Comedy becomes a serious business in Icabod Productions’ latest venture.

The Bradford theatre company is staging Funny Men, a witty, poignant play by Andrew Crowther about a double booking at the Edinburgh Festival which becomes a double act and overnight sensation. The trouble starts when comedy starts becoming a serious affair… The play was initially written through Bradford playwright Jonathan Hall’s Snowgoose New Writers Project, and was the winner of last year’s New Writers Festival. Life will imitate art when Icabod take the play to the real Edinburgh Festival this summer.

Local audiences have chance to see it before then, at Otley Courthouse on March 6. For tickets, ring (01943) 467466, or visit otleycourthouse.org.uk.

The cast includes Ben Eagle, quickly establishing himself as one of Bradford’s hardest-working actors, appearing in almost 50 theatre productions in recent years.

Previous projects include Paper Zoo’s production of 1984 at the National Media Museum, Waiting For Godot and A Christmas Carol. After playing Tevye in a production of Fiddler On The Roof, Ben is about to stretch his musical muscles playing the Beast in Disney’s Beauty And The Beast this April.

Martin Knowles has appeared in Road, Twelfth Night and Funeral Games. As well as completing a degree in film and moving image production, he has directed short films and theatrical pieces and received attention for his cinematic contribution to Paper Zoo’s 1984.

Debra Haigh’s recent roles included Margaret in Branwell In Bradford, and Bryony in No Alternative, both new pieces of writing from Snowgoose. Andrew Crowther, a regular contributor to Snowgoose, has written several plays staged in the district, including The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea and Welcome To Paradise.

Set up in 2005 by Jonathan Hall, Snowgoose has grown into a creative community for anyone keen to participate in stage-related activities, through writing, directing, acting or providing technical support.

Snowgoose runs the Page To Stage writer’s course which sees new writers’ pieces developed with local actors and directors. Work is showcased at the New Writers Festival, seen as an ideal way for new writers to see their work taken from an idea through to a performed play, with audiences providing feedback.

The group meets every two or three weeks at The Ring O Bells pub in Shipley. For more information, e-mail Jonathan at hall_jonathan@hotmail.com.

Icabod is an innovative theatre company showcasing new writing as well as drawing from the region’s history and folklore. From Four Knights In Knaresborough to A Yorkshire Tragedy, the company produces high-quality theatre, using local writers, directors, actors and technicians. For details, visit icabodproductions.co.uk