Gripping historical drama Pressure opens Thursday
Opening this Thursday, 29 October, at Ilkley Playhouse, Pressure, David Haig’s gripping historical drama, tells the extraordinary true story of the tense hours leading up to D-Day in June 1944.
As an unprecedented Allied military force lay at anchor off the south coast of England, poised to launch the invasion that would help liberate occupied Europe from Nazi rule, one seemingly ordinary question threatened to determine the course of history: what would the weather be like?
Far from a trivial concern, the forecast was critical. The Allies had one opportunity to get the invasion right, and the wrong weather conditions could have spelt disaster for the mission — and for the millions whose freedom hung in the balance.
In this real-life drama, two men: one American and one Scottish, scrutinise their charts and instruments, while the Supreme Allied Commander, General Eisenhower, waits for their OK to give the order to sail – but they can’t agree. The pressure on Eisenhower for his invasion to succeed is intense – which makes the pressure on Col Irving Krick and Group Captain James Stagg unbearable.
Who has got it right – and who will carry the consequences if they are wrong?
Pressure opens in the Wharfeside Theatre at Ilkley Playhouse on Thursday [29 October] with performances running until Saturday 7 November 2026. Tickets are available from www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.
