ALAN Bennett’s popular adaptation of The Wind in the Willows is well underway at Ilkley Playhouse and delighting audiences with its nostalgic charm. If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, don’t delay and come and enjoy this perfect festive family show. It runs until Saturday, December 14 and there are still tickets available.

The wonderful busyness of Christmas usually brings about a lull of sorts in January but here at Ilkley Playhouse, we buck the trend. There is a lot to look forward to in January and our

programme of plays, courses and events is full to the brim!

Starting on January 8 we have a new History of Art course which examines the Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern foundations of Western art in their broader historical context. The cost is £65 for 10 weeks bookable in advance, plus a one-off £3 charge payable on the first session for the course handouts. The course takes place on Wednesday mornings from 10.30am till 12pm.

Our tutor led Poetry and the Novel course returns in January. Over 10 weeks, participants can read and discuss poems inspired by two novels: Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The course will run weekly from Thursday, January 16, with a week off for half term. It will be held in the Sheridan Suite at Ilkley Playhouse from 10.30am till noon.

Following a very successful evening with A Murder of Crows last December, our Murder Mystery Event returns on Saturday, January 18 with Murder on Air by Andrew Hull, directed by our Artistic Director Jay Cundell-Walker. Dress up in your best 50’s vintage gear, be a detective for the night and enjoy a pie and pea supper.

David Harper will be coming to Ilkley Playhouse with his Unexpected Tales! on January 26. David is well-known in television. The show will feature funny, behind the scenes anecdotes from TV, live auctions, exciting antique finds and stories from celebrity TV appearances.

Our talented Junior Greenroom students present The Snow Queen in our Wildman Theatre on January 11 and 12. Hans Christian Andersen’s charming tale of the battle between evil and

enduring love is delightfully retold in this brilliantly entertaining version by Sarah Osborne.

From January 16 to 25, Charlotte Jones’ prizewinning play Humble Boy opens in our Wharfeside Theatre. Taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the play centres around Felix

Humble, a Cambridge astro-physicist in search of a unified field theory. Following the sudden death of his father, Felix returns to his middle England home and his difficult and demanding

mother, where he soon realises that his search for unity must include his own chaotic life.

Finally, a big thank you to all those who came to our Christmas Fair last Saturday and to our wonderful volunteers, Greenroom students and stall holders who helped make the fair a huge

success. Wishing you all a Happy Christmas from Ilkley Playhouse and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Bookings can be made at www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or 01943 609539. by Caroline Mutton