There's more than a touch of danger to this year's summer thriller season at the Grand Theatre.

The Leeds venue stages four plays, each running Tuesday to Saturday, to chill the blood and quicken the pulse.

The CID, CIA, security services and a terrorist organisation are all interested in the hero of the first play.

A Touch of Danger (August 5-9) is Francis Durbridge's twisting tale of an author whose friend is murdered in Munich.

Max's secretary and estranged wife are shocked when he walks in because they were told he was the corpse.

Rope (August 12-16) is Patrick Hamilton's classic thriller about two men who murder their fellow undergraduate.

They put the body in a wooden chest and invite friends and the dead man's father to unwittingly eat supper off it.

Durbridge returns on August 19-23 with Sweet Revenge, the story of notorious womaniser Julian Kane, who dies of a heart attack.

The prime suspect is a successful cardiac consultant who discovered that his wife was in love with Kane.

Who Saw Him Die? is Tudor Gates' story about a former police superintendent obsessed with tracking down a criminal.

When confronted with his quarry's body he feels defeated -- but nothing is what it seems in the intricate play running August 26-30.

Tickets are available from Keighley Information Centre in the town hall, or by phoning 0113 222 6222.

nStephen Holbrook (pictured) has filled Victoria Hall several times in recent years while presenting his clairvoyant show.

The Yorkshire medium claims to be able to help people communicate between the worlds of life and death.

Stephen returns to the hall tonight at 7.30pm to give more "precise and specific" evidence about audience members' loved ones.

"He frequently names names and dates, even describing the nature of the illness or accident that caused someone to pass other," says a spokesman.

"Not only does he believe in life after death, he sees himself as a telephone exchange between this world and the next!"

Stephen, who is said to have foreseen singer Jane MacDonald's rise to fame, presents shows both "very funny and poignantly emotional".

Book £8 tickets by phoning 01924 898688.

nLocal writers could have their play performed by a Bradford-based amateur theatre group.

The Arcadia Players are branching out following performances of classics like The Crucible.

They want to stage a locally-written play -- working closely with the writer -- at the end of this year.

"We don't want to be just another local 'amdram' group, churning out farces and old favourites," says chairman Alex Waddington.

"We want to do something different, new and exciting. We're very keen to focus on promoting new work.

"We're an open-minded, friendly and enthusiastic theatre group. We will cover all production costs."

Scripts should be submitted by August 31, e-mailed as Microsoft Word attachments to scripts@arcadiaplayers.org.uk.

For information about alternative means of submission, writers should phone Alex on 07870 847201.

nAfter JK Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson is probably Britain's most popular modern-day children's writer.

Double Act, one of her most popular books, has been adapted as a play for eight to 12-year-olds.

The "funny and heartfelt" drama is at Alhambra Theatre in Bradford on September 16-20.

Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Whistle Down the Wind returns to the Alhambra on September 30-October 11.

Peter Karrie, famed for his Phantom of the Opera singing, performs songs from musicals with soap stars Suranne Jones and Amy Nuttall on September 13.

Northern Ballet Theatre presents its vision of Romeo and Juliet set to Prokofiev's famous music on September 23-27.

Book tickets at Keighley Information Centre in the town hall, or telephone 01274 432000.

nBlasts from the past perform at Kings Hall, Ilkley, next Friday in aid of the hall's restoration fund.

The 7.30pm show features Craig Douglas, singer of A Teenager in Love, Telstar band The Tornados, and singer Maggie Moon.

Tickets cost £8 and £9 from Ilkley Tourist Information Office or by phoning 01943 602319.