Readings and auditions for this years plays – click here
Goodnight Mr Tom
by Brian Finch from the book by Michelle Magorian
October 16th to 18th 2025
Harrogate Theatre Main House
In this tale, set during World War II a curmudgeonly widower is forced to take in a nine-year-old evacuee from London. He soon realises that the boy has been both mentally and physically damaged at the hands of his strict mother. He sets about teaching him to read, write and draw, but as his tenth birthday looms, the boy is summoned back to the city.
This amateur production of “Goodnight Mister Tom” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
Barnbow Canaries
by Alice Nutter
November 27th to 29th 2025
The West Park Centre, Harrogate
During WW1, Agnes and her sister Edith become Barnbow lasses. The danger money they receive for working with munitions buys them a new, undreamed of future. Then the catastrophic explosion in 1916 brings their world crashing down. The women discover the true cost of the cry for ‘More Shells!’
This is a true story of a largely forgotten episode in Leeds history.
Barnbow Canaries by Alice Rutter is an amateur production.
Handbagged
By Moira Buffini
February 25th to 28th 2026
Harrogate Studio Theatre
Handbagged is a comedy that imagines what the meetings might have looked like between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher during her tenure as Prime Minister. What might have taken place when two of the most powerful characters of our time came face-to-face.
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Nick Hern books.
Ink
By James Graham
April 29th to May 2nd 2026
Harrogate Studio Theatre
Ink tells the story of Rupert Murdochs takeover of the Sun Newspaper and how he changed it from a failing broadsheet into one of the most popular newspapers in Britain today. It focuses on the clash between serious journalism and the ‘populist ‘tabloid’ approach spearheaded by Murdoch and his editor, Larry Lamb.
This amateur production of “Ink” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
The Dresser
By Ronald Harwood
June 24th to 27th 2026
Harrogate Studio Theatre
Set in a regional English theatre during World War II, the play follows the relationship of larger-than-life actor ‘Sir’ and his devoted dresser Norman.
‘Sir’s’ health and mental state is declining and, as a of a performance of “King Lear” progresses, Norman battles to keep him focused and the show, but will he succeed?
This amateur production of “The Dresser” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
Jerusalem
By Jez Butterworth
October 15th to 17th 2026
Harrogate Theatre Main House
This comic/serious play is set in a fictional English village on St. George’s Day. Johnny “Rooster” Byron, a charismatic but troubled drug dealer and self-proclaimed shaman facing eviction from his woodland home. During the course of the play, Johnny tells tales, gets drunk, does drugs, dodges the authorities, and both charms and infuriates everyone that he meets. Though he may be bloodied, and bruised, Johnny is not a man to be beaten down and his stand against modern suburban life is at times both shocking and moving.
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Nick Hern Books