Welcome to Hebden Bridge Little Theatre

Our next production is "Rebecca"

By Daphne du Maurier

Adapted by Clifford Williams

Directed by Jennifer Crossley

Monday June 16th to Saturday June 21st.

Based on Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel ‘Rebecca,’ which was made famous through Hitchcock’s film starring Laurence Olivier and Claudia Cardinal. Clifford William’s adaptation sticks closely to the basic romantic storyline where a lady’s companion meets a rich widower Maxine de Winter in Monte Carlo. They have a whirlwind romance, marry and he sweeps her off her feet, taking her back to Manderley his large home by the sea in Cornwall.

Here everyone is obsessed with the memory of Rebecca who was drowned at sea and whose unseen presence haunts the play. Mrs Danvers, the housekeeper fanatically loyal to Rebecca, will go to any lengths to make life impossible for the new Mrs De Winter. This battle and the gradual revelations about Rebecca’s real fate keep this intense melodrama moving stirringly onwards. Played against the moody atmosphere of Manderley the play is full of suspense and mystery, as riveting a drama as when it was first performed.

Introduction to the Theatre
Welcome to the website for our canal-side theatre in the heart of Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. We are an amateur company aiming for professional standards, we produce five plays a year and cater for the local community and visitors to the area alike. The 120-seat auditorium gives the theatre a delightfully intimate atmosphere, and the bar and waterside patio make a visit to the Little Theatre a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

We are fully accessible to wheelchair users and have recently had a loop induction system installed for the hard of hearing.

Click on 'Current Season' at the side of the page to see information about our plays for 2008.

Booking and Prices
Telephone:
01422 843907. Reservations only - tickets will be on the door, on the night.
In person:
At 'Innovation' Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge (Tickets available two weeks before play)
Seat Prices:
Mon - Fri £6-00 (£5-00 concessions) (Mon 2 tickets for £6-00)
Sat £7-00 (no concessions)
Season Tickets £24-00 (£20 concessions) contact Di Smith on 01422 843866

How to find us
From the Picture House, on the main Halifax-Todmorden road (A646), travel a short distance in the Todmorden direction to the traffic lights, and turn left onto Holme Street. The theatre is situated at the end of Holme Street, on the left, past the Post Office and Trades Club.

Waterside Bar
The bar is open before and after the performance for the benefit of theatre patrons. During the interval, coffee, tea and drinks from the bar are available, and bar drinks can be pre-ordered. The theatre enjoys a particularly attractive location by the canal, and it is possible to take drinks out onto the patio in good weather.

Our bar has recently been refurbished in an Art Deco influenced style, in keeping with the period in which the Hebden Bridge Little Theatre first came into being.

History
HEBDEN BRIDGE LITTLE THEATRE was formed in 1924 and has been producing plays almost continuously ever since, in places as various as the Co-operative Hall, the Picture House, the Band Rooms on the park, and for a prolonged period (1937 -1977) in the Ground Floor of the Trades Club. This came to an end when we decided to create our own premises by converting a coach garage on the present Holme Street site - a seventy seat, 'little theatre' in the truest sense.

For more than a decade audiences warmed to its intimate atmosphere, but it eventually became so dilapidated we had to embark on a major fund-raising and building project, that culminated in the opening of the present 120 seat theatre in 1993.

The society's logo, devised in the thirties, depicts art rising out of industry. The chimneys may have disappeared, but Hebden Bridge Little Theatre, in its latest, permanent home, is here to stay.

Support us
You can support Hebden Bridge Little Theatre financially, and find out more about what goes on in the theatre, by becoming a member. Membership runs from 1st January to 31st December. Current fees are: Full £15; Concessions £10; Children £1; Single play £5. As a member you will receive copies of our quarterly newsletter, 'Prompt'. Pick up a Membership Application form at the theatre, or write to the Membership Secretary, Di Smith, 7 Towngate, Heptonstall, HX7 7LW, enclosing name, address and telephone number.

Join Us
Because we are a small theatre doing 5 plays a year there are great opportunities to get actively involved. We are always on the look-out for new talent, on-stage and back-stage. Every production needs a director, set builders, stage manager, light and sound operatives, prompter, props and wardrobe, not to mention all the front of house staff.

We have open casting auditions for our plays, generally in the form of a read-through of the play. These are advertised in the local press, at the theatre, and in 'Prompt'. If you would like to get involved let us know, or come along to a read-through.