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Show goes on for theatre company after van theft

Jack Hadaway-WellerYorkshire
News imageOliver Brown A small stage setup with a man and a woman positioned on a raised, grid‑patterned platform made of square, metal‑looking panels. The lighting is focused on the stage, leaving the surrounding area darker. The platform consists of roughly four rows of large square panels with a textured, slightly worn surface. The man is wearing loose, beige clothing and light tan shoes. A woman stands to the right, mid‑gesture, with one arm raised and the other extended outward. She is wearing wide‑leg trousers, layered clothing including a top and outer garment, and light footwear.Oliver Brown
The Riding Lights company is currently about a third of the way through a 31-date tour

A theatre company has promised the show will go on despite the theft of its van containing £10,000 worth of stage, lighting and sound equipment.

A spokesperson for the York-based Riding Lights Theatre Company said its actors would perform their touring production of Paul Birch's Night Falls even though the vehicle and kit were taken by thieves while parked in Leeds on Monday.

Performances planned for Bradford on Wednesday and Sheffield on Thursday would still take place, but with an adapted set from a previous production, they promised.

Oliver Brown, Riding Lights executive director and co-CEO, said: "If we don't go ahead with the show, the financial implications would be devastating."

"The van housed the entirety of our current theatre tour of Night Falls," he explained.

"It had the set, the costumes, the lights, the sound, the props - everything. The whole show was living in that van."

News imageA man with a grey beard standing in front of a brick building. The background features a rectangular poster mounted above a doorway. The poster advertises a theatre production titled “Night Falls”, written by Paul Birch, and includes the name Riding Lights Theatre Company along the top.
Oliver Brown says the company is thankful for any donations from the public so performances can continue

Brown said the company was asking for donations to help cover costs and it would be forced to "re-block and re-rehearse" the show for its upcoming performances of the show, which was a retelling of the Easter story, mixing music and drama.

The company, based at the Friargate Theatre in York, had decided not to cancel any of its upcoming performances and had instead used staging from its archive, he added.

"We've found a new set which we have pulled out from an old show.

"It might not be the same show we created originally, but it will still be an incredible show."

News imageAn indoor rehearsal or workshop space which is part of a small theatre. The room has black walls, exposed lighting rigs on the ceiling, and a combination of functional props and construction materials scattered throughout. A raised wooden platform made from several long, rectangular planks sits at the centre of the image. In the centre of the platform, a man is holding a woman off the ground.
The cast of Night Falls has to had to return to York to rehearse on a different set

West Yorkshire Police said officers were "appealing for information and footage following the theft of a Mercedes van from an address in Armley" on Monday night.

The Riding Lights theatre company was founded in York in 1977.

According to its website, it "continues to take innovative, accessible theatre into all kinds of communities far and wide".

Its company performs in "churches, schools, prisons, theatres and on the streets", it said.

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