The rich and colourful history of a village is to be rekindled by a new community theatre.

Coming to life on stage will be nail-makers, rioters and the lads who marched off to the trenches in the First World War.

The performance, in Silsden, marks the revival of community theatre which was last thriving 140 years ago. And it will take to the stage in the new £1 million Silsden sports club in Keighley Road.

The 80-strong group, with initial funding from Silsden Town Council, is called Silsden Community Productions.

Rehearsals are already under way for the entirely new production, to be performed in February next year, that will relate, in words and song, the history of the village.

Group chairman John Peet said: “We feel that here is a stage play which will appeal to the whole community.

“The overwhelming enthusiasm of our members to create a memorable experience for audiences is really quite inspiring.”

Right Up Our Street, penned by local writer and journalist Cathy Liddle, is based on real events and local characters and takes a present-day child and her grandma on a time-travelling journey through moments from the community life of Silsden.

Characters living again on stage include the early musicians, hard working nail-makers and headmaster David Longbottom who did so much to inspire Silsden’s poorest children.

There will be a re-enactment of the police station rioters of 1911 and the story of the lads of the village who marched off to the horrors of the trenches on the Western Front.

Mr Peet said: “The production is an enormous undertaking because over 60 characters appear in the script but we believe it will have a terrific impact on how our community regards itself.”

The new organisation has been formed following a successful staging of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens over three nights last December, the first local production for many years.

Mr Peet said: “That play came together in a very informal way and was intended simply as a one-off event but the cast had a hugely enjoyable time and audiences asked for more.

“It seems the community is ready for a creative project such as this. More people are joining us all the time.”

The director is David Hardman, with Angela Clement as musical director and Sheila Thompson wardrobe mistress.

A fundraising coffee morning is being held by the group, at St James’s Church Hall, Silsden, on Saturday October 10, from 9.30am to 11.30am.

e-mail: clive.white @telegraphandargus.co.uk