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”
Friday 22nd August - Thursday 18th September 2025. Theatre Gallery: Susan Beaulah's exhibition “Paintings of my Home Patch” includes paintings fom the open countryside... to the built up Industrial landscape in Hull
Thursday 11th - Saturday 27th September 2025. Answering Machines. Featuring Vincent Regan. An important new work developed through our PlayLab Programme – Answering Machinesdelves into our drowing dependence on Tech and explores what makes us human.
Friday 19th September - Thursday 2nd October 2025. Theatre Gallery: Nigel Walker’s 2-4-1 show will consider two themes of his photographic exploration. "Dissonance" and "Industrial".
Tuesday 7th - Saturday 11th October 2025. Beverley Does Broadway. An East Yorkshire Twist on West End’s Hits! Back by popular demand, Beverley Does Broadway is bigger, bolder, and bursting with heart, humour, and sensational singing.
Monday 13th October - Thursday 13th November 2025. Theatre Gallery: Steve Upton's paintings depict the out of placeless of the unseen artist’s work on the urban fabric.
Tuesday 14th October 2025. Just Macbeth! The perfect show for Shakespeare lovers and sceptics alike! This hilarious and irreverent take on Shakespeare’s classic tragedy will have the audience in stitches!
Friday 17th October 2025. Big Beverley Comedy Night. Paul Sinha and Terry Alderton Join Us For A Big Beverley Comedy Night, plus more acts to follow
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
Tuesday 28th October - Saturday 1st November 2025. Wolf Country. Country-music mega fan Alice and no-nonsense nurse Eddy are best friends who are happy with things staying exactly as they are.
But with a potential werewolf running rampant around Beverley it doesn’t look like anything will stay the same for long.
Friday 7th November 2025. Born In The USA bravely challenges assumptions about populist politics to show how they seduce the marginalised and the disaffected. Trump's re-election has increased bitter political divisions, making the play even more topical and pertinent.
Saturday 8th November 2025 - A taster of what to expect at the Stage4Beverley Festival in February 2026 featuring Danny Bradley & Chris Sewart
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 19th to Saturday 22nd November 2025. ‘Jack the Ripper – The Legacy’ is a new play written by Anthony Musgrave and Nev Slater, the team that wrote the sell-out version of ‘Dracula’ shown at the East Riding Theatre in 2023.
The storyline is a mixture of fact and fiction, giving the victims of Jack the Ripper a voice and telling us their perspective on events. After all, everyone knows Jack the Ripper – but can you name his victims? Do you know who they were or where they were from? Only that odd breed of person – the Rippologist – can tell you all their names, or where Liz Stride came from, or what Catherine Eddowes had tattooed on her arm.
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 5th December 2025 - Friday 2nd January 2026. Theatre Gallery: Peter Ainsworth. His exhibition "Landscape through the Seasons" explores how particular landscape subjects change under different weather conditions across the seasons
Friday 16 January 2026, A Bevvy of funny people! Get ready for a night of laughter at ERT's Stand-Up Comedy Night's next show, featuring award-winning comedians and acts that will bring the house down! More details coming soon - stay tuned!
Friday 23rd January 2026. Blindfold. A ghost story about two boyhood friends who went to fight for their country, but only one came back.
Saturday 24th January 2026. BC Folk Award nominated singer and fingerstyle guitarist Emily Slade returns to Beverley, with support from Holly Taymar.
Thursday January 29th 2026. Keith Jasmes: The Sonngs of Nick Drake Together with Flutes played by Richie Cotterill
Friday 30th - Saturday 31th January 2026. STOCKARD CHANNING'S PRODUCTION OF "KRAPP'S LAST TAPE" STARRING DAVID WESTHEAD AS “KRAPP’.
Bringing her unique directorial vision to this production, Academy Award nominee Stockard Channing (Grease, The West Wing, Six Degrees of Separation) explores the intricate layers of Beckett's masterpiece and Krapp's solitary world. Starring David Westhead (W1A, Strike, Star Wars, Enola Holmes, The Bodyguard), a veteran of The Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, this 50-minute theatrical experience delves into the life of Krapp who, at the age of 69, looks back over his life and tries to make sense of it through listening to tape recordings he made as a younger man, recordings which diarise the daily events of his life.
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.
Sunday 8th February 2026 - Monks Walk - Stage4Beverley Event.
Wednesday 11th February 2026. Alan Johnson is one of the most popular and respected politicians of our time.
A delight for “baby boomers” everywhere, in this show the award-winning and best-selling author tells the story of two of his greatest influences – the Beatles and Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Discover how they intersect in surprising ways and the part they played in Alan’s remarkable life, from orphan to postman to Westminster. Expect great music and great anecdotes from one of our great parliamentarians.
Friday 13th February 2026 - 7.30pm - Sam Kelly is a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning musician, singer, songwriter, and producer from Norfolk, UK. Described by legendary folk broadcaster Mike Harding as ‘one of my favourite singers ever’ and by Cara Dillon as ‘an amazing singer with so much soul’, Sam has become one of the most accomplished and well-respected performers on the UK folk scene.
For the concert he will be joined by long time collaborator Jamie Francis, and Graham Coe and with soaring harmonies and melodies, and instrumental performances of the highest calibre, this performance is not to be missed!
Plus support Maddie Morris
Friday 13th February 2026 - 10.00 pm - A perfect end to a busy day in the relaxed atmosphere of the Theatre's Cafe Bar.
Saturday 14th February 2026 - 11:00am - The Horizon Stage has become one our most popular events featuring young, emerging musicians and singers from around the country. It takes place in the informal setting of the theatre’s Café Bar, giving a relaxed feel to the event.
Saturday 14th February 2026 - 12pm - Toll Gavel Church - Join us as UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage reads live on stage from a range of his poetry, including new work, and answers questions from the audience.
Saturday 14th February 2026 - 2:30pm - Saltburn Smugglers are rekindling a legacy. This modern shanty group, rooted in the local community, transforms tales from the town’s smuggling heyday into vibrant, contemporary sea shanties.
Saturday 14th February 2026 - 7:30pm - Memorial Hall - Contemporary New Orleans inspired Brass Band.
Saturday 14th February 2026 - 7:30pm - Brian Bilston has been described as the Banksy of poetry and Twitter’s (now X) unofficial Poet Laureate; with over 500,000 followers on social media and a host of sell-out shows across the country.
Saturday 14th February 2026 - Monks Walk - Stage4Beverley Event -
Come and relax in the unique and historic setting of the Monks Walk Inn in an informal atmosphere with acoustic music from some of the festival guests
Saturday 14th February 2026 - 10:00pm - A perfect end to a busy day in the relaxed atmosphere of the Theatre's Cafe Bar.
Sunday 15th February 2026 - 11:00am - The Beverley Town Handbell Ringers offer the chance for audience members to have a go as well as listen to a variety of well known tunes demonstrating different ringing styles.
Sunday 15th February 2026 - 12.45pm -
An introductory workshop of Harmony singing with the Beverley Community Choir led by Sue Murray. With a varied repertoire, warm harmonies and infectious enthusiasm for singing, Beverley Community Choir never fail to entertain.
Everyone welcome to come and have a go whether a beginner or an experienced singer. Songs from different cultures explored .
Sunday 15th February 2026 - 2:30pm - Bringing you new acoustic music, bluegrass, old time and swing. With a shared passion for modern bluegrass, The Charlotte Carrivick Band brings together four of the most exciting musicians in the UK today.
Sunday 15th February 2026 - Monks Walk - Stage4Beverley Event. How to Fold a Paper Aeroplane and Other Poems.
Sunday 15th February 2026 - 7:30pm - Scottish singer/songwriter Gary Stewart and his versatile six-piece band have been delighting audiences far and wide with their faithful rendition of Paul Simon's classic album, 'Graceland'. Originally formed in 2015 for a performance at Underneath the Stars Festival, Gary and his band have steadily been performing shows at venues and Festivals across the U.K and beyond (including a sell-out performance at York Barbican in December 2024) for almost a decade.
Thursday 19 February 2026, perfect for a younger age-group. Hay! can stuff a scarecrow, scatter the crows or be a beautiful surprise. Take a trip into the heart of the countryside in a highly accessible show about spreading your wings.
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.
Tuesday 31st March 2026. Janet Street-Porter Is Off The Leash. Often imitated but rarely equalled, broadcasting legend and Loose Woman Janet Street-Porter is the nation's favourite pissed-off pensioner!
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.
Saturday 13th June 2026. Voodoo Room: A Night of Hendrix, Clapton & Cream. This stunning high energy ‘Power Trio’ featuring some of the U.K.’s finest musicians, paying tribute to these legends of rock: Hendrix, Eric Clapton & Cream
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.
Saturday 10th October 2026. The Yorkshire Gypsy Swing Collective. Featuring some of the region’s hottest gypsy jazz and swing players.
Friday 20th November 2026. Nine Below Zero: 45th Anniversary Don't Point Your Finger Tour. 'Live at the Marquee' featured mainly covers of Blues classics from artists such as Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, & Freddie King along with some Nine Below Zero originals.
