REHEARSALS are well underway for Otley Player’s Christmas performance of ‘Shakespeare’s Lost Christmas Play’.

Otley Players has been given the rights to perform this one act play written by Dwayne Yancey, an American playwright, without charge to support the group in their ambition to perform quality theatre at the lowest price for the community. This kind generosity is also mirrored by the Black Horse Pub in Otley who are supporting the group during rehearsals, Brown’s Gallery who act as a box office for the Players, and many businesses who have displayed the Players poster, designed by Glenn Smith. Otley Town Council has also funded the rental of the Methodist Hall where the play will be performed on December 11 at 2pm and 7pm, and on Sunday, December 12 at 2pm. All ticket revenue goes to cover all the other costs of putting on a show but are kept as low to make it as accessible to as many people as possible.

Since the closing of the Civic Centre, Otley has struggled to maintain a theatre group mostly because it’s difficult to find rehearsal and performance space that is affordable and will make theatre accessible for all. A spokesperson for Otley Players said: “We are incredibly grateful to all the businesses supporting Otley Players by promoting our play this year and of course we are very grateful to Otley Council for their support, without which it would make the cost of theatre in Otley prohibitive. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that arts, culture and creativity can bring not only economic benefit to a town but can also substantially improve the quality of the local environment and the standard of life enjoyed by the local population.”

The play, set in the early 1600s is about a group of Elizabethan Otley Players during the Plague. It is a fun and clever play where a hapless group of players who have lost all their scripts, props and even their theatre try to put on a Christmas Pageant. They write to William Shakespeare asking for him to write them a play but he’s slow to reply and with the audience turning up at any moment what are they to do?

Tickets are £5 and are available to buy from Brown’s Gallery in Otley or by reserving on otleyplayers@gmail.com. Come along and watch a wonderful fun filled Christmas play.