The Halifax company will perform Dario Fo's satirical masterpiece, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, next Monday to Saturday, and the classic children's story Heidi from next Tuesday until December 20.

Accidental Death of an Anarchist is a brilliant exposé of police corruption, an astute political comedy which has resonated with audiences in apartheid South Africa and Ceausescu's Romania.

This helps to explain why it has become one of the most performed contemporary plays in the world since Fo published it in 1970.

It tells the true story of an Italian anarchist who mysteriously fell to his death from the window of a police station. An investigation reveals the idiocy of lies spun by officialdom.

This new production, designed for a modern audience, bristles with sharply observed satire worthy of TV's Have I Got News For You.

Conrad Nelson flexes his directorial muscle for the fourth time with the company. He is rapidly developing a following for music composition, clarity of direction and a keen ear for the rhythms and poetry of contemporary drama.

Fo's play is well suited to Northern Broadsides, who take a direct approach to modern and classic texts. They are acclaimed for high-energy, dynamic delivery, rooted in the rhythms and cadences of the northern voice. This is a style which has won the company broad support among dedicated theatregoers and those who would ordinarily never set foot inside a theatre.

The energetic comedy of the original text, translated for northern voices by writer Deborah McAndrew, will sound freshly minted; and their bold, robust style will deliver the necessary political punch, says SJT press and marketing officer Lizzie Glazier.

And at the root of it all is a theatrical masterpiece from a Nobel-prizewinning playwright who has been arrested, threatened with assassination and put on trial for subversion, because of his profoundly held left-wing politics and beliefs. This production celebrates his theatrical talent and satirical genius.

Heidi is the second show from the creative partnership of Adam Sunderland and Andrew Pollard, who were behind last year's energetic and imaginative production of The Water Babies.

"Heidi is a stage adaptation with a hilarious twist," says Lizzie. "The story is performed by a band of unruly goats whose take on Heidi's adventures causes much hilarity as the human story is put through their 'goatie' minds and eyes.

"This witty tail-within-a-tale is packed with mad humour and hilarious episodes that will surprise and delight, whatever your age," says Lizzie. "Expect a cappella bleating, dancing, singing, banjo playing and Northern Broadsides' well-loved blend of high theatrics, strong narrative, humour and heart.

"The audience had better watch out though, as the goats will be in the auditorium – and they eat anything."