Bradford's Priestley Centre for the Arts celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. In 1929 it was called The Civic Playhouse. Later the theatre in Chapel Street was called Bradford Playhouse and Film Theatre.

After two fires in 1935 and 1996, and thousands of plays and movies, the modernised and re-named theatre faces another century.

Over the past 70 years many famous actors and actresses have had cause to look back with pleasure and gratitude at their time in Chapel Street. Edward Petherbridge, Bernard Hepton, Billie Whitelaw, and Thelma Barlow - formerly of Coronation Street and latterly Victoria Wood's successful TV comedy Dinner ladies - are just a few who come to mind.

Others who, for one reason or another, remained in Bradford helped create the standards and traditions for succeeding generations: set-builder John Parkinson, veteran actress Audrey Sykes, and for many years one of the theatre's leading actresses and directors, Jean Oldfield.

J B Priestley, a founder of the Civic and its first president, remained a friend and ally of the theatre until his death in 1984. Ten years later, the centenary of Priestley's birth, the theatre staged his play The Linden Tree.

Another Priestley play may be chosen to commemorate the coincidence of the theatre's 70th anniversary and the start of the third millennium; but up to press I gather that no hard-and-fast decision has been made about which one.

The theatre's playwright-in-residence is Jonathan Hall. Following his eight-week summer stint at the National Theatre (his second consecutive summer residence there), he landed two commissions, one of them for Channel 4, the other for a London-based theatre company called Y Touring.

For the TV commission he was one of six writers selected from a dozen to write a one-act play. His is about a writers' group based in Shipley. He has a March deadline, with production taking place possibly this summer.

His other commission came about after he was chosen from four writers to write a 40 to 50-minute piece on the un-theatrical theme of the genetic modification of plants (the company puts on productions with a scientific basis).

Y Touring offered a gratifying fee for a piece they intend to take round schools and, hopefully, the Edinburgh Festival. Mr Hall is no stranger to the Scottish venue. His play Nativity was well received there in 1992; the following year his comedy about train-spotters, Enthusiastic Men, was joint winner of the Joshua Tetley Drama Award.

He's now directing Arnold Ridley's thriller The Ghost Train, which runs from next Tuesday to Saturday at the Priestley. Arnold Ridley's play was first performed in 1925. The playwright later became famous as the lovable Private Godfrey in the hit TV series Dad's Army.

Ghost Train, which follows the travails of a bunch of travellers stranded at a remote and haunted station in Cornwall, was staged 31 years ago when the Priestley was the Playhouse. It was directed by Gorden Kaye, who later made his name as Rene in the TV series 'Allo, 'Allo.

Anxious to attract as wide an audience as possible, the theatre has taken a leaf out of Bradford City's book by offering a 'quid a kid' scheme.

Up to five children with an adult will pay only £1 each admission. Unaccompanied children, however, won't be admitted. In addition, the play will have a 2.30pm matinee showing on the Saturday.

A good old-fashioned thriller performed by a hugely experienced cast of 11 should make for an enjoyable night's family entertainment. Tickets cost between £4.70 and £4, depending on the performance. The box office number is Bradford 820666.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.