End isn’t the only Great War-related play this month. Claptrap Theatre return to Ilkley Playhouse with their production, Blindfold, on Friday, April 13. A ghost story by Bafta-nominated writer Tom Needham, Blindfold tells the story of two boyhood friends who enlist in 1914. Only one returns, leaving survivors to mourn the loss of a friend. Two decades later, they find themselves haunted by a young man in a blindfold.

Yet more visitors are due on Friday, April 20, when Shipley Little Theatre Company bring with their interactive Murder Mystery evening, Truth Will Out, to the Wildman studio. Set in the 1920s, this sees an aristocratic couple present a new guest, a mysterious Russian spiritualist and self-proclaimed seer, at a dinner party. Nothing’s quite as it appears, and when a séance threatens to reveal the dark secrets of those present, mysticism gives way to murder!

Can you solve the mystery of the murder, and the other secrets of the stately home? There are prizes to be won, so come along, the game is afoot! Truth Will Out is suitable for anyone from the age of 14.

Tickets for all events and productions can be found at www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or by calling 01943 609 539.

Claptrap Theatre Present Blindfold on Friday, April 13, from 7.30 pm.