A NORTH Yorkshire theatre company returns to the stage this weekend with four performances of its festive show.

Green Hammerton-based Badapple Theatre Company will be back on stage at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York with The Snow Dancer on Saturday (December 5) and Sunday (December 6).

Months of uncertainty and lockdown meant that the company had to cancel its spring production Elephant Rock which had been due to tour nationally.

But far from waiting it out, artistic director Kate Bramley said she moved the company into action.

She said: “It’s a testament to the hard work of all the team here and all the Friends of the company that we have been able to weather the most difficult 9 months of our 21 years on the road. It has been a case of us adapting quickly to survive but we’re delighted this has brought us full circle to a great theatre like The Joseph Rowntree Theatre to close the year.”

Badapple supported its wide pool of creative professionals as much as possible throughout lockdown, with the help of support from Arts Council England and Friends of Badapple.

They commissioned three new plays, staged an outdoor tour between the two lockdowns, created a brand new free Podcast series of some of the most popular Badapple plays, offered online and face-to-face Youth Theatre tuition locally and even built a film production unit in a barn.

This was used to film some of Badapple’s classic shows, such as its festive production The Snow Dancer, for a “hybrid-live” project which will enable Badapple plays to be beamed into Yorkshire schools whilst Covid restrictions are still in place.

The Snow Dancer is on Saturday at 2.30pm and 7.30pm and Sunday at 1pm and 6pm. To book tickets, go to www.josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk or call 01904 501935.