Autumn/winter 2023 - What's On

AUTUMN/WINTER 2023

Booking

Online: thelbt.org (Subject to £2 transaction fee)

In person: Wed - Sat from 10am - 5pm

By phone: 01484 430528

Phone line open at times above

Getting Here

Our address is: Queen Street, Huddersfield, HD1 2SP

Parking: Visit the Kirklees Council website for the most up-to-date parking information. All information is correct at time of printing. Please visit thelbt.org for the most up-to-date information.

Visiting

We’re open to the public Wed - Sat from 10am-5pm and from 90 minutes before show times.

Pop in to see our exhibitions or to discover how you can get involved.

Café-bar open Sat 12pm-5pm and for shows. Age guidance for shows available online at thelbt.org.

British Sign Language RP Relaxed Performance

Lawrence Batley Theatre is a special place to work because there is so much incredible talent on our doorstep. This season we have three brand-new world-class productions gracing our mainstage, all of which put West Yorkshire talent front and centre.

We are partnering with local amateurs Woodhouse Musical Theatre Company and theatre favourite writer and performer Richard Sykes to stage By George - The Chip Shop Musical. A warm and funny exploration of a modern family battling against outdated traditions over a chippy tea. Our annual community production is in its fifth year, this time we’ve commissioned a local writer to reinvent Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein for a modern age, taking on themes of artificial intelligence and social media. The theatre team will work with over 50 members of the community to stage this new show, especially for our audiences. We round off the year with our pantomime Cinderella, which as always will be full of joy, laughter, and a couple of surprises.

We want everyone to be able to experience the magic of theatre. Every year we run Christmas Heroes, a scheme to bring families who might not normally be able to come, to see the panto and be treated like a VIP, getting ice cream and a souvenir. Last year we received enough donations to bring over 600 people to visit us and we hope this year will be even bigger. Help us to bring festive cheer to more families and become a Christmas Hero today. We are working hard to make sure the theatre is a space for all in our community and we’re introducing a new Bhangra Night this autumn to celebrate Diwali. As always, most of our performances have £5 tickets available for people under 30 and Kirklees Passport holders and we have tons of low and no cost activities for everyone to get involved with.

See you here soon,

Becky Atkinson

Chief Executive of Lawrence Batley Theatre

Cast of our 2022 pantomime Jack & The Beanstalk. Photograph by Robling Photography.

Madein Yorkshire World Premiere

Wed 13 – Sat 16 September

Main House

7:30pm

2:15pm - Sat matinee

Tickets from £12

Woodhouse Musical Theatre Company and Lawrence Batley Theatre present the world premiere of a brand new musical.

Meet George, Pauline and Sam. A Yorkshire family living above their traditional Yorkshire chip shop. But everything’s not just salt and vinegar. This fish and chip empire is crumbling…

Full of riotously funny Victoria Wood-inspired songs written by Richard Sykes, By George follows Pauline’s battle to pull her family out of the ruins. A love letter to strong Northern women, family values and a good old fish supper. Greasy’s the word!

Thu 21 – Sat 23 September

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets £5

Local people of all ages take to our stage as our community production returns for its fifth year. This time it’s the story of Frankenstein that is given a Lawrence Batley Theatre twist. Our contemporary adaptation by writer Chris O’Connor is inspired by the rise of modern technology.

Madein Yorkshire World Premiere

The eccentric self-taught technologist Dr Frankenstein has become the latest viral sensation and a laughing stock throughout Yorkshire. Driven by ambition and armed with the latest tools in artificial intelligence, they’ve been creating a new life form. One night, with a fierce thunderstorm outside, the experiment succeeds. The life form awakens and is released onto the streets of Huddersfield…

DRAMA

A Lawrence Batley Theatre community production

Our Cellar Theatre is the place to find brave, bold and exciting productions. We’re bringing you the best shows from across the UK and showcasing artists creating incredible performance here in Yorkshire. Head down the stairs to discover something new...

Madein Yorkshire

Ben Tagoe

Better Days

Wed 20 – Thu 21 September

Meet 19-year old lad Danny as he takes you on a house music journey from 1990 to 1993, combining poetic storytelling with top rave tunes from the era.

8pm | Tickets £16

Pepa Duarte

Eating Myself

Sun 1 October

Join Pepe Duarte as she prepares a traditional Peruvian soup for you whilst telling a powerful story of food, family and traditions.

7:45pm | Tickets £14

Bobak Champion

I’m Muslamic Don’t Panik!

Thu 26 October

Madein Yorkshire

Spoken word meets dance, live music meets clowning. An intimate spectacle of identity, where being British, Iranian, and a hip-hop head collide.

7:45pm | Tickets £15

Richard Marsh

Yippee Ki Yay

Wed 27 September

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets £19

The Guardian

The Times

Acclaimed retelling of the classic film Die Hard from Fringe First-winner Richard Marsh. When gunmen seize an LA skyscraper, off-duty policeman John McClane is the hostages’ only hope. This uplifting action romp (and unauthorised parody) pays affectionate tribute to the iconic 80s festive fan favourite. Essential viewing for Hans Gruber superfans and newcomers alike.

DRAMA

DRAMA

DRAMA

DRAMA

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare®: Much Ado About Nothing

Thu 5 October

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets from £23

“A great night out to get proper pucked up. It’s what Willy would have wanted.” - Time Out

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® is the classic combination of a hacked-to-bits Shakespeare script, half a dozen professional actors and a bucket load of booze! Sounds classical to us.

Time Out

Henry Naylor Afghanistan Is Not Funny

Wed 25 October

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets £16

Abducted by Mujahideen; menaced by war-criminals; walking into minefields… this is the extraordinary, true story of a British comedian and photographer in war-torn Afghanistan…

In 2002, whilst researching a comedy, triple Fringe First winner Henry Naylor and Scottish Feature Photographer of the Year Sam Maynard blundered into the warzone. 21 years later, Naylor relates the tale, accompanied by Maynard’s pictures.

Longwood Amateur Operatic Society

Ghost the Musical

Tue 10 – Sat 14 October

Main House

7:15pm

2:15pm - Sat matinee

Tickets from £8

Francis Rossi

MUSIC Marti Pellow

Fri 6 October

The Status Quo legend is taking up his acoustic guitar.

Main House 7:30pm

Tickets from £32 VIP and Meet & Greet tickets available.

MUSIC

Sat 7 October

An intimate evening with the former Wet Wet Wet frontman.

Huddersfield Thespians

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets from £35 VIP and Meet & Greet tickets available.

Adapted from the hit film, follow Sam and Molly, a young couple whose connection takes a shocking turn after Sam’s untimely death, as their bond of love transcends the boundaries of life itself.

A poignant romance packed with comedy, suspense, and deeply felt emotion.

Lemons Lemons

Lemons Lemons

Lemons

By Sam Steiner

Wed 18 – Sat 21 October

Cellar Theatre

7:15pm 2pm - Sat matinee

Tickets £15

The average person speaks more than 123 million words in their lifetime. However, what if there was a limit? One couple is about to find out. Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is a tender and funny drama, telling us about what we say, how we say it, and what happens when we can’t say anything anymore.

Dreamcoat Stars

Tue 24 October

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets £28

Star of BBC’s Any Dream Will Do, Keith Jack headlines Dreamcoat Stars musical concert featuring 4 leading Josephs and songs from the nation’s favourite musicals including Joseph, Wicked, Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys and more.

MUSICAL THEATRE

BOOK & LYRICS BY BRUCE JOEL RUBIN MUSIC & LYRICS BY DAVE STEWART AND GLEN BALLARD

THIS IS AN AMATEUR MUSICAL LICENSED BY THEATRICAL RIGHTS WORLDWIDE (TRW)

DRAMA

Ockham’s Razor

TESS

Sat 21 – Sun 22 October

Main House

7:30pm

Post-show talk: Sat 21 October

Tickets £16 Under 16s £14

Wise

Owl Theatre Company

The Adventures of Alice In Wonderland

Sat 28 – Sun 29 October

Main House

4:30pm - Sat

1pm & 4:30pm - Sun

Tickets £16 Under 16s £14

Take a leap down the rabbit hole in this timeless and visually beautiful story suitable for all ages. The production features puppetry designs by Matthew Forbes, Associate Puppetry Director of the National Theatre’s award-winning production War Horse.

Huddersfield Musical Theatre Company

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Tue 7 – Sat 11 November

Main House

7:15pm

2:15pm - Sat matinee

Tickets from £13

A groundbreaking circus adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles that weaves together Hardy’s words and the extreme physicality of circus to tell this tale of power, loss and endurance.

Everybody’s favourite flying car is landing in Huddersfield! Embark on a thrilling adventure with the eccentric Potts family as they seek to outwit Baron Bomburst and the cunning Childcatcher.

BASED ON THE BOOK BY

Tue 31 October – Thu 2 November

Main House 4:30pm - Tue 10:30am & 4:30pm - Wed 10:30am & 1:30pm - Thu

Tickets £16.50 Under 16s £14.50

Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival & Oslo Sinfonietta

PERSONHOOD

Fri 17 November

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets from £7

The UK’s largest international festival of new and experimental music hcmf// 2023 opens in our Main House with the UK Premiere of PERSONHOOD. Written by Jennifer Walshe and performed by Oslo Sinfonietta and accordion soloist Andreas Borregaard, this new piece explores what it means to be a person at a time when our every moment is under surveillance.

Image: Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard

Down for the Count Orchestra

Swing Into Christmas

Mon 18 December

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets £30

Under 16s £15

What starts off as a morning jog becomes quite the misadventure for Stick Man: a dog wants to play fetch with him, a swan builds a nest with him, and he even ends up on a fire! How will Stick Man ever get back to the family tree?

Celebrate the festive season in style as this 30-piece orchestra recreate the best music of the Swing Era, including songs from Nat ‘King’ Cole, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and many more.

MUSIC

Fri 1 –Sun 31 December

Main House See table for times >

Tickets from £17

Cinderella’s feeling fed up. She spends her days stuck in the house hoovering and dusting whilst her meanie stepsisters slob around. She dreams of breaking free… could an invitation to a royal party, a ballgown and a pair of funky trainers change everything?

Full of spellbinding effects, dazzling costumes, a hilarious script and toe-tapping musical numbers, come join Cinderella in this muchloved rags to riches Christmas adventure.

“The ultimate jewel in pantoland’s crown”

Yorkshire Post on Robin Hood

Panto Backstage Tour

Sat 16 December

Take in the stories of our historic building along with a peek at our pantomime set followed by Christmas themed refreshments in our café-bar.

11am | Tickets £15

The Herd Theatre

Snowmen

Tue 26 – Fri 29 December

Cellar Theatre

12pm & 3pm

Tickets £10 Under 16s £7

Madein Yorkshire

Two snowmen are on a mission not to melt when they discover their perfect home, an ice arena. It’s cold, the music’s great and the slushies taste delicious. They just need to remember one thing, they can’t be discovered by the humans.

Packed with visual comedy and told with a handful of words, Snowmen is a brand-new show about friendship, home and hope.

Huddersfield Light Opera Company

Red Riding Hood

Written by Chris Brearley

Sat 13 – Sat 20 January

Huddersfield Light Opera Company are back with their 45th annual winter pantomime!

Red Riding Hood plans to take a basket of goodies to her Gran who lives deep in the woods. But The Big Bad Wolf, might have other plans for her...

Jokes, spectacular staging, stunning effects and songs in this traditional family panto.

ADULTS ONLY! | Fri 19 January

A special late night panto that’s full of extra naughtiness and strictly for adults 18+ only!

Main House

1:30pm & 5:30pm - Sat & Sun 7:15pm - Tue & Wed 6:15pm - Thu & Fri

Tickets from £5

Main House

9:30pm

Tickets from £7

Glitterbomb Dancers

Cracked Nuts: Camper Than Christmas

Sat 6 January

Main House

7:30pm

Tickets £17

Madein Yorkshire

Yorkshire’s queer cabaret dance troupe the Glitterbomb Dancers present a cabaret remake of The Nutcracker. Sugar plum fairies, toy soldiers and snowflakes… with a drag comedy twist! Expect a high energy mix of classical music and pop songs, high kicks and splits, a bit of camp, a bit of punk, a little bit of crass and a whole lot of sass. This is The Nutcracker like you’ve never seen it before!

Young Company

Running during term time, our Young Company offers young people aged 6-15 weekly classes to help develop their performance and creative skills.

Each term our passionate Young Company leaders focus on a specific theatre-related theme building up to an informal sharing to family and friends. Previous sessions have seen the young people work towards creating their very own murder mystery play, radio play and pantomime.

Find out more about getting involved at thelbt.org

Dinky Disco

Fri 22 September,

Fri 27 October,

Fri 24 November,

Fri 15 December

Cellar Theatre

11am

Tickets £7

Gather up your mini movers and shakers for a daytime dance party with a difference as our resident DJ spins tracks specially chosen to be enjoyed by little tapping toes and also get big people grooving (sorry, no Baby Shark here!).

Our café-bar

Relax and enjoy your favourite beverage including Dark Woods speciality coffee, roasted locally and served by our baristas, and some of the finest local beers from Magic Rock and Beer Ink, including our very own pale ale! Take advantage of our pre-show offers including a delicious stone-baked Italian pizza & a pint or any hot drink served with a tasty treat from local Hadfield’s bakery*

Order your interval drinks from the scan points in the theatre before you go in to avoid the queues!

*Speciality coffees and pizzas are available up until 30 mins prior to start of performances.

Our café-bar is open for all shows and on Saturdays, 12 – 5pm.

INTRODUCING STAGECRAFT

We’ve partnered with local brewery Beer Ink to brew our very own beer. Stagecraft is a hazy pale ale available exclusively on tap now from the bar!

A new Yorkshire adaptation of this epic tale of warriors, monsters, and dragons. Game of Thrones comes to Huddersfield. A spectacular, site-specific event created for Kirklees Year of Music 2023. Choirs sing an original composition underscoring a theatrical celebration inside the inspiring architecture of St. Peter’s church, transporting the audience to Heorot, the Great Mead Hall of King Hrothgar. One not to miss. Suitable for all the family.

8th ~ 11th November 2023

The production starts at Byram Arcade, Westgate, Huddersfield. As part of the performance the audience will process together to St. Peter’s Church, Byram Street

Tickets: £25/£20 (7.30pm on 8th, 9th and 10th / 5.30pm & 8pm on 11th) available from Lawrence Batley Theatre Box Office: 01484 430528 / thelbt.org

More info: properjob.org.uk

INTRODUCING

For just £30 per year, you can get these exclusive benefits:

Priority booking on headline shows

Invitations to special meet the artist events and talks

No online transaction fee

Members only newsletters

Annual thank you from the Chief Executive

The opportunity to support and sustain an arts charity

Visit

Lawrence Batley Theatre Membership Scheme

Main House Seating Plan