Into the Lab for 2019

Over the next few months Riding Lights are taking time to prepare our projects for 2019. We are heading into the ‘creative laboratory’ to plan, play and imagine what the next phase of the company’s work might look like.

We are excited about this chance to develop what we do, but that does mean that we will not be touring as many shows as usual for the first part of 2019.

Watch this space to find out more – or even better sign up to our mailing list and be the first to hear about what’s happening.

On Tour…

But all this creative work doesn’t mean we won’t be performing. Our next national tour will be a revival of Paul Birch’s passion play The Narrow Road. Touring for Lent (25th March – 20th April), the play is a powerful piece of theatre which also includes space for reflection and corporate worship.

Booking is open now. Reserve a date by calling 01904 655317 or emailing Bethan on touring@rltc.org

Resources for Christmas and Easter.

What we do have available right now are resources for Christmas and Easter.

We’ve got Christmas scripts, a film of our play Crosslight, and even the materials to create your own instant Easter Play with The People’s Passion.

Find our more at ridinglights.org/resources/

12/17/2018 By Filed Under: Previous Shows, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Baked Alaska – at Coventry Cathedral

We were thrilled to take Baked Alaska to the Reconciling A Wounded Planet at Coventry Cathedral, a perfect fit as the two day conference was looking at “stories of hope’ in the midst of the growing environmental crisis”.

Even better, The Church Times were there and Pat Ashworth gave the show a fantastic review. Below are a few choice quotes and you can read the full piece on their website.

“a robust and delicious satire on climate change”

“This is pure Riding Lights: funny, colourful, biting”

“You couldn’t feel passive about the issue after watching this”

We’re also really enjoying take the show to Cathedrals, partly because the set looks fantastic in such large spaces. Here’s the audience gathering ready for the show at Coventry.

Coventry Cathedral

Baked Alaska is touring the UK until the 28 November. You can find a performance near you at ridinglights.org/baked-alaska or see what else the press have been saying here.

 

 

10/02/2015 By Filed Under: News, Tour Tagged With: , , , , ,

Christmas Shows for 2015

Every year we tour two magical, highly entertaining Christmas shows to schools, churches and arts venues. Warm hearted, original and full of fun, Riding Lights Christmas shows have been entertaining family audiences and primary schools since 1977.

A Christmas Cracker  Nearly-2015-WEB-poster
TOURING NATIONALLY
21st Nov – 23rd Dec 2015		 TOURING YORKSHIRE
21st Nov – 23rd Dec 2015

Full of the warm-hearted fun and festive story-telling Riding Lights’ Christmas productions give a wonderful glimpse into the heart of the first Christmas.

Our two fantastic Christmas shows touring for 2015 are: A Christmas Cracker – by Paul Birch, telling magical Christmas tales to warm up the winter evenings across the UK. Then for our Yorkshire tour we have Nearly The Goat, Nigel Forde’s wonderfuly festive show staring, well… a goat.

Watch the trailer

To get a taste of our Christmas shows here’s the trailer for A Christmas Cracker:

 

08/15/2015 By Filed Under: News, Tour Tagged With: , , ,

Introducing… Baked Alaska

Green suggestions from our Members Day in YorkRiding Lights Theatre Company is pleased to announce our new show for autumn 2015, BAKED ALASKA.

From the four corners of the earth come inter-connecting stories of human beings living with the wild, unpredictable effects of climate change…

Scientists, farmers, oil magnates, climate warriors, prophets, mothers, journalists and others just like you and me – we’re all in the mix and hungry for a recipe of hope in the struggle about power. Some will sound the warming bell, some blow hot and cold, while others make a pudding of the planet.

Through the richly entertaining world of BAKED ALASKA, the realities of climate change are served up with flair and clarity about the temperatures involved. Riding Lights are creating an inspiring show which is challenging but fun, urgent but hopeful.

Performances in your community

BAKED ALASKA is touring to churches across the UK from September 16th to November 22nd, serving up a recipe for hope ready for the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change taking place in Paris this December.

The show is presented by a solidarity of organisations, including Christian Aid, Operation Noah and the Diocese of Lichfield, committed to raising a christian voice in the call to worldwide action.

If you would be interested in hosting this inspiring piece of theatre in your community then please contact Caitlin, our BAKED ALASKA tour organiser, at Riding Lights Theatre Company on 01904 655317 or email: caitlin@rltc.org

04/30/2015 By Filed Under: News, Tour Tagged With: , , ,

A Christmas Cracker

23 November- 23 December 2015

Touring the nationally for Christmas 2015

A CHRISTMAS CRACKER

Bursting with seasonal stories for all the family

written by Paul Birch

A Christmas CrackerThings are not going well for world famous storyteller Ebeneezer Sneezer.

She’s lost. There is snow in her wellies and her wise and faithful dog, Cracker, has some strange ideas about Christmas.

Caught taking shelter in Mrs McGinty’s barn, she allows them to stay on condition that Ebeneezer warm-up her Christmas with some of her seasonal stories. If they bring her enough glad tidings there’s a hot supper on the cards. If not they will be thrown back out into the storm.

With Mrs McGinty’s frozen heart in need of a magnificent miracle and Deadly the dastardly donkey ready to kick comfort and joy out of his stable, will Ebeneezer triumph? Despite turbulent turkeys and hysterical hay fights, she has a plan and some tremendous tales to turn things around.

So pull open this delightful cracker packed with comedy, puppetry, and seasonal storytelling, as Riding Lights offers the whole family a magical glimpse into the heart of Christmas.

TOURING TO SCHOOLS, CHURCHES & ARTS CENTRES NATIONALLY:
23rd Nov – 23rd Dec

You can find a list of performances below. With the exception of the performances at Friargate Theatre tickets can be booked via to local organiser, details on ticket prices and how to book are included in each listing.

 Trailer and Tour Dates:

[gigpress_shows tour=16]

04/01/2015 By Filed Under: Previous Shows Tagged With: , , ,

A Christmas Cracker – Trailer

Last week we packed Rachel, Gail and a whole menagerie of puppets into the back of a Riding Lights van ready for our Yorkshire tour of  A Christmas Cracker. The show has gone down a storm in primary schools, so we’re very excited for the first public performance this Friday here in York.

We’ve created a trailer to give you a taste of the show, and below that we’ve got a few of the responses from some of the pupils and teachers who’ve seen the show so far.

“We thought that you were outstanding. I really liked how the stories were humourous and entertaining.
The whole play was amazing!”
(Year 4 pupil – Haxby and Wigginton Primary)

“My favourite was Cracker and the shepherds fighting”
“I thought Ebeneezer was really stuck in that ladder!”
(Pupils – Nawton Primary)

“Our kids don’t sit still for more than 5mins, but they were transfixed all the way through!”
(Teacher – Woodthorpe Primary)

“Riding Lights get a good balance, good for the kids but also something for the adults to chuckle at too.”
(Teacher – Nawton Primary)

You can find a full list of public performance on the A Christmas Cracker web page, or if you’re looking for a show further south, Goose Chase is now on tour nationally.

12/03/2014 By Filed Under: News, Tour Tagged With: , , , ,

Fantastic Acts! – Audience Response

Fantastic Acts! has been on the road for a week and a half now and we’re continuing to get excellent feedback from those who’ve seen it. But you don’t have to take our word for it – here’s an audience vox pops video…

The show is currently touring the UK with its final performance on the 29th of November. You can find the full list of upcoming performances here – along with the trailer for the show.

10/20/2014 By Filed Under: News, Tour Tagged With: , , , ,

Looking ahead to Autumn and beyond…

Origins & Lemons BinocularsThis time of year is always an exciting one in the Riding Lights office. Not only are preparations for Summer School at full speed, Roughshod have arrived home in York,  bringing a whole tour’s worth of energy and exciting stories back with them and into the building.

It also makes for one of the very few moments when we don’t have a company out on the road. It’s astonishing really, the end of July and August are the few months when we don’t have a show on the road. That’s only two months out of twelve when Riding Lights, in one form or another, aren’t touring! We do keep ourselves busy.

What’s more, the next 12 months are looking to be just as full, and booking for 2014/15 is well underway. Take a look…

  • Fantastic Acts!  (September to November 2014) 
    Autumn National Tour based on the book of Acts
  • A Christmas Cracker (November to December 2014)
    Yorkshire Christmas tour to  schools,  churches and arts centres
  • Goose Chase (November to December 2014)
    National Christmas tour to  schools,  churches and arts centre
  • Roughshod 2015 (February to July 2015)
    Regional tour working with churches and communities around the UK
  • Inheritance (February to April 2015)
    A Passion Play for Lent 2015, re-touring after a very successful 2014 run.

Would one of these shows be perfect for your community? We’re always looking for new venues or communities to perform in. If you’d like to know more take a look at our ‘host a show‘ page’, give us a call on 01904 655317, or email Bernadette on touring@rltc.org

07/23/2014 By Filed Under: News, Tour Tagged With: , , , ,

Roughshod bases for 2014

Our Roughshod company for 2014 will be on the road from the 23rd February, touring to communities across the UK for 6 months. Below is a list of the places they will be working in.

 Roughshod is designed to transport audiences with its Incredible blend of comedy, drama and powerful storytelling. Whether they’re running workshops in schools, youth groups or prisons, or perhaps performing in churches or out on the streets, they reach an of some 25,000 adults and young people each year.

In 2014 Roughshod will be based in…

Roughshod Incredible

POOLE Feb 23 – Mar 8
MANSFIELD Mar 9 – Mar 16
LEICESTER Mar 16 – Mar 23
MACCLESFIELD Mar 23 – Mar 30
LOUGHBOROUGH Mar 31 – April 4
SOUTH WALES April 5 – April 10
EASTER / YORK REHEARSALS April 10 – May 3
LOUGHTON May 4 – May 18
LLANDUDNO/COLWYN BAY May 19 – May 22
CLIFF COLLEGE May 23- May 26
LLANDUDNO/COLWYN BAY May 27 – May 31
LEIGH Jun 1 – Jun 14
ASHBOURNE Jun 15 – Jun 29
NORWICH Jun 29 – Jul 13
YORK Jul 14 – Jul 20
RL SUMMER THEATRE SCHOOL Jul 21 – Aug 3
SCARGILL ARTS FESTIVAL Aug 4

You can find a full list of public performances of Incredible here.

02/19/2014 By Filed Under: News, Roughshod Tagged With: , ,

New year, new Roughshod

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2014.

As is a customary part of Riding Light’s January, we have a new Roughshod Company about to start devising, preparing and rehearsing a new show for 2014. They’ll be on tour for 6 months from the end of February to August 2014, so Roughshod are always our longest running, widest reaching project each year, taking theatre to places where it’s rarely seen but often loved.

There will be more info about the show soon, but first we’ll let them introduce themselves…

Daniel-Falber-WEB

Daniel Falber

 “I plan to have the time of my life with Roughshod! For almost a year I’ve felt God pulling me towards the company. I’m fresh out of Sixth-Form, full of energy, and ready for what will undoubtedly be a poignant and life-changing experience. I’ve dedicated a big chunk of my life to charity work, including trips to Africa and the regular raising of funds for organisations close to my heart.

I am excited about the friendships I’m going to make, the challenges I’m going to face and the people I’m going to share God’s love with.”

 

Hannah-B-WEB

Hannah Blofield

“I am feeling unbelievably blessed at being given this opportunity to be part of Roughshod as it means that I get the chance to join together my passion for Christ and love of acting.

I have just graduated with a BA (Hons) in Acting from the University of Northampton, School of the Arts and I am looking forward to putting what I have learnt over the last three years into practice. I am especially excited by all the new things I will discover and experience throughout my time with Roughshod from everyone that we meet along the way.”

 

Chris-T-WEB

Chris Thacker

“I’ve had an amazing couple of years and am very grateful to God for what He has given me.  After training for a Masters in Acting and working for 18 months as an Actor in Residence for a school in Cambridgeshire, I now look forward to spending time with Riding Lights and Roughshod.  I’m looking forward to using the gifts that God has given me, in a way that I love.

I’m particularly excited about bringing theatre to people who many not normally get a chance to experience it, and sharing my faith with people in a way that they may not normally expect.  I’m keen to meet and work with new people, make new friends and learn new skills.”

Hannah-J-WEB

Hannah Johnson

“God is good! Don’t think it has sunk in yet that I will be touring the UK with God’s message and his people! I now have a degree in Performing Arts and am excited to be using my skills for such a project. It’s going to be a great year and I believe God has great things in store for the team. God’s plans exceed our own and I have been so blessed to have this opportunity given to me. I am certain God will use my love of performing.

In fact, if you’ve caught either of our Christmas shows you’ll have met at least one of them as Hannah J has been touring with Only 80 Miles to Christmas! and both Chris and Hannah B have been on the road with Goose Chase.”

01/07/2014 By Filed Under: News, Roughshod Tagged With: , ,
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