About

August 2026 marks the seventh year of Bard in the Yard, when Ilkley Playhouse brings miniature Shakespeare to the Manor House Yard. Last year’s productions were Antony and Cleopatra and As You Like It. This year, audiences can enjoy The Merchant of Venice, directed by Dick Hebbert, alongside Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Andrew Leggott.

Performed in a minimalist style that lets Shakespeare’s words take centre stage, these two shortened productions will be presented in the courtyard of Ilkley Manor House on Sunday 30 August and Bank Holiday Monday 31 August, from 2pm to around 4pm. There will be a 20-minute interval. Timings are approximate.

The Merchant of Venice
Dick Hebbert writes:
For Bard ’26, we travel to Italy with The Merchant of Venice. Officially classed as one of Shakespeare’s comedies, the play is often seen today as raising issues that are far from light-hearted. What it does offer, however, are two of Shakespeare’s great roles, one male and one female, in Shylock and Portia, along with a wealth of memorable speeches and a full range of emotions, from laughter to anger to pity. Often described as a “difficult” play, torn between the issues it raises and the story it tells, the great John Barton called it “flawed, contradictory, human.” Come and decide for yourself.

Much Ado About Nothing
Andrew Leggott writes:
More straightforwardly comic, Much Ado About Nothing is best remembered for the lively and constant sparring between Benedick and Beatrice, Shakespeare’s great “will they, won’t they?” pair of reluctant lovers. In contrast, Claudio and Hero fall quickly in love, though their relationship is almost destroyed on their wedding day through the scheming of the villainous Don John, who acts simply for his own amusement. Add a bumbling Night Watch, led by the incompetent yet unforgettable Constable Dogberry, and you have all the ingredients for superb entertainment. How do we manage it in around 40 minutes?”