Defiant brides, a miners’ gala documentary, an Arthur Miller classic, a chair, Frank Skinner’s return to stand-up, origami, music in a library, brass band music in Pock and Mikron’s Wrens play jostle for CHARLES HUTCHINSON’S attention

Invitation to the non-wedding event of the year

This Is Not A Wedding, Gracefool Collective, De Grey Rooms Ballroom, York Theatre Royal, Tuesday, Wednesday, 7.45pm

DANCE theatre company Gracefool Collective’s four bridal-clad women face up to coming of age in a high pressure, low tolerance, success-driven society.

Laughter, tears and singalong pop classics are promised in this radical and apocalyptic reimagining of familiar ceremonies as the defiant brides strive to maintain their dignity in a desperate last-ditch effort to work out what the hell it all means, forging their own absurd path through the wilderness of tradition, conformity and expectation.

Documentary film of the week

The Big Meeting, The Crescent, York, Tuesday, 7pm

EVERY second Saturday in July, Durham is taken over by miners, trade unions and the public for the Durham Miners Gala: a celebration of noise, colour, solidarity, banners, brass bands, class culture, creativity and endeavour known locally as The Big Meeting. So big that 200,000 attend each year.

Filmed in 2018, Daniel Draper’s documentary reflects on the past, present and future of the gala and Labour movement, while following four protagonists over the course of the event. This screening is a fundraiser for the York Labour Party.

A comedy where the star of the show is a…chair

Wrestling With Wheelchairs, York Theatre Royal Studio, Thursday, 7.45pm

WRITERS and performers Jack Reeve and Gavin Tokhai combine stand-up and sketch comedy as they explore the day-to-day happenings of working in theatre while being in a wheelchair. Where do disabled people fit in this world, they ask, in a show that also looks at how Jack’s passion for professional wrestling has influenced his career.

Kindness and origami go hand in hand

Joygernaut, York Theatre Royal Studio, Friday, 7.45pm

WRITTEN and performed by BBC Verb New Voice and Glastonbury Slam champion Andy Craven-Griffiths, Joygernaut uses physical theatre, comedy and origami to tell the story of one man chasing his dream job and the hand of his ex-girlfriend.

Eighteen months of research into the psychology, sociology and biology of kindness have gone into a spoken-word show that looks at ambition, masculinity and how acts of kindness and cruelty can echo over time and through multiple lives.

Not the sound of silence as music is encouraged at library

Live In Libraries York, Marriott Room, York Explore, Library Square York, Friday, 7pm

EAST Yorkshire folk-Americana singer-songwriter Edwina Hayes kicks off a short season of intimate concerts, curated by York busker David Ward Maclean in tandem with Dave Fleming, Explore York’s inclusive arts and media co-ordinator.

Hotly-tipped York band Bonneville And The Bailers follow on October 25; Bradford songwriter Bella Gaffney on November 21, and Heather Findlay and Simon Snaize in a rare duo gig on December 21, Winter Solstice day.

Concert, cake and chat…

Dementia Friendly Concert, St Chad’s Church, Campleshon Road, York, Thursday, 2.30pm

SOPRANO Amanda Crawley sings songs by Purcell and Quilter, accompanied by Jo Peach on piano in a 45-minute concert, followed by tea or coffee, home-made cakes and a chance to chat. No entry charge, but donations are welcome.

Tired man’s play of the week

A View From The Bridge, York Theatre Royal, Friday to October 12

ASSOCIATE director Juliet Forster directs this York Theatre Royal and Royal and Derngate Northampton co-production of Arthur Miller’s resonant play about masculinity, community and antagonism towards economic immigration

In 1950s’ Brooklyn, respected Italian-American longshoreman Eddie Carbone lives a life of seeming stability with his wife and niece in a tight knit, immigrant community bound by moral codes of justice and honour. The surprise arrival of his wife’s Sicilian cousins unravels all that they have built together as the young men search out work, wealth and love.

Tireless women’s play of the week

All Hands On Deck, Mikron Theatre, Clements Hall, York, Sunday, 4pm

SET in the Second World War, former Mikron actor Vashti Maclachlan’s musical play navigates a

love story between the Royal Navy and their loyal “Jenny Wrens”.

New WRNS recruits Lily and Ginger find themselves in uncharted waters on a journey they will never forget. “It’s an honour to shine a spotlight on the tireless women who gave their all to shape a Women’s Royal Navy Service fit for the future,” says Vashti.

Yorkshire brass concert of the week

Brighouse and Rastrick Band, Pocklington Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

THE “Briggus” was formed more than 130 years ago through public donations given by the townsfolk of the adjacent West Riding villages of Brighouse and Rastrick, facing each other across the River Calder.

Still a public subscription band, they were crowned the National Champion Band of Great Britain in 2017. Brass class unsurpassed.

Comedy show of the week

Frank Skinner: Showbiz, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 8pm

BRUMMIE wit Frank Skinner’s Showbiz gig has sold out on his first appearance in York since his Man In A Suit tour in November 20014. Ah well, that’s showbiz. So, where else could you go for a Sunday fill of comedy? How about Paul Smith’s Following show at York Barbican at 7.30pm.