York Theatre Royal

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

Last Updated 26 January 2022

York Theatre Royal, St. Leonard's Place, York, YO1 7HD – Visit Now

York Theatre Royal has been producing great drama in the beautiful city of York for over 270 years and is one of the country’s leading theatres. Each year the theatre entertains over 200,000 people with its wide variety of performances, events and activities including the much loved annual pantomime starring Berwick Kaler, the UK’s longest-running Dame.

One of the country’s leading theatres, each year the York Theatre Royal entertains over 200,000 people

Re-opened in 2016 following a five-million-pound redevelopment, the theatre is a nationally important centre for the dramatic arts, well established since its inception in the 1700s. The building itself is an 18th-century structure built on top of the medieval St Leonard’s Hospital, incorporating gothic arches and awe-inspiring pillars. Victorian additions include statuettes of Elizabeth the First and Shakespearean characters.

Seasons often run thematically, for example a recent one was a run of plays from diverse periods and places, all on the theme of love and human connection. Comedy events represent another key arrow in the York Theatre Royal’s quiver, with the likes of Stewart Lee ready to induce belly laughs in the spring, alongside spoken-word nights and family events.

Also on the horizon is a new, fully accessible patio area, which will double up as an outdoor performance space. Tom Bird, chief executive of York Theatre Royal, said: “We’re aiming to create a new outdoor space for the people of York. The patio, overlooked by both York Minster and Patrick Gwynne’s iconic 1967 theatre foyer, will be a refreshed, welcoming and verdant urban space for all the community to use.”

This outdoor space will no doubt bring new kinds of performance to York Theatre Royal, and, especially during the summer months, it promises to be a great new addition to the city’s community spaces.