Leeds theatre companies Red Ladder and Wrongsemble team up for exciting new partnership

We are joining forces with our fantastic friends and fantabulous family theatre creators, Wrongsemble, to take a double bill of Christmas shows on tour across the UK later this year.

We will tour our brand new play, A Proper Merry Christmess, alongside Wrongsemble’s family show A Town Called Christmas, to audiences in November and December.

With the same cast appearing in both productions, it is an innovative way of pooling resources and showing that regional theatre still has an important role to play in our cultural life, bringing entertaining stories to local communities up and down the country.

Red Ladder has previously worked on co-productions with the likes of Leeds Playhouse, Liverpool’s Royal Court and Park Theatre in London, but this is the first time we have used the same cast in two different shows that are touring together.

Our artistic director, Cheryl Martin, said: “I’m delighted that Red Ladder and Wrongsemble are teaming up and showing that regional touring theatre is very much alive and kicking.

“Both theatre companies are passionate about supporting local actors and writers and bringing entertaining stories and quality shows to local audiences, which is why this partnership is a no-brainer.

“It not only shows what can be achieved when arts organisations pool their resources, it’s also an opportunity to showcase the wealth of creative talent we have here in the North.

“This is the first full production that I’ve commissioned since becoming Red Ladder’s artistic director last year which, for me, makes it even more exciting.”

Elvi Piper, Wrongsemble’s artistic director, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Red Ladder – two bold Leeds organisations teaming up to share not one, but two magical festive shows on tour in this innovative model.

“It’s an exciting moment – both productions proudly champion northern artists and voices, and together we’re proving that touring isn’t in crisis, it’s evolving. We’re finding imaginative, joyful new ways to connect with audiences right across the region – and we can’t wait!”

Red Ladder’s brand new A Proper Merry Christmess evolved from workshops with local communities involving one of the theatre company’s local venues BITMO (Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation) and St George’s Crypt, an award-winning charity that supports homeless people in Leeds.

Written by Leeds-based Leon Fleming and Seeta Wrightson and directed by Cheryl Martin, the play is a chaotic Christmas comedy for adults set in a fictional garden centre in West Yorkshire. It’s Christmas Eve and faulty fairy lights have forced its rivals to close, meaning the local news crew and Deputy Lord Mayor are finally visiting Sutton Lane’s grotto, and the three very different people working in it.

As the manager frantically prepares for her close-up, can the grotto cast (Santa, the Elf and the Tree) salvage this “naughty but nice” Christmas for the cameras, as well as keep their own complications away from the spotlight?

Joining the tour is A Town Called Christmas, written and directed by Elvi Piper with original music by Bay Bryan and Claire O’Connor. This family-friendly show aimed at young children tells the story of Clementine who dreams of a gingerbread village where chocolate coins are currency, and laughter hangs like baubles in the air. The happiest place on Earth. Or at least it used to be.

Undeterred, Clementine, along with a cantankerous caretaker and a malfunctioning robot, sets about generating enough festive spirit to save the day and the town called Christmas.

A Proper Merry Christmess is the debut play by writer and stand-up comedian Seeta Wrightson, who was commissioned by Red Ladder after being talent-spotted during one of its free writing workshops in 2024.

Seeta said: “Writing for the stage has been a real step change from writing and performing stand-up, and it’s been a great experience. Working with Leon has been a great way to really get stuck into theatre writing as well. I can’t wait to see our story being brought to life.”

Leon Fleming, co-writer of A Proper Merry Christmess, said: “I’ve wanted to work with Red Ladder for a long time, and it’s great that I get to do that on a show that I know people are going to love. It’s full of mayhem and laughter, and everything I think we all need to counteract the sentimentality of the usual Christmas fare.”

Full tour details will be announced later this summer.

“It’s harder for theatre writers and directors today. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are still opportunities, we just have to be a bit more creative” – Cheryl Martin

I was among the arts sector panellists at a public event organised by the Cultural Institute at the University of Leeds recently. It was chaired by the broadcaster (and former Red Ladder alumni) Nick Ahad, and the question posed was ‘What’s next for Yorkshire’s Arts and Culture sector after devolution?’

It’s a big question and there isn’t an easy answer, but what came across loud and clear was that arts funding, whether it’s from the Arts Council, local authorities, or a new body entirely, is really important if we want a thriving and sustainable sector in the future.

I’ve been working in the theatre for the past 35 years and it’s both a privilege and a joy. But there’s probably never been a more challenging time to work in theatre during that period than right now.

In theatre, access to funding is key and when that is cut it has a real-life impact on writers, directors, actors and all the stage technicians and designers who bring shows to life. BBC research published recently found that the number of plays and musicals staged by the UK’s main subsidised theatres last year was down by almost a third compared with a decade earlier, with funding cuts and rising costs taking much of the blame. Does this surprise me? No, not really. Is it concerning? You bet it is.

If the amount of work being made is reducing it means fewer opportunities for artists starting out. I still talk to young artists I’ve mentored over the years and one of them asked me recently ‘how do I sustain a career in Manchester?’ and it flummoxed me because the avenues open to me when I was their age no longer exist. When I started out as a writer in residence at a theatre company in Lancashire in the early 90s, I was able to access bursaries. But these aren’t around anymore.

I was lucky that I always had work, either through residencies or commissions, including radio dramas for the BBC. This meant I was able to hone my craft and get paid at the same time. I didn’t get tons of money but it was enough so I could afford to live in Manchester and sustain a career in the north. And that’s incredibly hard to do now.

We always think the generations coming after us will have it easier than us, but this is no longer the case. It’s harder for theatre writers and directors today. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are still opportunities, we just have to be a bit more creative.

The squeeze on arts funding means people are looking for partnerships, with more co-productions even among the big theatres. This is something we have embraced at Red Ladder over the years. Scratch nights are a great way for artists to test out and explore new work in front of an audience which is why we’re collaborating with Leeds Conservatoire to run one in July featuring work from budding writers and directors. We’re a small theatre company but by collaborating with others our combined resources go further. A little can go a long way.

I’m passionate about nurturing new talent which is why I’m running a short series of workshops again this summer for new writers, actors and directors. These were a big success last year, so much so that one of the participants, Seeta Wrightson, is one of the co-writers of our next show, A Proper Merry Christmess, which will be touring from November. My dream is to create a pool of artists – writers like Seeta – that we can commission or collaborate with for years to come.

I also believe that forging close community links is a crucial part of all this. That’s something we do with our Red Ladder Local programme which plays to unconventional spaces in working class communities, whether it’s somewhere like Belle Isle in Leeds, or Horbury near Wakefield. It’s a way of bringing theatre to people, especially youngsters, who might not normally get the chance to see a show. And if just one young person in the audience thinks ‘wow, I can do that’ then it’s worth it.

For me, this sort of work is crucial because if schools aren’t going to the theatre as much as they used to, and drama and the arts have dropped down the list of priorities in schools, then where else will they get an opportunity to see a play or a musical?

Working in communities is great because it allows you to take more chances. As a director I can usually do riskier work because audiences don’t have the same preconceived idea of what theatre should or shouldn’t be. This is how you sharpen your craft and discover what works and what doesn’t. I crave that freedom.

One of the challenges with theatre today is because there’s so much financial pressure on theatre companies and venues there’s a tendency to put on recognised, crowd-pleasing shows that are guaranteed to put bums on seats. But if you keep doing that then how does the next generation of writers get their chance? Where will the next Lucy Prebble or Alan Ayckbourn come from?

I worry about future artists feeling discouraged from pursuing a career in the arts, either because they don’t have a bank of mum and dad or they feel there’s a lack of opportunities. That would be a real travesty.

Despite all this, I am optimistic. When I go to a Red Ladder Local venue and see how enthusiastic the audiences are about the shows it reminds me of why I love what I do, and it makes me want to do more.

I’ve been lucky enough to do a job that I love. But you have to be incredibly resilient to work in the arts these days and I would like it to be a little bit easier to make a living. It shouldn’t be a slog. Is there a way to do that? Yes, I think there is, and we’re already seeing it in the partnerships and collaborations between like-minded people and organisations. We just need to scale it up, because surely all of us deserve the chance to enjoy good art, right?

Main image: Cheryl in Sanctuary rehearsals, alongside musical director Jen Pugh. Credit Rhys of Robling Photography

Red Ladder welcomes eight new board members

Red Ladder Theatre Company is delighted to welcome Dawn Cameron, Coralie Datta, Deborah Kelly, Paul Graham-Bell, Tyler Pickles, Martin Plock, Richard D Rhodes, and Paul Robinson to its Board of Trustees.

The eight new trustees bring with them a wealth of expertise across multiple fields including project management, heritage, education, housing and the arts.

Dawn Cameron runs her own evaluation business which works in the arts, creative and heritage sectors. Prior to this, she spent many years coordinating a national leadership programme in the creative industries.

Coralie Datta works at Space2, an award-winning arts and social change charity based in east Leeds, and has experience of working with and in the community sector.

Deborah Kelly is chief executive of Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation. She is an experienced non-executive director currently on the boards of two supported housing providers.

Paul Graham-Bell is programme and production manager for the backstage training courses offered at Leeds City College and University Centre Leeds. He has worked predominantly in education but started his career in the theatre sector.

Tyler Pickles is an actor and writer and the founder and creative director of Leeds-based Rebel Roots Theatre Company, which aims to amplify working-class voices and support local talent and community spaces.

Martin Plock spent 17 years in retail finance before switching careers, spending the last eight years working for an arm’s length government body with a focus on public sector construction and infrastructure procurement.

Richard D Rhodes is a playwright and screenwriter and a member of New Writing North’s Bradford Script Hub. A former head teacher and school governor, Richard is also co-chair of Rainbow Home (NE England), a charity dedicated to supporting LGBT+ asylum seekers.

Paul Robinson is artistic director and joint chief executive at The Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) in Scarborough. He worked at The National Theatre during the tenures of Trevor Nunn and Nick Hytner, before becoming artistic director at Theatre503. He is a hugely experienced theatre director and has developed new plays for some of the world’s leading theatre companies.

Speaking about the new appointments, Fiona Gell, co-chair of the Board of Trustees of Red Ladder Theatre Company, said: “We started the Board recruitment process last year. We put a lot of thought and effort into the recruitment pack to make it as welcoming as possible. We wanted anyone, no matter what their lived experience was, to feel that they could apply and that we would give each applicant equal consideration which we did.

“We were so lucky with the candidates who came forward – they bring great talent, so much experience and a real passion for the work that Red Ladder does. It’s a very exciting time for the company.”

Fellow co-chair, Dick Bonham, added: “As we look towards the future, it’s great to know that there’s been an injection of new energy that will help us in our quest to reach new audiences with entertaining and thought-provoking theatre.

“Their experiences and expertise will bring invaluable new resources that will help the company thrive, even in these tricky times.”

Find out more about our fantastic board of trustees, as well as the core Red Ladder team, here

“That sounds heavy but it’s not” – Chris Thorpe on his new show, Talking About The Fire, about a new nuclear weapons treaty

Meet the ‘A Proper Merry Christmess’ writers: Seeta Wrightson

Seeta is a writer, stand-up comedian and voice actor originally from Bradford, now living in Leeds. She reached the semi-finals of BBC New Comedy Awards in 2021, and she has been selected for the BBC Comedy sponsored 2025 Female Pilot Club initiative for her sitcom script BD5 Girls. Her debut play, A Proper Merry Christmess – a Red Ladder Theatre production co-written with playwright Leon Fleming – opens in November.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you became a stand-up?

I did an English Lit degree and my plan was always to write after I finished uni. I had a highly romanticised idea of what this would be like and instead ended up doing marketing, which was the only place where I could do some writing and get paid. I worked in marketing for about 10 years and then in 2019 work was really busy and I thought ‘there needs to be more to life than just work’. I wanted to do something just for me and I thought about doing stand-up comedy. I had a friend who had done a stand-up course and thought maybe I should have a go too. The idea was to push myself out of my comfort zone and scare myself. So I did a stand-up comedy course in Leeds and started doing stand-up at the beginning of 2020. I did three gigs and then the whole world shut down. I did an online gig which was awful, it was a bit like me doing a monologue to my own face. All I could see was me and loads of disinterested people in their own living rooms with their microphones off, so you couldn’t even hear anyone laughing. But I did some more gigs and then I got through to the semi-finals of the BBC new comedy awards which were televised on BBC 1 and BBC Three. It was literally my 50^th gig and I was on the BBC. I never had a plan or a goal. I wanted to do a bit of stand-up and everything that’s happened since has been unexpected and wonderful.

How did you end up also being a playwright and screenwriter?

My motto is ‘give it a go and see what happens’ and I saw Red Ladder had posted about this writing course that Cheryl Martin [Red Ladder’s artistic director] was running. I’d never written a play before but I just went along to see what was involved and to understand it a bit. I was really nervous about sharing my work because I was very aware that I was the least experienced person in the room. I read out a monologue I’d written and it was really well received which surprised me. Afterwards Cheryl asked to meet up for a coffee and a week or so later we met up at Leeds Playhouse and she said ‘I’d like to commission you to be one of the writers for our next play.’ I couldn’t believe it. I said ‘you know I’ve never written a play before?’ and she said ‘I know, but you’re a really good writer and that’s the most important thing.’ This gave me a massive confidence boost and I then sent off my sitcom idea for BD5 Girls to the Female Pilot Club, made up of female writers who work in TV. But I would never have done that if it hadn’t been for Red Ladder.

Did you know about Red Ladder before you did the writing workshop?

I’d seen a couple of social media posts that friends had shared and they seemed like an interesting theatre company. I also helped facilitate stand-up comedy workshops for women at Theatre In The Mill in Bradford and through this I began hearing more about Red Ladder. I feel it’s opened a door into this whole theatre landscape that I was probably aware of but hadn’t been really engaged with before.

Do you come from a family that was really into arts and culture?

I’m from a working class family in Bradford and we didn’t have money for anything cultural. But we’re quite a dramatic family and me and my sisters would write our own little plays – the kind of things you force your parents to sit through! We were always acting out things or making up games. But I was probably the only one that really loved reading books when I was growing up. I think books helped focus me a bit and channel my energy, and writing came off the back of that.

What’s the biggest difference between writing for stand-up and writing a play?

A lot of my stand-up is influenced by my life, whereas the play is different. I have my marketing head on when I’m writing it and I’m thinking ‘how do I make this appeal to people in a way that feels really authentic and relatable?’ With my stand-up I talk about my background, being of mixed heritage and growing up in Bradford with no money, so I have to bring audiences on a journey with me and I’ve figured out how to do that. But with the theatre I’m thinking ‘who is this going to resonate with?’ and ‘what is the purpose of this story and how will it affect the audience?’

What’s it been like co-writing a play, and do you enjoy the collaboration process?

One of the things I always try to do, and this goes back to my marketing days when I led teams and worked with a lot of different stakeholders, is to figure out the best way of working with someone. And that’s what I’ve done here. I think me and Leon really complement each other.

What are you most looking forward to about working on A Proper Merry Christmess?

Lots of things, but I’m looking forward to the casting. I think the characters are really clear so I’m looking forward to the actors bringing them to life. I also get nervous thinking about the first night and being sat there with the audience, but I’m just really excited about seeing my words being brought to life.

A Proper Merry Christmess opens in November

Main image credit: Andy Hollingworth

Meet the ‘A Proper Merry Christmess’ writers: Leon Fleming

Leon Fleming was born in Castleford. He is a playwright, a producer and dramaturg. He is co-artistic director of 5Pound5 Theatre and is currently under commission to Leeds Playhouse. Leon’s writing credits include: The Chechnya Plays (5Pound5 Theatre, Theatre Deli Camberwell/Kings Head Islington with Ian McKellen); The Boy Next Door (Jersey Arts Trust, BBC Jersey,) and Monkeys in Toy Town (New Mercury Theatre, Crescent Theatre Birmingham). Leon is a trustee of Bradford LGBTQ+ Strategic Partnership. He has co-written A Proper Merry Christmess, a Red Ladder Theatre production, which opens in November this year.

What made you want to be a writer?

We weren’t a theatre family and my dad was a coal miner. But I’d written since I was a kid. I used to adapt little story books into plays for puppets. As a child I had this obsession with theatres even though I didn’t really go to them. My mum took me to see amateur pantomimes when I was a kid and on holiday I’d seen some of the end-of-the-pier stuff, but I didn’t see any professional, narrative-led theatre until I was 15. I went to Hull University to study chemistry but I left in my third year. I decided I wanted to be an actor and auditioned for drama schools but that didn’t work out. I started writing as a way to keep myself in the business (even though I wasn’t in the business!) I was 23 when I wrote my first completed play, a kind of gay Cinderella story back in 2001. It’s awful but I sent it off to three different places. In those days you couldn’t just email your scripts to people so I printed off some copies and posted them out. I sent it to the Bush Theatre in London because they had a reputation for doing a lot of new plays. They replied within six weeks saying they weren’t going to do it, but that they liked the humour and the characters which gave me a bit of a boost. The second place replied six months later and they clearly hated it and weren’t shy about telling me they hated it. And I’m still waiting to hear back from the third place 24 years later! But that one positive response spurred me on.

Was there a breakthrough moment in your writing career?

I kept writing plays and in 2006 I was living in Birmingham which is when I had my first play produced called Monkeys in Toytown, about gangsters and survival. It was quite gritty. That went on at the Crescent Theatre Studio. It was just a small production but it got my first review (a three-star review in the Birmingham Mail) and that felt like a big moment. I then moved with my partner at the time to Jersey for ten years which meant I was out of touch with what was happening in the UK, but it also meant I could spend time honing my craft. I won some writing competitions and formed a platform for new writing with another playwright.

What’s your earliest memory of going to the theatre and was there a memorable production that has stayed with you?

My mum used to take us to the amateur pantomime every year at the Civic Centre in Castleford which I loved. But it was when I was doing my GCSEs and we were studying Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and our English teacher said she and the drama teacher were going to see a production of the play at Leeds Playhouse. They asked if anyone wanted to go with them and a group of us said ‘yes.’ It was in the Quarry Theatre and Nichola McAuliffe was playing Katherina and it was just amazing. This production had a 1920s feel to it and I remember there was a jacuzzi on stage that the actors sat in and I thought ‘wow’. Around the same time we went to see another play. It was a family drama and it wasn’t great, but at the end of the play the main character turned round to his family and said ‘this family is all f***** up’ and I gasped. You heard swearing in films and on TV sometimes, but we didn’t know you could swear in a theatre. So I think seeing both these productions opened my eyes to what theatre could be.

What attracted you to writing for theatre, rather than for TV, film or radio?

I love telly and grew up watching it, but I loved this idea of theatre. It’s like there’s two worlds. There’s the place where the audience is with the velvet drapes and plush seats, and this is a completely different world to the other side of the stage with all the pulleys and ropes and people running about. That kind of dichotomy is magical to me, where these two worlds exist side by side. There’s nothing else really like it.

Why did you want to work with Red Ladder?

I hadn’t really come across Red Ladder until I moved to Leeds in 2015, but it immediately seemed like my kind of thing. It was a radical theatre company that had been around for ages, producing work that wasn’t just nice, polite theatre, and that drew me to it. Then I met Rod Dixon [the former artistic director] and we got on well. I helped out doing bits of marketing work and got to know more about the company and it went from there.

How did you end up co-writing A Proper Merry Christmess with Seeta Wrightson?

I met Cheryl Martin after she started at Red Ladder and she mentioned she was looking to do a Christmas show. She had read some of my work and said she would be interested in me working on this show in collaboration with someone else. She ran a course for writers, actors and directors last summer and afterwards Cheryl said, ‘I’ve found the person you’re going to write this show with. She’s called Seeta Wrightson. She’s really good and I think you’ll get on.’ And she was right!

Plays are usually written by one person, so what’s it like collaborating on a production?

I’ve never worked in partnership before. I work collaboratively with directors, but when I’m writing something it’s only been me. So this has been a very different experience. Neither of us knew how it would work exactly or even if it would work, but we met up beforehand and we got on well and found our outlook on life and our humour is quite similar. We knew the process would be a bit slower but writing it was fun and we’ve spent a lot of time laughing.

What are you looking forward to most about working on the production?

For me it’s that point when you’re sitting with the audience and you feel them enjoying it – hopefully. Often when I’m watching one of my plays I sit at the back and watch the audience to see how they interact with it. Seeing an audience being held by a show that’s what you look for and hope for as a writer.

A Proper Merry Christmas opens in November. 

Playwright Chris O’Connor on his new show, Through It All Together, the magic of football, the power of love, and becoming a dad

Can you talk about the idea behind Through It All Together?

Through It All Together came about when two separate ideas I’d been sitting on began to merge. I’d wanted to write about dementia for a while, but hadn’t yet found the right way in. Then, in 2022, when Leeds United sacked Marcelo Bielsa, I was devastated. I knew I wanted to mark that period in some way as it was such a defining moment for me and so many other fans. Over time, the two ideas started to intertwine, and I saw a way to explore how football can genuinely impact people’s lives, especially those going through challenging periods.

What inspired you to write this story?

There are a lot of stories about dementia that focus only on the decline, the hardship. And while those aspects are real, I wanted to show a more nuanced picture. I’ve seen first-hand, both through a close family member and through work on an arts project in a dementia care home, that it’s possible to live well with dementia.

However I haven’t sugar-coated it either. The play shows the real challenges families face. To get this balance right I worked closely with the brilliant Nicky Taylor, Theatre and Dementia Research Associate at Leeds Playhouse, to ensure we consulted people living with dementia at every stage of the process. This was incredibly important and I was genuinely inspired by many of our conversations and I took away from our meetings the incredible power of love to overcome.

And as for the Leeds United element, that era under Bielsa was magic. I knew I’d look back on it for the rest of my life and in many ways this play is a love letter; to Bielsa, to that team, and to what they meant to so many of us.

Why did you choose Leeds United & Marcelo Bielsa, in particular, as the backdrop to the story?

Leeds United is in my blood. I was born in the city, and some of my earliest memories are wrapped up in Leeds Untied – watching Tony Yeboah’s wonder goal against Liverpool in a pub in Roscommon, seeing us beat Arsenal at Highbury and watching us in the Champions League. I thought that this is how it would always be – that we would always be a club at the top of the Premier League. And then came sixteen long years of pain, chaos, and disappointment, punctuated by the odd beautiful moment (thanks, Jermaine Beckford).

Then Bielsa arrived, and something changed. Supporting Leeds became joyful again. It was beautiful. And that whole journey under Bielsa, the hope, the heartbreak, the twists map perfectly onto a classic story arc. There were triumphs, turning points, false victories, false defeats and ultimately a sad ending. It felt like the perfect backdrop to tell a deeply human story – one that could echo, contrast with, and be lifted by the drama of that era.

Football, and the people who love it, have always fascinated me. I’ve written about it in all of my Red Ladder plays; The Life and Soul, The Parting Glass and Connected. The tribalism, the emotional release, the strange rituals of it all. Leeds United captures those extremes like few other clubs, making it a rich setting for a story about memory, identity, and connection.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?

It’s changed a lot since I became a dad! I used to be up at 6:30 every weekday, writing for an hour or two before turning my phone on or checking my email. But like all phases of life, it passed, though I know I will have time again in the future to get back into good habits.

But right now, I just accept that I’ve got to be more flexible about it, grabbing time when and where I can. I’m often up before 6:30 these days but am more likely to be changing a nappy than writing! So I now binge write when I can, often when Louis is asleep or with family etc. It’s definitely harder to stay focused when he’s around… the temptation to cuddle him can be too strong!

Why should someone who doesn’t like football or Leeds United come to see your show?

Because it’s not really about football. It’s about a family navigating life, loss, and love – something we can all relate to. Football is part of the characters’ lives, but it’s not the story.
The play’s full of light-hearted moments, emotional punches, and hopefully, lots that feels familiar no matter who you are or what team you support. It’s a human story first and foremost. Football is just one of the threads that ties it together.

Why do you think sport can help raise awareness & understanding of dementia?

Sport is a huge part of many people’s lives and it taps into something tribal, communal and deeply human. For a lot of people, their fellow fans are like extended family. You might see someone at Elland Road 23 times a season (hopefully 19 next season) which is more than you might see your own relatives.

Because of that, sports clubs have become real cornerstones in their communities. They have the power to reach people who might never engage with traditional services or messaging around dementia. So when a club takes a stand or tells a story, people listen. That platform can be powerful and it can open up conversations that might not happen otherwise.

What do you hope people take away from watching the play?

That dementia doesn’t mean life is over. For some, it can even open new doors. I hope people leave the theatre feeling a little more connected to their own families, to the people around them and a bit more educated on dementia.

And maybe, just maybe, if they support another team… they’ll see the light and convert to Leeds United!

But mostly, I hope they’ve been moved by a story that’s full of humour, heart, and hope.

Through It All Together is on at Leeds Playhouse from 23rd June to 19th July

Tayọ Aluko, the playwright bringing African stories to life, and Leeds this April

Tayọ Aluko is a Nigerian-born writer, singer, actor, and producer based in Liverpool. Coleridge-Taylor of Freetown – A concert in a play, written and performed by Tayọ, tells the story of George Coleridge-Taylor, a retired Sierra Leonean diplomat, caught up in the civil war in Sierra Leone in 1999. George finds solace in the music of his famous uncle, the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, against a backdrop of violence and trauma. Here, Tayọ tells us about the play, which he will perform at Hawksworth Village Hall, Leeds, on April 3, and his own remarkable story…

Where did the idea for Coleridge-Taylor of Freetown – A concert in a play, come from? Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a black-British composer who died in 1912 at the age of 37. His father had returned to Freetown (Sierra Leone) in 1875 unaware that his white girlfriend in London was pregnant. So father and son never met. Samuel grew up to become one of England’s most accomplished classical composers. I’ve always been fascinated by him, being a black man myself, but felt I couldn’t tell his story in his character because he was of dual heritage and died when he was half the age I am now. So I looked for a character that I could tell his story through and I happened on his father’s grandson, George, in Freetown. George studied philosophy both in Freetown and at Durham University and ended up becoming a diplomat for the Sierra Leone government.

Your play touches on some dark themes, including gender violence. What can you tell us about it? It’s set during the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. George imagines himself touring the world singing his uncle’s songs, while in reality he is holed up inside his room in the staff quarters of the college where he works. He tries to remove himself from the trauma of what is happening around him by transforming himself in his mind into a concert performer far away. He welcomes the audience to this concert, drops in a little bit of history and then sings the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor songs.

Why did you want to tell this particular story? I’m fascinated by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s life and I love his music and with my plays I try to examine and share world history from an African point of view. 

What are the underlying themes that you explore in work? I explore world history but particularly the history of people resisting the domination of Europeans, but also as with this last play the domination, corruption and brutality of African governments.

Can you tell us a little bit about your own story? I was conscripted into my school choir by my mother when I was in primary school in Lagos at the age of six and I haven’t stopped singing since. I’ve always sung and been acting on stage. I moved to the UK in 1978 at the age of 16. I went to a boarding school down south and then to university before moving to Liverpool in 1989. For 15 years I worked mostly as a self-employed architect and developer in Liverpool, but eventually I gave this up to do something I loved. Whilst working as an architect I happened on the story of Paul Robeson and I ended up writing and performing a play about him. I enjoyed it and I realised there’s something special about telling stories in the unique way I tell them, talking about history and using my singing voice.

What makes Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s music special? It’s so beautiful and melodic. There’s something very sweet and highly accomplished about his music. His most famous piece came just after he finished studying at the Royal College of Music, and the fact that he came out with all this music and died at the tender age of 37, I just think is quite remarkable. After his death in 1912, his music remained popular and right up to the outbreak of the Second World War there was an annual pilgrimage to the Royal Albert Hall for Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s epic composition, Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha. People went dressed in Native American costume to watch this pageant which included a big choir, a big orchestra and a set made up of Native American scenes, and people singing this huge cantata. But after the war his music died away and it’s only in the last 15 years or so that his music has become popular again.

What do you hope audiences take away from watching your play? I hope people learn some of the history that I share in the play about trans-Atlantic slavery and its abolition and enjoy, even in all this context, some absolutely beautiful music and singing.

Why is it important that stories like this are told? We have politicians on both sides of the Atlantic, and even in Africa, where you think ‘we should be able to do better than this.’ The reasons these people get into power is the ability for the elite to tell us stories about our history that are false. If we can find ways of telling our stories in a palatable way through drama, that is one of the weapons that we, as artists and consumers of the arts, have to counter this deception. Storytelling is basically a defence. Paul Robeson, my hero, said: ‘I use my art as my weapon in defence of my people and all oppressed people of the world.’ And I feel he’s passed this baton on to me.

Main image credit: Kristy Garland

You can see Tayọ in Coleridge-Taylor of Freetown – A Concert in a Play at Hawksworth Village Hall on Thursday 3rd April at 5pm. Book here! 

“I don’t know when that light switch moment would have come for me without Leeds Lads happening” – Q&A with actor Riana Duce

Actor Riana Duce was born in Leeds. She appeared in Leeds Lads (2016), a Red Ladder production written by Anthony Clavane and Nick Stimson. Riana is best known for appearing in films such as The Good Book (2020), Napoleon (2023) and Gladiator II (2024).

When did you first work with Red Ladder and how did it come about? I had graduated a little while before then and was trying to figure out how to move to London because I thought that was what you had to do. A lot of my peers went down there but I did not have the means to do that. Then a family friend, who had been in one of Red Ladder’s community productions, said I should get in touch with them because they’re great. I had seen some of their productions at that point and it turned out they were about to start casting for Leeds Lads and I was cast in the ensemble. It was a real game-changer for me. There was about 35 in the cast. There was every kind of actor in terms of experience, from jobbing actors who had been doing it for ages to those who had never stepped on stage before, and people like me, who were somewhere in the middle. And there we all were on stage together having the best time. We were at the Carriageworks [in Leeds] and we were all treated like professionals and it kickstarted my career.

The cast of Leeds Lads credit Malcolm Johnson

You say you had seen several Red Ladder productions previously, were there any favourites? I was working at Leeds Grand and City Varieties box office for a short time and while I was there Red Ladder came with We’re Not Going Back and that’s the one that has stayed with me the most. It’s still one of my favourite pieces of theatre.

When did you decide you wanted to become an actor? There was no reason why I wanted to become an actor. No one in my family has ever done anything in this business, even remotely on the fringes. But when I was in primary school, about eight or nine, my mum sent me off to a summer youth theatre thing at Leeds Grand to bring me out of my shell a little bit because I grew up an only child. And that was a bit of a turning point. I just loved being in a theatre and seeing its inner workings despite having barely seen a production up to that point. It sounds a bit corny but I also loved being part of a group of people making something together.

What are your standout memories from Leeds Lads? I have really strong memories of the music to the point that I still sing some of those songs now on a regular basis. I remember the final song on the last night and this 35-strong cast all standing shoulder to shoulder and belting this song out, and the absolute emotion of that. And having had a couple of years of floundering after uni – I loved performing at uni but just hadn’t really done it since then – just the absolute euphoria of being able to do it again with a group of people I’d come to adore, and to do it in my home city with family and friends in the audience, that was just such a standout memory for me.

Riana third from right in Leeds Lads credit Malcolm Johnson

Why is Red Ladder important? The fact that it’s a Yorkshire theatre company telling local stories. They completely altered my view of what working as an actor was going to be. We’re very lucky in Leeds and the surrounding towns and cities that we do have a lot of theatre going on, but it’s still quite rare that you have a company that is so dedicated to working with local people and within the local community, whether that’s local creatives or the venues, I just think that commitment is absolutely vital. I don’t know when that light switch moment would have come for me without Leeds Lads happening.

How crucial are theatre organisations in giving opportunities to new talent in the North? It’s so hard to get a foot in the door without companies like Red Ladder taking a risk on new writing. Even more so now, with budgets tighter and funding less available. It feels like a lot of places, through no fault of their own, feel they have to put on the safe, classic plays. I love those stories and I see them regularly but we’ll never get the classics without someone taking a ‘risk’ on a new writer and putting their work on in community venues. I now know so many writers, actors and directors that have gone on to have great careers who started with Red Ladder and it’s quite scary to think where they might be without companies like this.

What does Red Ladder mean to you now? A couple of my very best friends are people I directly or indirectly met through being in Leeds Lads, so I think of the people first and foremost. They are people I work with time and again and hopefully will forever, and they are a big reason why I’m still here in West Yorkshire rather than having gone elsewhere.

How would you describe Red Ladder to a friend? They are a radical, political, local theatre company telling stories that you’ll see yourself in and in a million different ways.

Main image credit: Emily Goldie

“If you took Red Ladder out of my journey then god knows what it would look like” – Q&A with actor & writer William Fox

William Fox is an actor and writer whose numerous TV credits include EastEnders, Waterloo Road, Boat Story and the CBBC series Jamie Johnson. He has appeared in several Red Ladder productions, including Promised Land (2012), The Thing About Psychopaths (2013), Rabbitskin (2015), and Connected (2020).  

When did you first work with Red Ladder? It was a community production called Promised Land, a play about Leeds United written by Anthony Clavane. I auditioned and got one of the main parts, so I was over the moon. Getting that initial job was a big deal for me because I’d only done little bits of work professionally up to that point.

Did you know about Red Ladder before you worked with them? I came into acting later on, when I was in my mid-20s, but I’d always fancied having a go, and they were on my radar a couple of years before I actually worked with them. I saw them as a company really worth getting involved with.

William Fox in Promised Land credit Tim Smith

What are your favourite memories of working with Red Ladder? Working on Promised Land was a wonderful experience. The next project was The Thing About Psychopaths, written by Ben Tagoe who I didn’t know at the time. They had an audition day, but unfortunately I was booked to work on Coronation Street so I couldn’t take part in the audition. I’d gone over to Manchester and on this particular day Bill Tarmey, who played Jack Duckworth, sadly passed away so the day’s filming was cancelled. I called Rod Dixon and asked if I could still come down and he said ‘yes’. So I got the train back to Leeds and ended up getting the part. This was a full-on proper professional production that went on tour and it felt like another step up for me. I’ve done four projects with Red Ladder and I have nothing but great memories of working with them.

What makes Red Ladder and its work special? No one makes theatre to become a millionaire. People do it because they love it and because they want to tell stories, and the good thing about Red Ladder is not only the nature of the work they produce but what they stand for. For someone who’s not come through one of the traditional routes of going to drama school, trying to break into theatre can be very daunting and seem kind of impenetrable. But what Red Ladder does is they push that door open and say ‘theatre’s for everyone’. They also do a lot in the wider community, like making theatre accessible. So they’re important because of the stories they tell, the way they tell them and the way they want to include other people. If you speak to certain sections of society, and certainly a lot of working class people, they often feel theatre’s not for them, and Red Ladder works really hard to try and change that view.

William Fox in The Thing About Psychopaths credit Tim Smith

How crucial are theatre organisations in giving opportunities to new talent in the North? I was one of those people who always felt like there was an itch to scratch but thought I’d missed my opportunity because I was 25 and had a young family, and then Red Ladder gave me a chance. It’s so important that organisations like them exist because they provide these opportunities. They bridge that gap. They used to run a programme called Red Grit where you could do a six or eight-week course and you could learn all these fantastic techniques as an actor. Then there’s great writers like Ben Tagoe, Alice Nutter and Boff Whalley, who’ve come through those kinds of programmes. If you take theatre companies like Red Ladder away then so many people would never get these opportunities.

What impact has Red Ladder had on your career? It’s been huge, from the point of view of being an actor and writer, the opportunities they’ve given me and the people I’ve met. If you took Red Ladder out of my journey then god knows what it would look like, because I’ve gone on to do so many things and work with so many people as a result of that first play. A lot of creatives talk about that imposter syndrome, especially if they’ve not come through drama school. It’s easy to feel a little bit inferior because you didn’t study this particular writer, or that particular theatre-maker, but working with Red Ladder gave me that self-confidence.

What does Red Ladder mean to you now? It means a lot, even though I haven’t worked with them for a little while. I feel very lucky and proud to be a little part of their history.

How would you describe Red Ladder to a friend? A really exciting theatre company that tells important stories.

Main picture credit: Yellowbelly Photo