Info

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• Sat 29 Aug
• 100 minutes
• Cast:

Synopsis

An Ilkley Playhouse Fringe Production

August 2026 will mark the seventh year of Bard in the Yard, when the Playhouse presents miniature Shakespeare productions in the Wildman Studio and the Manor House Yard. Last year it was Antony and Cleopatra and As You Like It. This year it will be The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE directed by Dick Hebbert

For Bard '26 we travel to Italy to bring you The Merchant of Venice. 

Officially classed as one of Shakespeare's comedies, the modern view is that the play deals with issues that give little to laugh about. What it does bring is two of the great Shakespearean roles in Shylock and Portia.

Thought of as a difficult play, torn between the issues it raises and the story it tells, the great John Barton described it as "flawed, contradictory, human."  Come and decide for yourself.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING directed by Andrew Leggott

More appropriately described as a comedy, this play is chiefly remembered for the engaging and constant bickering between Benedick and Beatrice, the central “will they - won’t they?” reluctant lovers. In contrast, Claudio and Hero fall in love readily but their relationship almost ends in tragedy on their wedding day, due to the machinations of the evil Don John, purely for his own amusement.

Throw in a bumbling Night Watch, led by the incompetent but unforgettable Constable Dogberry, and you have all the ingredients for superb entertainment.

Saturday 29th August 2026 7.30pm

Wildman Studio, Ilkley Playhouse

Sunday 30th and Monday 31st August (Bank Holiday) 2.00pm    

Ilkley Manor House Yard (with the option of playing indoors at the Playhouse in the case of inclement weather)

Tickets for Ilkley Manor House performances are available from their website or in person at weekends when the Manor House is open.

Tickets £8.00 (Students £5.00)