New SJT shows for 2024

Grab your garlic and get ready to set sail with our 2024 shows - are you ready? Let's dive in to adaptations of two classic novels, two stirring Yorkshire stories, a sparkling Christmas show and the 90th play (!) from our Director Emeritus, Alan Ayckbourn.

• Northanger Abbey | 27 March - 13 April

Catherine Morland knows little of the world, but who needs real-life experience when you have books to guide you?

Catherine seizes her chance to escape her claustrophobic family life and join the smart set in Bath. Between balls and parties, she meets worldly, sophisticated Isabella Thorpe – Iz, to her friends – and so Cath’s very own adventure begins... 

Zoe Cooper infuses the plot and spirit of Austen’s original with her unique voice, resulting in a play fizzing with imagination, packed full of humour, and brimming with love.

• Dracula: The Bloody Truth | 3 - 27 July

It’s 1900. 

Dracula, the best-selling novel by Bram Stoker was released three years ago and Professor Abraham Van Helsing is not happy. He was there. He knows The Truth. The Bloody Truth.  And The Truth must come out. Professional vampire hunter Van Helsing has gathered a troupe of highly trained, versatile actors to tell the story of the vampire who sailed from Transylvania to Whitby leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.  

Grab a sharpened stake and a clove of garlic and join Professor Van Helsing for the theatrical performance of a lifetime: a brand-new comedy theatre show from the team behind the rip-roaring caper The 39 Steps and UK Theatre Award-nominated The Comedy of Errors (more or less).

• Brassed Off | 2 - 31 August

It’s 1994 and the tight-knit mining community of Grimley, Yorkshire, are fighting to keep their colliery open. Meanwhile, revered band leader Danny battles to keep his dispirited band of brass-playing miners together with the dream of qualifying for the National Championships at London’s Albert Hall. 

When the uncertainty around the pit’s future becomes too much for the band members, loyalty is tested, pressure mounts and the community begins to break apart. With their whole way of life at stake, can the band find a way to play on? 

Adapted by Paul Allen from the screenplay by Mark Herman, this is a much-loved modern classic, full of heart and northern humour. This production will feature live music from local brass bands to deliver a soul-stirring theatrical experience. 

• Alan Ayckbourn's Show & Tell | 5 September - 5 October

The 90th play from our Director Emeritus, Alan Ayckbourn! 

Jack’s planning a big party for his wife’s birthday. He’s pulling out all the stops and has booked a touring theatre company to perform in the family home. The only problem is that Jack’s getting a bit forgetful in his old age and can’t remember all the details of the booking...

Meanwhile, The Homelight Theatre Company is on its knees. They desperately need a well-paid gig and Jack’s booking is very well paid. Pinning him down on the details has been tricky and something doesn’t feel quite right.

Alan Ayckbourn’s 90th play is a celebration of theatre, a delightfully dark farce lifting the lid on the performances we act out on a daily basis. 

• The Whitby Rebels | 18 October - 2 November 

The (mostly) true story of a Captain, his crew and a boatload of Yorkshire grit!

In Whitby Harbour, in the summer of 1991, something extraordinary happened. A humble pleasure boat set sail for the Arctic crewed by misfits, pensioners and the vicar for Egton and Grosmont.

This motley crew was assembled by Captain Jack Lammiman to complete a daring mission: to erect a plaque honouring Whitby whaling captain William Scoresby Senior on a volcanic island hundreds of miles north of Iceland. Their voyage is a classic story of British eccentricity and determination.

• Aladdin | 29 November - 28 December

Join us for this thrilling tale as writer Nick Lane, director Gemma Fairlie, and the rest of the team that brought you Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, A (Scarborough) Christmas Carol and more turn another classic fairy tale on its head.

As usual, it’ll be packed full of silliness, thrills, spills singalongs and fantastical family fun.  

• Save the Date! Mr A’s Amazing Days | 13-15 September 

September will also bring a special fundraising event with Alan Ayckbourn; Mr A’s Amazing Days will include a rehearsed reading of one of several plays the renowned writer penned during lockdown, as well as other treats – watch this space for more info coming soon!

Tickets for all the shows are sale to members of the Circle, the SJT’s membership scheme, from 10am on Wednesday 8 November and on general sale from 10am on Wednesday 15 November. Tickets are available from the box office on 01723 370 541 and online here.