After a long 18 months East Riding Theatre had its first in-house production opening night since the Covid-19 pandemic.
ERT welcomed its audiences back with Harold Pinter’s classic play The Dumb Waiter.
Our Artistic Director Adrian Rawlins was interviewed by BBC Look North along with director Martin Hutson and actor Nick Figgis. The feature was broadcast on both the lunchtime and Evening news.
Click below to watch (ERT features at 22:37 onwards)
The story explored the impact of the pandemic on the theatre industry and what it was like to be reopening after a year and half of closure.
Adrian commented on the need for support from the local community:
“We have a very small paid workforce and we are supported mostly by a great number of local volunteers, so the theatre survives on goodwill and heart”
“We’ve done everything we can to encourage and support, and pray that the public will come back. If you feel you can, then come back to the theatre. We really need the audiences back because otherwise we won’t survive”
Martin Hutson said:
“Everyone is just so grateful to be back that the general atmosphere in the industry is gorgeous. We will get back to being grumpy at some point (chuckles) but at the moment everyone is just so thrilled”
Nick Figgis said:
“It was a hard period, the lockdown, for everybody in the theatre industry, whats really sort of impressive and reassuring for actors who are sort of freelancers is that theatres are putting in the work and the extra time to actually get these things off the ground because its quite a big risk”
Thursday 24th April - Saturday 10th May 2025. The One Good Thing will be performed as a World Premiere. Initially selected for PlayLab during 2024, a full version of this play is to be performed as our Spring production... Two Irish brothers living in Southern Ireland, dealing with love, forgiveness, and the afterlife, discover that the eternal exists in their fraternal bond… But Heaven isn’t always what you’d expect!
Thursday 8th - Thursday 29th May 2025. Theatre Gallery: Thinking through Drawing is an exhibition of current work made by artists, Esther Cawley and Emma Garness.
Friday 23rd May 2025. Big Beverley Comedy Night. As usual, you can expect a fantastic line-up of award-winning comedians! Join MC Jack Gleadow and expect outstanding comedy from Jo Enright (The Job Lot) and the legend Angelos Epithemou (Shooting Stars).
Wednesday 28th May 2025. Fairytales, Fables & Other Assorted Nonsense. An entertaining show for all the family. Fairy tales across the land live in fear. Fear for their lives, fear for their freedom and, most importantly, fear for their turnips. Why you ask? Because Little Red Riding Hood has taken control.
Thursday 29th May - Thursday 26th June 2025. Theatre Gallery: Gary Saunt's "Dreamscapes" features his figurative works, which are populated by vivid fragments of our contemporary culture.
Thursday 29th May - Saturday 7th June 2025. Do I Love You written and directed by John Godber. This is Northern Soul for a new generation, but with rising costs, unemployment, and small town blues, has anything really changed?
Saturday 14th June 2025. Patrick Monahan - The Talkinator. Everybody’s favourite comedian, Patrick Monahan’s high energy style combines with hilarious, engaging, topical and observational material to make a fun evening out!
Saturday 21st June 2025. Beverley Folk Festival: Open Mic. Come along and enjoy over four hours of free entertainment from a great line-up of local musicians.
Saturday 21st June 2025. Beverley Folk Festival: Jamie Lawson + Special Guest. Featuring sings from his brand new album, Little Weaknesses.album
Sunday 22nd June 2025. Folk Fun for all the family with Folklincs. As part of the 2025 Beverley Folk Festival, this is your opportunity to participate in this Workshop for all the family to find out what folk is really about!
Sunday 22nd June 2025. Beverley Folk Festival presents Cara Dillon. Join Cara and Sam Lakeman for an intimate evening full of exceptional music and the genuine warmth they bring to the stage.
Tuesday 24th June 2025. Carlton Kirby's True Tales of the Tour de France. On the eve of the 2025 Tour de France, Carlton Kirby, the Voice of Cycling, brings a night of tall tales and frank opinions from his 25 years’ covering the sport
Thursday 26th - Saturday 28th June 2025. A hilarious improvised murder mystery where the audience must work with the detective to solve the case and catch the culprit before they kill again!
Friday 4th July 2025. King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys. With more than 6500 performances in 21 countries under their belt in their 30 years on the road, King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys are more than just the world’s greatest jump, jive and swing band – they’re an institution!
Thursday 10th July 2025. Mike Sanchez & His Band. Don't miss the British singer and pianist Mike Sanchez, who is one of the most exciting and charismatic performers in the world of rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll.
Friday 11th July 2025. Jon Palmer Acoustic Band. Award winning folk rock renegades bringing the "joyful noise" to Beverley... You can expect an energetic and engaging live performance packed with life, emotion, and thought-provoking storytelling.
Tuesday 15th July 2025. As You Like It... probably Shakespeare’s most entrancing romantic comedy. The pastoral world of the Forest is inhabited with a colourful array of folk, looking for love, and woven into this delightful tale, full of comedy and music
Thursday 24th - Saturday 26th July 2025. Assassins. 9 Assassins! 1 Killer Musical! With a score that's both catchy and chilling, Assassins is a unique and unsettling look at the minds of those who would change the world, one bullet at a time.
Tuesday 29th July 2025. Home Service. Touring their new album "A Live Transmission" with Bob Fox at the helm, Home Service blend tradition with pulsating folk rock and trenchant brass to create their own unmistakable sound
Friday 1st August 2025. Alchemy Live - A Tribute To Dire Straits. Alchemy Live bring to life the magic of Dire Straits, featuring classic live performances and more...
Thursday 7th August 2025. Iago Banet -'The Galician King of Acoustic Guitar' - has been building an impressive career as a solo fingerstyle acoustic guitarist, displaying his exceptional abilities and receiving rave reviews along the way.
Saturday 9th August 2025. The Alex Hamilton Band. Original Blues/Rock/Americana in style, combining melodic rock vocals, hard-hitting lyrics and superlative, heart-felt guitar technique.
Saturday 30th August 2025. Ricky Cool And The In Crowd. Be prepared for a wonderful evening’s entertainment, celebrating musical styles that have become synonymous with the very best in popular music.You will hear Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Ska and Bluebeat, as well as Afro Cuban rhythms,
Wednesday 3rd September 2025. The Story Forge: Make Your Own Myth. The renowned Rubbish Shakespeare Company and Silly History Boys present a hilarious hour of high-octane adventure for children and childish adults. Brace yourselves for pandemonium and tidal waves of laughter in this hilariously unique family-friendly theatrical adventure!
Saturday 18th October 2025. Join Chris Difford - founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze - as he looks back on 50 lyrical years, it’s a journey that asks, What Happened?
Wednesday 22nd October 2025. Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox. 'From the Horse's Mouth', songs and stories from Billy and Bob's musical life with Lindisfarne, Warhorse, and The Pitmen Poets
Thursday 13th November 2025. Barbara. Fun, fantastical and theatrical... add some Barbara the band to your life!… An eclexctic set of classic, irresistible pop music with a literary and intellectual approach.
Friday 14th November 2025. Cabaret with Claus - a really really early Christmas show. An evening of shamelessly festive insanity. Classical Nativity intertwines with contemporary insensitivity all performed with dazzling ingenuity
Wednesday 26th November 2025. The Remi Harris Hot Club Trio. One of the UK’s most exciting guitarists, Remi Harris, brings his trio to Beverley to present an enthralling evening of Gypsy Jazz and Blues
Friday 23rd January 2026. Blindfold. A ghost story about two boyhood friends who went to fight for their country, but only one came back.
Thursday 5th February 2026. The Blackheart Orchestra are two multi-award winning, multi-instrumentalists playing up to 13 instruments in a show that combines rock and folk with electronica and classical music.
Saturday 21st February 2026. Dr Feelgood - Doctor's Orders Anniversary Tour. Get ready for a dose of high-energy rhythm and blues!
Saturday 21st March 2026. DC Blues. Hailing from the mighty "Ouse Delta" in York, DC Blues have been performing their own take on "the blues" since 2012 blending original material with selected covers,
Saturday 28th March 2026. The Steelers play Steely Dan. A rare chance to hear the music of the U.S. band Steely Dan played live.
Saturday 11th April 2026. Right Down The Line: The Gerry Rafferty Songbook.
Saturday 6th June 2026. Saturday 6th June 2026. One of the finest female singer/songwriters this country has produced in years. Edwina brings together English folk, Americana and the rich Northern tradition to create a sound that’s truly her own.
Thursday 18th June 2026. The Pitmen Poets. From Billy Elliot to Auf Wiedersehen Pet from When The Boat Comes In to The Like;ly Lads now be enthralled and entertained by The Pitmen Poets.
