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Theatre on an epic scale
Our community productions, involving hundreds of participants of all ages and backgrounds, have been a huge part of what we do since 2011. As well as offering the people of York the opportunity to get involved in theatre on a truly epic scale, these productions transport audiences to new places and show the city of York in a new light.
His Last Report
Local story with a national impact
His Last Report is the latest of York Theatre Royal’s celebrated community productions, made in association with Riding Lights Theatre and with our partners Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors.
York Theatre Royal presents a stunning community production that brings together a large-scale cast and a live choir, to tell a local story with national impact.
His Last Report, Tue 22 Jul - Sun 03 Aug
Get your tickets for our next epic community production
Sweet Legacies
Exploring the Rowntree family's legacy
Sweet Legacies is a creative and inclusive project exploring and sharing the Rowntree family’s history and legacy through the perspectives of diverse groups across York.
Working alongside His Last Report, this project engages community groups by supporting them in creatively expressing their connections to the Rowntree story. Participants use creative mediums such as music, theatre, dance, film, or cooking to share their insights, culminating in a range of sharings. The project aims to foster meaningful connections to York’s heritage, giving participants a sense of ownership and relevance.
Their stories and ideas have been preserved as a digital asset, ensuring that new and diverse perspectives illuminate the Rowntree legacy for today’s society.
Funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Past productions
Our previous community productions
Sovereign adapted by Mike Kenny, performed at Kings Manor (2023)
The Coppergate Woman by Maureen Lennon, performed on the Main Stage at York Theatre Royal (2022)
Everything Is Possible: The York Suffragettes by Bridget Foreman, a York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre co-production, performed on the Main Stage at York Theatre Royal and the streets of York (2017)
The Beggar’s Opera (The Secret Bank Holiday Play) by John Gay, adapted by Richard Hurford and Philip Goulding, performed on the Main Stage at York Theatre Royal (2016)
In Fog and Falling Snow by Bridget Foreman and Mike Kenny, a York Theatre Royal, National Railway Museum and Pilot Theatre co-production, performed at the National Railway Museum (2015)
Blood + Chocolate by Mike Kenny, a York Theatre Royal, Slung Low and Pilot Theatre co-production, performed on the streets of York (2013)
York Mystery Plays adapted by Mike Kenny, a partnership between Pilot Theatre, York Theatre Royal, York Museums Trust, and Riding Lights Theatre Company, performed in the York Museum Gardens (2012)
Two Planks and a Passion by Anthony Minghella, a York Theatre Royal and Riding Lights Theatre Company co-production, performed in the round on the Main Stage at York Theatre Royal (2011)
Sovereign (2023), photo by Charlotte Graham
Everything is Possible (2017), photo by Ant Robling
In Fog and Falling Snow (2015)
Blood + Chocolate (2013)
