Our address is: Queen Street, Huddersfield, HD1 2SP
Recommended Parking: Huddersfield Bus Station Car Park, Upperhead Row, HD1 2JL. Springwood Car Park, Springwood Street, HD1 4BN. All
Visiting
Welcome to our autumn/winter 2024 season! It’s a big one as we celebrate the 30th birthday of Lawrence Batley Theatre.
In the 1980s, passionate local people, actors, and creatives banded together to establish a dedicated professional theatre for Kirklees and saved our building from becoming derelict. They raised £5 million to transform a former church into the creative heart of Huddersfield.
It’s a huge privilege to lead the organisation as we mark 30 years of sharing exciting stories, supporting young people, and nurturing local talent. Our theatre is where magic happens every day. Live performances bring people together, providing an escape and touching hearts in ways only live theatre can.
As the only professional theatre in Kirklees, we offer something truly special. Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers work tirelessly to create memorable experiences for all. We’re proud to host amazing shows that consistently ‘punch above our weight’.
We make a significant difference in people’s lives every day. We are an official Theatre of Sanctuary, a home for young people to grow their confidence,
and a place for our community to see world-class theatre on their doorstep. Our commitment to providing great value and outstanding performances ensures you can trust us to always offer the best.
This year, to celebrate our birthday, we asked people to share how the theatre has touched their lives. We received so many inspiring stories. We selected 30 people to share their stories and have their photos taken for our Theatre30 documentary project. From September, you can visit this special exhibition in our gallery.
We believe in the power of creativity to build communities and make memories. As a charity, we are dedicated to helping Huddersfield be an amazing place to live and work. We invite you to join us this season and experience the unexpected. There’s something for everyone, and your support helps us continue to bring magic to our stage.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. We look forward to seeing you at the theatre!
Becky Dash
Chief Executive
of Lawrence Batley Theatre
Our annual community production returns as over 60 local people of all ages from across Huddersfield take to our stage to help celebrate our 30th birthday. This year it’s a modern adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, adapted by writer Chris O’Connor.
You’re invited to one of Jay Gatsby’s infamous lavish parties as he brings the roaring 1920s into the 21st century. The Great Gatsby will explore wealth, class and love with a swinging jazz inspired soundtrack. Supported by: Thu 12 –Sat 14 September
Theatre30
Thu 12 Sept – Sat 18 Jan
The Gallery
Free entry, donations are welcome
An exhibition of portraits captured by local photographer Daniel Johnson Gray celebrating people and stories from Lawrence Batley Theatre’s 30 year history.
Our Cellar Theatre is the place to discover brave and exciting productions by some of the freshest, boldest and most daring artists around today. In this intimate and unique studio tucked underneath our main space, we’re bringing you the best shows from across the UK and showcasing locally rooted artists who are creating incredible performance right here in Yorkshire. Expect to see everything from the latest hits direct from the Edinburgh Fringe to new-writing from emerging playwrights and so much more...
“Wholly entertaining”
8pm | Tickets £15 A pulsating new play about going out out! From critically acclaimed writer Philip Stokes, LASH is a booze-fuelled adrenaline rush that takes you on a wild night out which explores what life is really like for the youth of today.
Up Theatre
Liver
Devilled Eggs
Wed 23 October
Wed 9 October
7:45pm | Tickets £15
Combining the gritty underground sounds of hip-hop, grime and drill with the melodrama of opera, Tones is a piece of gig theatre like no other. Join Jerome (aka The Professor) as he navigates his way through the depths of Black-British culture, class and belonging. Join us after the performance for a post-show talk.
Acclaimed theatre makers Black Liver invite you for a one night stay at The Dakota Guest House. The most glamorous B&B this side of Blackpool! Expect songs, sketches and verse from this part music duo, part comedy double-act as they introduce you to the resident guests of The Dakota. SK Shlomo
8pm | Tickets £15
Tue 19 November
International non-binary beatboxing star
SK Shlomo brings us their award-winning solo show BREATHE: a rollercoaster love letter to the lifesaving power of beats, bass and breathing.
“Absolutely superb” BBC 5 Live
8pm | Tickets £15
DRAMA
DRAMA
DRAMA
CABARET & VARIETY
Sat 21 September
Main House
7:30pm
Tickets £12
Starring Angie Smith, The Big Move Part 2 follows three siblings who left Jamaica bound to England for a better life. Joe married a Yorkshire woman and returned to Jamaica. Ida married her heartbeat and moved to Barbados. Leaving behind Mona. Has she found Mr Right, Mr Wrong or no man at all?
Madein Yorkshire World Premiere
Main House 7:30pm
Tickets £29.50 Fri 27 September
Celebrate the very best of country music with songs from Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton to The Chicks!
Jasmin Vardimon Company
Fri 4 October
Main House 7:30pm
Tickets £18
After wowing audiences here with her incredible sell out show ALiCE, choreographer Jasmin Vardimon MBE returns with a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Jasmin Vardimon Company. With a remarkable international cast of performers, and iconic moments from the company’s repertoire, NOW uses Jasmin’s distinctive dance theatre and creative approach to celebrate the beauty of imagination and art.
Jamrock Productions
Longwood Theatre Productions
Tue 8 – Sat 12 October
Main House 7:15pm 2:15pm - Sat matinee
Tickets £8 - £24
Carole King is the music legend who wrote number one hits for The Drifters, Aretha Franklin and many others before becoming a chart-topping superstar herself. Beautiful tells the untold story of her remarkable rise to stardom.
Science Museum
Sun 13 October
Main House
2pm
Tickets £16 - £18
Ignite your curiosity in this unmissable family production that is sure to capture the imagination of young and old alike, and teach you something new and exciting too!
Main House
7:30pm
Tickets £26 Tue 15 October
Inspired by the life of Nina Simone and featuring many of her most iconic songs performed live. Follow a successful jazz singer and civil rights activist as she seeks redemption after the untimely death of her father.
Huddersfield
Thespians
Theatre 7:15pm 2pm - Sat matinee Tickets £15
Down For The Count Swing Orchestra
Wed 16 - Sat 19 October
Following on from their successful run of Gaslight, Huddersfield Thespians bring you playwright Ronald Harwood’s highly acclaimed drama.
This is an amateur production brought to you by Huddersfield Thespians.
After a sold-out performance at ours last year, catch Sh!t-faced Shakespeare as they return to pour their legendary cock-eyed chaos into the Bard-shaped vessel that is A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Think drunken donkeys, fandangled fairies and mullered mechanicals… it’s hard to imagine anything more magical, right?
Thu 17 October
House 7:30pm
Tickets £17.50 - £25
Hear songs from the likes of Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller, alongside vocal classics from singers such as Nat ‘King’ Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, all presented with Down for the Count’s own unmistakable brand of wit and humour.
“The ultimate jewel in pantoland’s crown”
Mon 2 –
31 December
Dick Whittington is down on his luck. So one day he decides to embark on an epic quest. He’s heard the streets of London are paved with gold, so along with his loveable cat, he sets off from Huddersfield to seek his fame and fortune...
Full of spellbinding effects, dazzling costumes, a hiss-terical script and toe-tapping mew-sical numbers, come join Dick and his cat for this rags to riches Christmas adventure!
4 1:30pm & 6:30pm
5 10am & 1:30pm
6 10am & 1:45pm
7 2pm & 6:30pm
9 10am & 1:30pm
10 10am & 1:30pm
Red Ladder Theatre Company
Sanctuary
Book, music and lyrics by Sarah Woods and Boff Whalley
Wed 23 – Thu 24 October
Main House
7:30pm
1pm - Thu matinee
Post-show talk: Wed 23 October
Topsy Turvy Theatre
When Alland, a young Iranian man, begs to be given sanctuary at St Mary’s church in a northern town, it sparks a community to react in all the ways each member believes to be right. Some call for his protection. Others for his removal. But both sides take justice into their own hands…
Christoper
Nibble
Tue 29 October
Cellar Theatre
1pm & 4pm
Tickets £16 CAP Madein Yorkshire Madein Yorkshire
Tickets £5 - £10
The guinea pigs of Dandeville love munching dandelion leaves so much that the dandelions are disappearing from all over town. Christopher Nibble knows that crunch time has come when there is just one dandelion left. Will this plucky little guinea pig have the flower power to save the day?
Includes Makaton throughout.
HALLOWEEN AT
LAWRENCE BATLEY THEATRE
COMEDY
Fright Night
Sat 26 October
9pm – 9am
Tickets £50 Early Bird £40
Spend a spine-chilling night at Lawrence Batley Theatre! Join us if you dare for Fright Night, a hairraising haunted sleepover as you get exclusive access to our 200 year old building after dark for a guided night of ghost hunting including a live séance!
This is an 18+ event.
The Twins Macabre
Thu 31 October
Main House
7:30pm
Tickets £18
High Jinx Magic & Illusion Show
Sat 2 November
Main House
2pm & 6:30pm
Tickets £13 - £16
Family of four £45
A blend of mesmerising magic with aweinspiring feats of juggling and daring stunts, this jam-packed show filled with incredible illusions and crazy circus thrills is sure to leave you amazed, puzzled and above all entertained!
“Delightfully freaky” The Telegraph
Join the infamous dark comedy double act The Twins Macabre on Halloween night for a devilish spectacle of twisted sketches and original songs as featured on BBC3 and BBC Radio 4.
Creepy Campfire
Fri 1 November
Cellar Theatre
6pm
Tickets £10
Gather round (if you dare) for an evening of spinetingling tales and ghoulishly good fun for boils and ghouls aged 8 - 11. We’ll be sharing spooky stories, playing gruesome games and enjoying some campfire snacks. Fancy dress encouraged!
Huddersfield Musical Theatre Company
Legally Blonde
Tue 5 – Sat 9 November
Main House
7:15pm 2:15pm - Sat matinee
Tickets £13 - £25
The ultimate feel-good musical filled with infectious music, dazzling choreography and lots of pink! Step into the glamorous world of Elle Woods as she follows her heart all the way to Harvard Law School.
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Book by Heather Hach
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and
Madein Yorkshire
Dance Company Wales
13 November
Main House 1pm
Tickets £8
National Dance Company Wales
Tue 12 November
Main House 7:30pm
Post-show talk
Tickets £12 - £16
Escape to the edge of your seat with National Dance Company Wales’ signature blend of brilliantly crafted, life-affirming dance with two gripping performances; AUGUST by Matthew William Robinson and Skinners by Melanie Lane.
Roll up, Roll up: Be amazed and amused in the wonderful world of Zoetrope! An entrancing family experience combining all the fun of the fair with acrobatics and dance. Choreography by the legendary Lea Anderson MBE.
Bhangra and Giddah Dance Class
Wed 16 Oct, Wed 23 Oct, Wed 6 Nov & Wed 13 Nov
7:30pm | Tickets £5 Book 4 classes for £15 Join inspiring Bhangra specialist Hardeep Sahota in these fun classes to brush up on your dance moves!
Fri 15 November
Tickets £9
Dance the night away at our electrifying Bhangra Night! We’ve got DJ Deepsta spinning a mixture of contemporary and classic Bhangra dance floor bangers (with some R’n’B and hip hop thrown in too) plus a live Dhol player. This is an alcohol free event with a fun and friendly club-like atmosphere in our Cellar Theatre. It’s the perfect safe space for hitting the dance floor!
A Christmas Killing
Fri 6 – Sat 7 December
Cellar Theatre
7:30pm
Tickets £16
“Prepare to have your funny bones and little grey cells equally tickled.”
Broadway World
A fiendish plot, evidence to examine, and cryptic clues to crack in this whodunnit event from the acclaimed mystery maestros Highly Suspect. Infamous Sir Alan Scrooge is dead. Murdered in his locked parlour on a Christmas Day morn. But can he really have been killed by a ghost of Christmas past?
Down For The Count Swing Orchestra
Swing Into Christmas
Wed 18 December
Main House
7:30pm
Tickets £17.50 - £35
Join this 30-piece big band with strings for a joyful celebration of festive jazz and big band music including songs such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Winter Wonderland and many more.
Huddersfield Light Opera Company
Sat 11 – Sat 18 January
Huddersfield Light Opera Company returns with their annual winter egg-stravaganza!
In Gooseland lies the village of Sleepy Meadows. One day a larger-than-life goose called Priscilla turns up in the village square. She is taken in by Mother Goose herself. But Priscilla is no ordinary goose…
Full of fun, frolics and laughter, join Huddersfield Light Opera Company for a cracking traditional pantomime for all the family.
ADULTS ONLY! | Tue 14 & Fri 17 January
A special panto that’s full of extra naughtiness and strictly for 16+ only!
Main House
1pm & 4:30pm - Sat & Sun
7pm - Wed & Thu
Tickets £6 - £25
Main House 8:30pm
Tickets £7 - £25
This is an amateur production brought to you by Huddersfield Light Opera Company.
Written by Chris Brearley
Gather up your mini movers and shakers for a daytime dance party with a difference!
Dinky Disco
Cellar Theatre 11am
Tickets £10 adult & child, £7 additional child or adult
Fri 27 September
Young Company
Running during term time, our Young Company offers young people aged 6 –16 weekly workshops to help develop their performance and creative skills. Each term our passionate tutors focus on a specific theme, inspired by professional productions performed on our stage. Friendly and welcoming, our Young Company offers a relaxed space for young people to get creative whilst learning to work with others and make new friends.
Find out more about getting involved at thelbt.org
Join us for some Old Skool Garage tunes.
Fri 25 October
We’ll be joined by special guests Sound System Culture to celebrate our local reggae scene.
Fri 29 November
We’ll rave it up with some 90s house music bangers.
Fri 20 December
Bring out your SANTA BABIES for our Christmas party!
Mini Make Believe
Wed 9 October, Wed 13 November & Wed 11 December
Cellar Theatre 11am
Tickets £10 adult & child, £7 additional child or adult
Have a little person with a flair for the dramatic? These sessions aimed at 2 – 4 year olds are a great introduction to drama and the chance to be playful with your little ones.
With a different theme each session, from pirates to mythical beasts, we will use costumes, props and our own wild imaginations to create characters and stories in make believe worlds.
