The List

Keighley Playhouse

The History of the Keighley Playhouse... It was back in June 1947 that Mr Frederick Pye, together with seven like-minded people, gathered in a private house in Oakworth to discuss the viability of forming a small, amateur group for the staging of plays. The Keighley Little Theatre - as it was then known - presented ‘When We Are Married’ to a supportive and enthusiastic audience. He directed and costumed this first ever production as well as appearing as the inebriate photographer, a role he reprised on at least three occasions. He continued to appear on stage as well as directing productions for other societies across Yorkshire and the name ‘Fred Pye’ became synonymous with ‘theatre’ throughout the area. Mr Pye was instrumental in securing the lease on the premises in Devonshire Street that we occupy today. He was a talented and creative theatrical costumier and many of his beautifully crafted gowns still hang in the Playhouse Wardrobe and often grace the stage in many of our period productions. Some 71 years later Keighley Playhouse continues to perform to the delight of much of its audiences, staging Comedies, Farces and Dramas. Season tickets can be bought (seven for the price of six), thus ensuring a guaranteed seat for every production. On show week, the bar is open from 6:45pm, curtain up at 7.30pm and drinks can be pre-ordered for the interval. Or, if a cup of tea is more your thing, purchase a tea token before the show and a cup of tea and a pack of biscuits will be delivered to your seat. Our quaint auditorium is now full air conditioned and is equipped with hearing enhancement to make your visit a pleasurable experience. Street parking is available and we are less than ten minutes walk from the train station and only five minutes walk from the bus station. If you are interested in becoming a member of the theatre or involved in any way, please message us or speak with either Julia Roberts (Secretary), Barbara Ramsden (Chairwoman) or Kate Wilson (Membership Secretary).

What's On @ Keighley Playhouse

Now That's What I Call New Year

Now That's What I Call New Year

31 Dec 2025 - 31 Dec 2025

NOW THATS WHAT WE CALL NEW YEAR! Bring in 2026 in style at the Keighley Playhouse with our ultimate throwback party! New Years Eve December 31st Keighley Playhouse Get ready for a night packed with non-stop hits, unforgettable vibes, and a countdown to remember. Were bringing the best of the '80s, '90s, '00s and beyond the soundtrack of your life, all in one epic night. Think glitter, glam, dancefloor anthems and all the NYE magic you could ask for! Cheap bar open all night Midnight countdown + bubbly Dress to impress or throw on your retro best! Lets make this New Years Eve legendary. Tickets are limited dont miss out! Grab yours now and tell your friends #NowThatsWhatWeCallNewYear #KeighleyPlayhouseNYE #NYE2025
Dracula The Bloody Truth

Dracula The Bloody Truth

20 Oct 2025 - 25 Oct 2025

Drama by Charlotte KeatleyDirected by Rhiannon Cawthorne The story explores the lives and relationships of four generations of women: Doris (born 1900), Margaret (born 1931), Jackie (born 1952) and Rosie (born 1971). Their loves, expectations, and choices are set against the huge social changes of the twentieth century. When the unmarried Jackie falls pregnant with Rosie, she is unable to cope and hands over the baby to her mother (Margaret), who then brings up Rosie as her own daughter. The play looks at the consequences of this secret and each woman's opinion on it. Monday, 1st September 2025 to Saturday, 6th September 2025
Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

8 Dec 2025 - 13 Dec 2025

Lucy Kirkwood's Beauty and the Beast is a theatrical reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale, co-devised with Katie Mitchell, that uses a vaudeville-style musical hall to tell the story through a pair of mischievous fairies, the Man in Pink and Cecile, and features a variety of fantastical devices like a "Thoughtsnatcher machine" and an orchestra of insects. The play retains the core elements of the original story but frames it within a fantastical performance, questioning the tale's traditional morality and focusing on themes of perception, love, and the nature of storytelling itself.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

16 Mar 2026 - 21 Mar 2026

An irrepressible fraudster known only as the Maniac is brought into Police Headquarters just as the officers are preparing for a judicial review of the recent 'accidental' death of a suspect in custody. Outwitting his captors, the Maniac dupes them into performing a farcical recreation of the incident, exposing the absurd corruption and terrifying idiocy at the heart of the system. Dario Fo and Franca Rame's riotous satire has been widely performed around the world since its premiere in 1970. Tom Basden's acclaimed adaptation was first performed at Sheffield Theatres in 2022, directed by Daniel Raggett, and starring Daniel Rigby as the Maniac. The production transferred to the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in 2023, before moving to the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London's West End.
And then there were none

And then there were none

4 May 2026 - 9 May 2026

Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past theyre unwilling to reveal and a secret that will seal their fate for each has been marked for murder. As the weather turns and the group is cut off from the mainland, the bloodbath begins; one by one, they are brutally murdered in accordance with the lines of a sinister nursery rhyme about Ten Little Soldier Boys. In writing the stage version of one of her most successful and darkest novels during the Second World War, Agatha Christie responded to the mood of the times by introducing a more positive ending. The play was a smash hit in the West End and on Broadway.
Educating Rita

Educating Rita

26 Jan 2026 - 31 Jan 2026

Educating Rita is a play by Willy Russell about a working-class hairdresser named Rita who enrolls in an Open University literature course to find a better way of life and ends up transforming herself and her cynical, alcoholic tutor, Frank. Over the course of their lessons, Rita gains confidence and independence, questioning social expectations and the institutions of education. The play explores themes of social class, education, and personal growth through the developing relationship between the two characters, who both undergo profound changes by the end of the play.
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery
Every drama group has experienced the horrors of what can go wrong on opening night, and the ladies of the F.A.H.E.T.G. Dramatic Society are no different, with the possible exception that almost everything that could happen does! The scenery collapses, cues are missed, lines forgotten, and the sound effects take on a strange note at times, as the ladies present their ambitious evening's entertainment with the cunning whodunit, "Murder At Checkmate Manor."

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