March 2017
Season Brochure
BOX OFFICE 01904 623568
yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
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Contents
Page
Welcome
4
Bistro 67
5
Blue Stocking / The King and I
6
York Literature Festival
7
York Literature Festival / Sue Perkins
9
York Literature Festival
10
Matthew Bourne’s Early Adventures
12
Silver Lining
13
Oyster Boy / Chekhov Shorts
14
MK ULTRA
15
English Touring Opera - Patience & Tosca
16
Made In India
16
September In The Rain
17
Cyrano
17
Rent
18
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
19
Words and Whippets
20
In Tents and Purposes / Scary Shit
21
Octopus
22
Birmingham Royal Ballet
22
York International Shakespeare Company
23
Romeo + Juliet / Twelfth Night
25
Our Man In Havana / The Pulverised
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All Or Nothing
27
Everything Is Possible
28
Jay Rayner
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Snake David / Anne Reid / Food For Thought
30
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Bring On The Bollywood
31
Robin Hood: The Arrow of Destiny
32
Activities and Events
34
Workshops
36
De Grey Events
38
Support Us
38
Artist Development
40
Costume Hire
41
Booking
42
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WELCOME
Welcome to our exciting new Spring/Summer 2017 season.
We have a packed programme in the coming months, a
selection of which has been programme by an all-female group
of actors and theatre-makers under the title Of Women Born.
The aim is to address the imbalance in women’s role in both
theatrical work and the industry as a whole.
This season sees us producing a diverse programme of work
including world premiere productions, co-productions, our
popular family summer show and a large-scale community
production.
We are pleased to welcome brand new world-class touring
productions, hit musicals and returning favourites throughout the
season. We will host York Literature Festival and York
International Shakespeare Festival, both of which will offer a
wide selection of performances and activities to get involved
with.
York Theatre Royal is a registered charity with a clear mission to
inspire and cultivate the potential of our community through the
creative arts. We hope this season will inspire you to be part of
York Theatre Royal. Our community is our heart and we look
forward to welcoming you.
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BISTRO 67
There’s much more to York Theatre Royal than just seeing a
show, with a warm welcome awaiting you in our café, bistro and
bar. Our delicious all day menu offers food from 10am to 7pm,
serving everything from light bites in the café to full meals in the
bistro, all freshly cooked by our team of chefs. We endeavour to
source as many of our ingredients locally as possible.
If you are coming to see a show, you can book a table and enjoy
a pre-show meal in Bistro 67. Our set two and three course
menus change regularly, with a fantastic selection of meals on
offer. We’ll make sure you are served in plenty of time to get to
your seat and we’ll even send you the menu in a pre-show email
in advance so you don’t have to make any last-minute decisions.
Tables can be booked online, at the box office or via the Open
Table app.
For those of you in a hurry who just fancy a quick bite, a
selection of hot drinks, savoury snacks and cakes are available
from the café counter all day until 7pm.
And don’t forget, pre-show and interval drinks can be bought at
the theatre bar on the first floor. We look forward to welcoming
you very soon!
BOX OFFICE 01904 623568
yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
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STUDIO
York Settlement Community Players presents
Blue Stockings
By Jessica Swale
Premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013, Jessica Swale’s
vibrant play directed by Maggie Smales follows four young
women at Cambridge in 1896 through a tumultuous year.
A vote will determine if they will be allowed to graduate and
change the future of education for themselves and those who
will follow.
“Blue Stockings – laughing all the way to the lecture hall…”
The Independent.
Wednesday 1 March 2017 – Saturday 11 March 2017
7.45pm with a matinee on Saturdays at 2pm.
Tickets: £14
MAIN HOUSE
York Light presents
The King and I
It is 1862 in Siam. An English widow, Anna Leonowens, and her
young son arrive in Bangkok, summoned by the King to serve as
tutor to his many children and wives. The King is considered to
be a barbarian in the West, and he seeks Anna’s assistance in
changing his image, if not his ways.
With both keeping a firm grip on their traditions and values, Anna
and the King grow to understand and respect one another in a
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truly unique love story. The dazzling score includes Hello, Young
Lovers, Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance?
Wednesday 8 March 2017 – Saturday 18 March 2017
7.30pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm
Tickets: £10 - £28.50
York Literature Festival
York Theatre Royal is delighted to be the hub for this year’s York
Literature Festival.
Now in its ninth year, the festival continues to go from strength to
strength and features a diverse range of events for adults and
children at venues all over the city.
This year’s programme includes author and speaker events,
performances, workshops, poetry, theatre, and cinema for you to
enjoy.
STUDIO
Story Pocket Theatre presents
A Pocketful of Grimms
Let the magical Storyteller whisk you away to a land of fables to
explore some of the world’s favourite fairy tales. Featuring
glorious retellings of Hansel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast,
Rumpelstiltskin and more.
“….totally captivating…” The Stage
Friday 17 March 2017 – Saturday 18 March 2017
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11am and 2pm Friday and 11am Saturday
Tickets: £10 Adult / £6 U16
STUDIO
The Crick Crack Club presents
Grim Grimms
Fairytales for Grown Ups
Gothic, stark, beguiling and beautiful, four lesser-known Grimm
tales are hauled by Ben Haggarty out of the nursery and into the
realm of fairytales for grown-ups. Full of forbidden doors,
magical transformations, betrayal, comeuppance and talking
skulls, Grim Grimms is performance storytelling featuring
musician Sherry Robinson.
Saturday 18 March 2017
8pm
Tickets: £12
Apples and Snakes
If you have written some great poetry but have a fear of the mic,
then our workshop on 20th March is for you. It is followed by an
open mic session featuring a plethora of a local talent.
Alternatively join our workshop on 25th March to learn how to
create your own film poem, which will be shown at a screening
later that evening.
Tickets: Please check online for pricing.
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STUDIO
Door Ajar Theatre presents
Thisbe
Thirteen-year old Thisbe is neglected by her loved-up parents,
Demetrius and Helena. But an encounter with mischief-maker
Puck gives her an opportunity to change that. Thisbe is a follow
up to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed by a cast of actormusicians with integrated BSL interpretation.
Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £12 adult / £8 U18
MAIN HOUSE
David Johnson & John Mackay in association with DAA
Management and Penguin present
Sue Perkins Live! In Spectacles
The sell-out tour continues! Join Sue for an evening full of
sparkling wit, tall tales and a user’s guide to Mary Berry. Sue is
best known for being one quarter of double act Mel and Sue. In
2008 she won the BBC show Maestro culminating in her
conducting at The Last Night of the Proms. She has created the
acclaimed travel documentary The Mekong River with Sue
Perkins, hosts new shows Insert Name Here and Spelling Bee
and is a regular on Have I Got News For You, Just A Minute, QI
and The News Quiz….and there’s the cake show on BBC One.
Based on her hilarious Sunday Times No 1 best-selling memoir
Spectacles.
Wednesday 22 March 2017
7.30pm
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Tickets: £23.50
Age: 14+
STUDIO
Girls Own Adventure : Women In Crime Fiction
Join us to explore how women are portrayed as villains, victims
and detectives with best-selling authors Sophie Hannah,
Elizabeth Haynes and Nick Quantrill. Chaired by York crime
author Helen Cadbury. With an opportunity to buy their latest
books and a signing with the authors.
Thursday 23 March 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £8
STUDIO
Kevin Rushby: The Best Stories Are Never
Written Down
Kevin Rushby has put thousands of travel stories into print. But
some of the best material never got used. Join him around the
campfire and hear about close encounters in Saddam Hussein’s
bedroom, the hunt for the tallest tree in the world and the most
disgusting drink ever served to a human being.
Friday 24 March 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £12
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STUDIO
Dyad Productions presents
Jane Eyre
Struggling to think, live and love beyond the stifling expectations
of duty, class and convention, governess Jane Eyre and Master
Edward Rochester take a dark journey towards sensual and
intellectual liberation. Charlotte Bronte’s gothic subversion of
fairy-tale romance is now distilled as a radical stage adaptation
by writer/director Elton Townsend Jones and performer Rebecca
Vaughan (Austen’s Women).
Monday 27 March and Tuesday 28 March 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14
STUDIO
Written by Henry Raby
Whatever Happened to Vandal Raptor?
Vandal Raptor were the greatest 4-piece dinosaur-themed punk
band you’ve never heard of. Then they broke up. 10 years later
they reunite. Has the fire for DIY and protest music been
extinguished, or is it still burning bright? Our story uses poetry,
live music and raw storytelling to prove rebellion is far from
extinct.
Thursday 30 March and Friday 31 March 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £12
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MAIN HOUSE
New Adventures present
Matthew Bourne’s Early Adventures
“A rare treat Bourne’s wit and flair are in full play” Sunday Times
Matthew Bourne, the UK’s most popular and successful
choreographer/director, returns to his roots in Early Adventures,
a programme of hit pieces that launched the career of ‘Britain’s
favourite choreographer’ and saw the birth of the style, wit and
sheer entertainment that his company New Adventures brought
to Swan Lake, The Car Man, Edward Scissorhands and
Sleeping Beauty. With designs by long-time collaborator Lez
Brotherston, Early Adventures forms part of the company’s 30th
Anniversary celebrations.
Matthew Bourne is the creator of the world’s longest running
ballet production, a five-time Olivier Award winner, and the only
British director to have won the Tony award for both Best
Choreographer and Best Director of a Musical.
Supported using public fund from Arts Council England.
Friday 24 March and Saturday 25 March 2017
7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm
Tickets £30 - £16
Age: 12+
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MAIN HOUSE
English Touring Theatre and Rose Theatre Kingston present
Silver Lining
by Sandi Toksvig
On one dark and stormy night in the upper day room of the
Silver Retirement Home, five elderly ladies are trading stories of
their remarkable lives. With the storm floods rising and no
rescue team in sight, the ladies are faced with the sudden
realization that in order the survive they are going to have to do
what they have done form their entire lives – do it themselves!
Silver Lining is the hilarious new comedy by writer, actor,
presenter and political activist Sandi Toksvig.
Starring Sheila Reid, Joanna Monro, Amanda Walker, Rachel
Davies and Maggie McCarthy. It tells the tale of five
extraordinary yet forgotten women, who come together one
treacherous night to recreate The Great Escape – senior citizen
style!
Tuesday 28 March to Saturday 1 April 2017
7.30pm with a matinee on Thursday at 2pm and Saturday at
2.30pm
Tickets: £30 - £14
Post-show discussion 29 March
Audio described performance 1 April at 2.30pm
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STUDIO
Haste Theatre present
Oyster Boy
Follow the tale of Italian ice cream seller Jim and Alice, who fall
in love in a 1950’s whirlwind romance. However, all is not as
sweet as it seems when their lives are turned upside down by
the arrival of their son Sam…a very unusual boy! Based on the
story by Tim Burton, Oyster Boy mixes physical storytelling,
clowning, live singing, dance and puppetry.
Saturday 1 April 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14 Adult / £8 U18
STUDIO
European Arts Company present
Chekhov Shorts
This is Chekhov as you’ve never seen him before – funny! A
hugely entertaining collection of classic one-act farces, including
The Evils of Tobacco, The Dimwit, The Bear, Swan Song and
The Proposal. These bittersweet plays are Chekhov at his comic
best.
Tuesday 4 April and Wednesday 5 April 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14
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MAIN HOUSE
Rosie Kay Dance Company present
MK Ultra
Rosie Kay’s new work is a high-energy, supercharged mash-up
of thrilling dance, music and imagery. It is inspired by the bizarre
realm of pop culture mind control conspiracies.
Rosie Kay is one of the UK’s leading female choreographers,
renowned for her athletic movement, rigorous research and
intelligent theatricality.
Choreographer to the hit film Sunshine on Leith, Kay is best
known for the five star award-winning 5 SOLDIERS, staged in
York last year at Fulford Barracks.
Wednesday 5 April 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £16 Adult / £10 U25 (limited availability)
MAIN HOUSE
English Touring Opera present
Gilbert & Sullivan’s
Patience
An all-singing, all dancing comedy by the masters of British
musical theatre, Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience pokes fun at
Victorian society and its stock characters, with willowy poets,
sighing maidens and burly officers galore.
Friday 7 April 2017 at 7.30pm
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Puccini’s
TOSCA
Puccini’s Tosca is one of the world’s best loved operas. When
the firebrand revolutionary Cavaradossi is imprisoned, Tosca is
faced with an impossible choice: submitting to the desires of the
sadistic chief of police, or letting her lover be executed.
Saturday 8 April
7.30pm
Tickets: £30-£17
Pre-show discussion 7 and 8 April. Free to ticket holders. Please
pre-book.
STUDIO
Tamasha and the Belgrade Theatre in association with Pilot
Theatre present
Made in India
by Satinder Chohan
In a surrogacy clinic in Gujarat, three women meet. Londoner
Eva is in motherhood’s last-chance saloon. For village girl Aditi,
surrogacy is a lifeline out of poverty. For clinic owner Dr Gupta,
it’s all just another transaction. A thrilling new play about
motherhood and blood ties between women and across nations
in a brave new world.
Friday 7 and Saturday 8 April 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14
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STUDIO
Esk Valley Theatre present
September in the Rain
by John Godber
September in the Rain is one of John Godber’s classic and
much loved plays.
Jack and Liz are from Yorkshire and the annual trip to Blackpool
is the highlight of their year. They take us on a rollercoaster ride
through their holidays. The highs and lows, the arguing and
making up, all washed down with a cocktail of ice creams, fish
and chips and rain.
The stresses and strains of married life are brought sharply into
focus in short scenes peel back the layers of Jack and Liz’s
relationship to reveal the truths within.
Tuesday 11 April to Saturday 15 April 2017
7.45pm with a matinee on Thursday at 2.30pm and on
Saturday at 2pm
Tickets: £16 - £14
MAIN HOUSE
Northern Broadsides in partnership with New Vic Theatre,
Newcastle-under-Lyme present
Cyrano
Based on Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Adapted by Deborah McAndrew
Directed by Conrad Nelson
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Paris, 1640.
Cyrano de Bergerac, a brilliant poet and swordsman, finds
himself deeply in love with his beautiful cousin Roxane. Each
day of his life is lived only for her – every poem he writes, every
duel he fights. Despite his dash and his dare, Cyrano is afraid of
revealing his true feelings, certain she could never love him in
return…for who would love a man with such an enormous nose?
Northern Broadsides bring its acclaimed charisma and
exuberant performance style to this swashbuckling tale of
unrequited love that will lift your spirits and make your heart
ache.
Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 April 2017
7.30pm with a matinee on Thursday at 2pm and on Saturday
at 2.30pm
Tickets: £30 - £14
Post-show discussion 12 April
Audio Described performance 15 April 2.30pm
MAIN HOUSE
Robert Mackintosh and Idili Theatrical Ltd for RENT 20th
Anniversary Production Ltd present
RENT
20th Anniversary Production
Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Do not miss Bruce Gurthie’s brand-new production of the
legendary, multi-award-winning rock musical RENT as it
celebrates its incredible 20th anniversary.
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RENT features the much-loved songs Seasons of Love, Take
me or Leave Me and La Vie Bohème and a brilliant cast that
includes Layton Williams (Bad Education, Billy Elliot The
Musical, Hairspray) and Lucie Jones (X Factor, Legally Blonde
The Musical, Les Miserables). This is a rare chance to
experience the searing emotion and breath-taking thrills of one
of the all-time great musicals – book now to avoid
disappointment!
Tuesday 18 April to Saturday 22 April 2017
7.30pm with a matinee on Thursday at 2pm and Saturday at
2.30pm
Tickets: £32 - £15
MAIN HOUSE
York Theatre Royal and Octogon Theatre Bolton
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
by Anne Bronte
Adapted by Deborah McAndrew
Directed by Elizabeth Newman
Designed by Amanda Stoodley
In 19th century Yorkshire, a mysterious young widow Helen
Graham and her son arrive at the desolate estate of Wildfell Hall.
Isolating herself from the village, she soon becomes the subject
of local gossip and speculation. Intrigued by this beautiful and
enigmatic woman, a young local farmer, Markham, gradually
falls in love. Torn apart by her attraction to Markham and the
secrets of her past, Helen finally reveals the shocking history
she thought she’d left behind.
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Based on the 1848 novel by Anne Bronte The Tenant of Wildfell
Hall is a passionate story of a woman’s fight for independence.
This new stage adaptation has been lovingly brought to life by
award winning playwright Deborah McAndrew, author of An
August Bank Holiday Lark (Best New Play UK Theatre Awards
2014).
Tuesday 25 April to Saturday 6 May 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £30 - £14
Post show discussion 3 May
BSL Performance 5 May at 7.30pm
Audio Described performance 4 May at 7.30pm and 6 May at
2.30pm
Captioned performance 6 May at 2.30pm
Relaxed performance 4 May at 2pm
STUDIO
Words and Whippets 5
Featuring Kate Fox
Words and Whippets proudly parades the finest Northern-bred
poets. Joining us is stand-up poet Kate Fox who has appeared
on BBC One, Two and Radio Three showcasing her funny,
warm and heartfelt poetry. Joining Kate will be Andy Bennett,
Hannah Davies and compere Henry Raby.
Tuesday 25 April 2017
7.45pm
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Tickets: £7
STUDIO
Viscera Theatre and Anna Haigh Productions Ltd present
In Tents And Purposes
Ten years. Two friends. One fortune teller. Roxy Dunn (Channel
Four’s Babylon; BBC Three’s Top Coppers) and Alys Metcalf
(The Play That Goes Wrong) compete with their egos to tell a
comic, time-hopping story, exploring whether our lives are
predetermined or shaped by our choices.
Wednesday 26 April 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14
STUDIO
Rhiannon Faith presents
Scary Shit
A show about friendship, being a woman and asking for help.
With quirky and outrageous dance theatre, Rhiannon Faith
brings a real-life experience to the stage. A courageous
experiment, Scary Shit is a show where two young women
attend therapy to learn about themselves and the world,
imagining a future without fear.
Thursday 27 April 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14
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Paper Tiger Production and Greenwich Theatre present
Octopus
Octopus is a satire set in a post-Brexit dystopia of bureaucratic
box-ticking and absurd interviews that feels disturbingly close to
present-day reality. It explores internal borders, what it’s like to
be seen as a foreigner in your own land and, with a musical
motif running throughout the show, the power of punk.
Friday 28 April 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14
MAIN HOUSE
Birmingham Royal Ballet
A sparkling triple bill that highlights the diversity of classical
ballet with live music from the acclaimed Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
In Kenneth MacMillan’s Soliaire, a beautifully English ballet, we
inhabit a lone girl’s imagination as she dreams up playmates for
herself. Set to composer Malcolm Arnold’s rip-roaring English
Dances.
Hans van Manen’s 5 Tangos translates Astor Piazzolla’s fiery
and passionate music into powerful Latin-inspired ballet.
In Pineapple Poll, a gaggle of girls fall in love with the dashing
captain of HMS Hot Cross Bun. A thoroughly ‘Gilbert and
Sullivan’ affair!
Friday 12 May and Saturday 13 May 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £27.50 - £14
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Open Rehearsal
Ever wondered what a ballet dancer does to prepare for a day of
rehearsal and performance? This is your chance to watch an
open company class on-stage.
Saturday 13 May at 11.45am
Tickets: £10
Pre performance talk
With staff and dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Saturday 13 May at 6.30pm
Tickets: free
York Internal Shakespeare Festival
The York International Shakespeare Festival – YorkShakes – is
a partnership between York Theatre Royal, the University of
York and Parrabbola.
Our second festival features a vibrant range of productions and
reinterpretations of Shakespeare from around the world.
Alongside two compelling productions on York Theatre Royal’s
Main stage, the Studio plays host to internationally acclaimed
theatre which explores some of the characters and questions
thrown up by Shakespeare’s writing.
Yorkshakes Studio Events
7/7
The Dances of Life in Seven Steps
Romania
Featuring dance and physical theatre, 7/7 focuses on the
Shakespearean seven stage of life from childhood to old age.
Monday 15 May and Tuesday 16 May 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £12
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Waiting for Othello
Poland
A play about tolerance, respect and patriotism.
Two actors meet at an audition for the role of Othello. Both are
children of immigrants and both are looking for their own identity.
Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 May
7.45pm
Tickets: £12
Gratiano: Grist to the Mill
Written and performed by Ross Ericson UK
A sequel to Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice which
explores the politics of prejudice in Mussolini’s Italy.
Thursday 18 May
9.15pm
Tickets: £12
Henry V (Man and Monarch)
Australia
In this one-man adaptation, award-winning actor Brett Brown
plays Shakespeare’s favourite king – charting the twists and
turns of the monarch’s life.
Friday 19 May and Saturday 20 May 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £12
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MAIN HOUSE
The Watermill Theatre presents
Romeo + Juliet and Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
In its 50th anniversary year, The Watermill Theatre celebrates a
rich history of presenting bold, ensemble-driven Shakespeare
productions with two of this most iconic plays.
A powerful and explosive staging of Shakespeare’s immortal tale
of an all-consuming love, Romeo + Juliet features contemporary
music from the likes of Hozier and Mumford & Sons, performed
live by the cast.
A tale of mistaken identities, seduction and transformation,
Twelfth Night is re-imagined in 1920’s prohibition jazz era where
Europe is still reeling in the wake of war.
Romeo + Juliet performance dates
16 May 7.30pm
17 May 2.30pm
20 May 7.30pm
Twelfth Night performance dates
18 May 7.30pm
19 May 7.30pm
20 May 2.30pm
Tickets: £28 - £14
Joint ticket offer: Book both shows and receive £5 off the total.
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MAIN HOUSE
Creative Cow in association with Malvern Theatres and Buxton
Opera House presents
Our Man in Havana
By Graham Greene. Adapted by Clive Francis
“You should dream more, Mr. Wormold. Reality in our century is
not something to be faced.”
Graham Greene
Our Man in Havana
Cuba, 1958. Meet Jim Wormold – a hapless vacuum cleaner
salesman who gets sucked into a dirty world of espionage and
double agents when the chance of helping out MI6 with a job or
two proves too good an offer to resist. And, quite frankly, he
could do with the cash to pay for his teenage daughter’s
increasing extravagant.
Thrillingly adapted for the stage by Clive Francis from Graham
Greene’s hilarious, subversive and ever popular novel.
Wednesday 31 May to Saturday 3 June 2017
7.30pm with a matinee on Thursday at 2pm and Saturday at
2.30pm
Tickets: £30 - £14
Post-show discussion 2 June
Audio Described performance 3 June 2.30pm
STUDIO
York Theatre Royal, Arcola Theatre and Changing Face
presents
The Pulverised
by Alexandra Badea. Translated by Lucy Phelps.
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One multinational. Four lives.In every corner of the world, a
critical struggle for identity.
The Pulverised is a vital new play about escaping the rat race,
overcoming borders and discovering new life. Following an
explosive premiere at the Strasbourg National Theatre, where is
won the prestigious Grand Prix de la Littérature, Alexandra
Badea’s timely and captivating drama arrives in the UK with a
new English translation.
Join the Pulverised on their extraordinary global journey, from
falling in love in a Chinese factory to swimming the Senegal
seas.
Supported by the Arts Council England.
Wednesday 31 May - Saturday 10 June 2017
7.30pm with a matinee on Thursday at 2.30pm and on
Saturday at 2pm
Tickets: £12 - £14
MAIN HOUSE
Rock N Roll Productions presents
All Or Nothing
By Carol Harrison
Directed by Tony McHale.
In 1964 a phenomenon exploded onto the dingy British streets. It
was the essence of cool. It was Mod. Mods stuck two fingers up
at the class-ridden society and its dull redundant culture.
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Working-class free spirits who rode sexy Italian Vespas or
Lambrettas.
Once band, The Small Faces encapsulated all that was Mod: a
unique blend of taste and testosterone. Clothes-obsessed and
street wise, these cult sophisticates share another passion,
Rhythm ‘n’ Blues. This quintessentially British musical celebrate
the unique songs of this iconic ‘60’s band, including Whatcha
Gonna Do About It, Lazy Sunday, Tin Soldier, Sha La La La Lee,
Itchycoo Park and All Or Nothing.
Tuesday 6 June – Thursday 8 June 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £28 - £14
MAIN HOUSE
York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre present
Everything is Possible: The York Suffragettes
by Bridget Foreman
It is 1913. Women across the country, outraged by inequality
and prejudice are beginning to rise up and demand change. In
York, a revolution is about to take place as an ordinary Heworth
housewife risks her life and her family to join the fight. And she’d
not alone. Across the city, women run safe houses, organize
meetings, smash windows and fire-bomb pillar boxes. It’s
dangerous, it’s exhilarating, it’s ground-breaking: and in 2017 the
amazing story of York’s suffragettes will be told for the first time.
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Everything is Possible is York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre’s
latest large-scale community production. The play will be
performed on a spectacular scale with a cast of around 150.
The performance will start outdoors before moving onto the
stage at York Theatre Royal. Join us as we raise the purple,
green and white flags and cry “Votes for Women”!
Tuesday 20 June – Saturday 1 July 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £25 - £13
STUDIO
Maiden Speeches
An evening of discussion and debate with local politicians and
artists, including a short extract from Maiden Speeches, a new
play currently in development by local writer, Hannah Davies,
directed by Eleanor Rhode, which looks at the challenges facing
women working in British politics today.
Friday 21 April 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: Free
MAIN HOUSE
Jay Rayner: The Ten (Food) Commandments
The Ten Commandments have little to offer when it comes to the
business of how and what we eat. Award-winning restaurant
critic and Masterchef judge Jay Rayner has decided it’s time to
act. Join him in this audio-visual romp as he explains why thou
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shalt always eat with thy hands and why thou should most
definitely worship leftovers.
Thursday 6 July 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £17.50
MAIN HOUSE
J-night presents
Snake Davis: Sax Classics
Saxophonist Snake Davis and band perform classics like Baker
Street, Harlem Nocturne and his own solos Million Love songs
and Moving on Up in an exhilarating show.
Friday 7 July 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £23 - £15
MAIN HOUSE
Anne Reid: I Love to Sing
Anne Reid and her musical director Jason Carr present an
evening of songs and stories. Reid is one of Britain’s most loved
and respected actors, star of the very popular Last Tango in
Halifax, Ladies of Letters, Dinnerladies and The Mother. What is
less well known is her life as a cabaret performer.
Saturday 8 July 2017
7.30pm
30
Tickets: £21
STUDIO
Displace Yourself Theatre presents
Food For Thought
Join us as we examine the influence of the fast-food industry in
the distinctive form of Displace Yourself: projection, performance
and fiery movement. Working in the UK and Europe, the
company looks into one of the most important issues of our time.
Friday 21 July - Saturday 8 July 2017
7.45pm
Tickets: £14
MAIN HOUSE
Phizzical in association with Belgrade Theatre Company and
Vivacity Key Theatre present
Bring on the Bollywood
Dr Katrina Pawar is compelled to return to her dysfunctional
ancestral home at the foothills of the Himalayas for her younger
brother Luck’s wedding. She is blissfully unaware of the mischief
and mayhem that awaits her as her estranged mother lines up
eligible suitors in this heart-warming romantic musical comedy.
Bring on the Bollywood fizzes and whizzes with high energy
dance, sizzle and bristles and teases with comedy, makes you
want to laugh and sing, and tickles you with a colourful story that
could be a cousin of The Comedy of Errors or Twelfth Night.
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Tuesday 11 July - Saturday 15 July 2017
7.30pm
Tickets: £28 - £14
MAIN HOUSE
York Theatre Royal presents
Robin Hood: The Arrow of Destiny
by Richard Hurford
Directed by Damian Cruden
It’s all very well stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but
when you have no sense of direction then mayhem ensues!
Robin Hood is lost in Sherwood Forest. It’s not his fault; there
are after all a lot of trees. But once again it falls to Maid Marian
to save the day and get him and the Merry Men out of a scrape.
They may wear the tights, but Marian certainly wears the
trousers!
Join us this summer for a swashbuckling show for all the family
as our team of actor musicians re-tell this classic story of
heroism, valour and the power of a strong woman with music,
song and slapstick humour. This show will delight audiences of
all ages; will Marian reach her target and will she set Robin’s
heart aquiver?
Friday 4 August - Saturday 2 September 2017
7pm with matinees Wednesday to Saturday at 2.30pm
Tickets: £24.50 - £14
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Outlaw School
Robin Hood is looking to recruit the most brave, cunning and
loyal outlaws for his infamous band of merry men and women. If
you are a master of disguise, can whittle a bow from the branch
of a tree and can wield a sword against a foe, then Robin is
looking for you!
11am - 12pm every matinee show day
Tickets: £5
Age: 7-12 years
BSL Performance Friday 1 September 7:30pm
Audio Described performances Thursday 31 August 7.30pm and
Saturday 2 September 2.30pm
Captioned performance Saturday 2 September 2.30pm
Relaxed Performance Thursday 31 August 2pm
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Activities and Events
YORK CASTLE MUSEUM
Forward To Victory
by Rachel Barnett
Five York lads, all called Tommy, dream of being soldiers and
heading off to do their duty at the front. Meanwhile life at home
in York is deeply affected by the war. Join the Tommys as they
navigate their way through the streets of York in the First World
War. Forward To Victory is a promenade performance through
the streets of Kirkgate.
Thursday 30 March to Saturday 1st April 2017
6.30pm and 8.30pm
Tickets £8 adult / £6 child
YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY THEATRE 3
Fugee
by Abi Morgan
Kojo is 14 but no one believes him; he’s just one of the
unaccompanied minors arriving in London, abandoned on the
streets of the UK. Ara’s from Baghdad and still hears the bombs
at night. Cheung can do back flips and is from a village in China
that is more than a thousand years old. Orphans in London, they
are the only family they have now. Together they tell Kojo’s
story; a story of lost childhood, tall trees and a murder by a child
that everyone says is a man.
Thursday 20 April to Saturday 22 April 2017
7pm and 9pm
Tickets: £10 adult / £8 child
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STUDIO
The Boggle
John’s dad has given him dire warning about the strnage
creature that lives on their farm. So when John forgets to feed
the Boggle, he is breaking one of the key rules he has been
given. As the mischievous and strange Boggle wreaks havoc,
John must set out for adventure and mayhem in faraway lands.
Saturday 29 April 2017
11am and 3pm
Tickets: £10 adult / £6 child
MAIN HOUSE
What Country Friend, Is This?
York Regional Associate Schools Festival explores the themes
of migration, separation and identity in extracts from
Shakespeare’s shipwreak trilogy: The Tempest, Twelfth Night
and A Comedy of Errors.
York Theatre Royal is a regional partner of the Royal
Shakespeare Company’s Associate Schools programme,
working alongside York High School, Acomb Primary, Westfield
Community Primary, Heworth CE Primary, Poppleton Road
Primary, Clifton Green Primary, Joseph Rowntree School,
Fulford School ad Applefields School.
Tuesday 9 May 2017
6.30pm
Tickets: £6 adult / £4 child
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Adult Theatre Workshop
Little Plays about Whispers, Loyalty and Lies
This is a term focusing on taking an original idea through to
performance. Working alongside playwrights Hannah Davies
and director Michael Lambourne, participants will be part of
creating a new series of thematically linked plays performed in
the York Theatre Royal Studio.
Workshop time: Mondays 7.30pm to 9pm
£120 per term
LAMDA Examinations
Would you like to stand up in front of a group and overcome your
stage fright? Be more confident on stage, move well, have a
clear loud voice and awaken your imagination? Then sign up to
LAMDA.
Courses run during the academic term, with an optional exam
and a performance in July.
Musical Theatre course: £100 per term
Mondays 6pm to 7pm
Age range: 9 to 12 years
Storymakers
Mud Pie Arts’ Storymakers is now in its seventh glorious year!
Bring your pre-schooler to our unique picture book play session.
First, we get sticky at the craft table, then onto role play and
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make-believe. A new book is revealed each week and you can
take the craft home to tell it over again.
Summer term: 26 April, 3, 10, 17 and 24 May, 7, 14, 21 and
28 June, 5 July 2017
10.15am to 11.30am
£5 per session
Age range: 2 to 5 years
Access Groups
Access All Areas Teens
This is a small and friendly referral-only drama group for young
people aged 12 – 16 years who would not usually access
mainstream Youth Theatre for a variety of reasons. We meet
every Tuesday evening to explore drama and theatre in a safe
and supportive environment.
Access All Areas Adults
This is an accessible drama group for learning-disabled adults.
We meet every Thursday morning for a two-hour drama
workshop at York Theatre Royal where we explore all aspects of
theatre in a safe, friendly and supportive environment.
Please contact Paula Clark, Creative Skills Promoter
[email protected] for information
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Hire the De Grey Rooms
De Grey Rooms can seat up to 130 guests for a formal dinner or
up to 160 guests for a more casual event.
For more information, availability or to talk through any specific
enquiries, contact our events team by visiting
www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Support Us
As a charity we rely on support from the public, corporates,
sponsors and trusts. This support gives us the platform on which
to build an organisation that continues to offer exciting and
relevant theatre to the next generation and beyond.
Membership
See more theatre for less money! Membership is a great way for
you to see more productions for less money and enjoy discounts
in our fabulous new café, bistro and bar while also supporting
areas of your local theatre’s work.
Benefits:
Two free tickets (one per production) to any two different
productions throughout the year
15% off two tickets for every show throughout the year
10% off at the café, bistro and bar
Free ticket exchange
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No transaction fee when purchasing tickets
Great savings can be made with York Theatre Royal
membership. For more information and prices, please visit our
website www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Friends
The Friends of York Theatre Royal is a social group that shares
a passion for the arts and supports the theatre through
fundraising activities. They are always looking for new members.
More details can be found on our website
www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Stage Partners
Stage Partners offers an excellent way for companies to
promote their offer to our audiences, while supporting one of the
UK’s leading regional producing theatres and enjoying a range
of exclusive benefits. Contact
[email protected]
1744 Club
Play your part in the continuing success of York Theatre Royal
by joining the 1744 Club to receive exclusive benefits for as little
as £8 a month. Your donation could provide Youth Theatre
membership to a disadvantaged child, offer an up-and-coming
director a placement on one of our productions, or fund a script
development workshop for a new play. You can join by
contacting fundraising on [email protected]
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Legacy Giving
Anyone can leave a gift in their will – this special and personal
bequest can be of any size and support any aspect of our work.
You can either leave a specific sum of money or a proportion of
your estate once family and friends have been cared for.
Leaving a gift in your will is also an important tax-effective
device, which can benefit you and your heirs.
Whether you would like to support new productions, our
education and outreach programme or simply want to ensure
audiences can enjoy our work for years to come, leaving a gift in
your will is a relatively simple process, and would mean so much
to all who enjoy our theatre. Speak to your solicitor or
professional advisor about including a gift in your will.
Contact [email protected] for more details.
Artist Development
We’re passionate about developing talent. As part of our artist
development scheme, we’ve got lots of exciting opportunities
across the season to get involved. We are committed to
supporting new artists and companies in the region by
developing their ideas and work at York Theatre Royal.
Be SpectACTive!
Be SpecACTive! is a European project involving some of the
most innovative European organisations working on active
spectatorship in contemporary performing arts. Across the
programme, there will be 21 new theatre and dance shows, 54
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creative residencies, 30 workshops and 4 international
conferences.
Sustained Theatre Programme
The Sustained Theatre Programme will support and develop
black theatre professionals working in the north by increasing
access to local, national and international networks and creating
new opportunities for black artists. Led by Eclipse Theatre
Company with a consortium of cultural organisations, including
York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre.
Costume Hire
Our Costume Hire department is just the place to find the perfect
outfit for a school play, a pantomime or a themed event. We
stock everything from authentic ball gowns and dainty tea
dresses to giant animal costumes, accessories and wigs. Prices
start from just £5 per week.
Costume hire is located in the De Grey Rooms.
Opening times:
Tuesdays 10am to 4pm
Saturdays 10am to 4pm
And by appointment only, Thursdays 10am to 2pm
Please check the website for bank holiday opening hours.
Contact 01904 715444
[email protected]
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Booking Information
In Person
York Theatre Royal, St Leoanrds Place, York, YO1 7HD
Box Office opening times:
Monday 10am to 5pm
Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 8pm (6pm on non-performance
days)
Sunday closed
By Phone
01904 623568
On line
www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Tickets can be posted out for a £1.50 charge. Print at home
tickets and smartphone scanning are both available. Tickets can
be held at Box Office for collection. Unpaid reservations will be
released for sale 30 minutes before the performance start time.
Tickets are non-refundable. Unwanted tickets can be presented
to Box Office 24 hours before the performance for resale;
however unsold tickets will take priority.
Pot-luck and standby tickets
Book an unreserved £15 tickets for selected performances
online and you will be allocated to the best available seat in the
house. £8 standby tickets are also available on the day of a
selected performance for students and unwaged audience
members, subject to availability.
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Concessions
Concessions where applicable apply to over 60s, those in
receipt of means tested benefits and full time students. We offer
concessions for registered disabled people and half-price
companion tickets. Discounts are available to MaxCard holders
on selected shows. Please see website for more details.
Groups
Groups of 10 or more receive a £2 discount per ticket. School
discounts are available, please check with Box Office.
Access
Please state at the time of booking if you require wheelchair
access, audio described equipment, the hearing loop or would
like to be seated in view of the sign language interpreter or
captioning unit. The dress circle and theatre bar are accessible
via a lift.
Transaction Fee
A single transaction fee of £1.50 applies to all non-cash
payments over £6. This fee does not apply to theatre Members
or Friends.
Travel
By Train
Turn left from the main entrance of the station and continue
along the road and under the city walls. Turn left and over
Lendal Bridge. You will see the Minster in front of you. At the
crossroads turn left and York Theatre Royal is in front of you on
the right and the De Grey Rooms are immediately adjacent.
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By Bus
A number of local bus services stop directly outside the theatre
including routes: 1, 2, 5, 5A, 6, 19, 29, 30, 31, 31X, 40, 56, 58,
812 and 884
By Car
The theatre does not have it’s own parking. The closest car park
is located two minutes away on Bootham Row.
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BOX OFFICE 01904 623568
yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
@YorkTheatre
Facebook.com/YorkTheatreRoyal
YouTube.com/YorkTheatreRoyal
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