All you need is love as York Theatre Royal reopens on 17 May

A celebration of York’s creativity, solo shows featuring Ralph Fiennes and Julie Hesmondhalgh, a new drama about writer Graham Greene and spy Kim Philby, and Strindberg’s Miss Julie transposed to 1940s Hong Kong are among highlights in our reopening season, The Love Season.

We’ll reopen our doors on May 17 with Love Bites, celebrating local artists – poets, performers, singers, dancers, digital artists – who have been commissioned to write love letters celebrating the return to live performances following the easing of government restrictions. Former Look North presenter Harry Gration will host the evening which has a “Pay What You Feel” ticket policy.

Our Creative Director, Juliet Forster, said: “For these very special performances which mark the full re-opening of York Theatre Royal after over a year of closure, we are joining forces with the remarkable talent of many of York’s finest artists to put together an evening of live performance.

“Drawing on a range of art forms and disciplines, Love Bites will explore the idea of love letters, dedicated to people, places, things, actions, occupations (and much, much more!) in a multitude of ways, all presented in the shape of 5-minute specially commissioned bite sized chunks”.

The Love Season continues with The HandleBards recounting in their own inimitable way the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet (25 & 26 May), created by three actors cooped up together during lockdown. The result is an unhinged and bonkers, laugh-out-loud version of Shakespeare’s story of star-crossed lovers.

Following sellout performances in the UK and Australia York’s very own drag superstar Velma Celli brings Love Is Love: A Brief History of Drag (29 May) to our stage in an electrifying cabaret performance promising heavenly vocals, theatrical swagger and razor sharp wit.

Multi award-winning, BAFTA- nominated actress Julie Hesmondhalgh stars in The Greatest Play in the History of the World (1-5 June), which is touring northern dates after a sellout Edinburgh Festival run and transferring to Manchester and London’s West End. The play was written for Julie by her Brentwood Award-winning writer husband, Ian Kershaw.

In This Time (8-9 June) the award-winning circus theatre company Ockham’s Razor present a unique take on the trapeze act in a show about time, age and the stories we tell ourselves.

Favourite characters from the hit TV show take to the stage in Twirlywoos Live! (11-13 June) in a show for ages 1+. Also for young audiences comes The Snail and the Whale (2 & 3 July), inspired by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved picture book. This Tall Stories show is for ages 4+.

Red Ladder Theatre stage The Damned United (16 June), adapted from David Peace’s novel by Anders Lustgarten and telling the story of Brian Clough’s time as manager of Leeds United.

Strindberg’s classic Miss Julie (22-26 June), directed by Dadiow Lin, has been adapted by British-Hong Kong writer Amy Ng into a politically-charged story set in 1940s Hong Kong. “Vital, timely adaptation of Strindberg’s play” was the verdict in a 5-star review from The Stage.

Direct from the West End, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical (30 June) will deliver spontaneous musical comedy.

Oliver Ford-Davies and Stephen Boxer star in Ben Brown’s new political drama A Splinter of Ice (6-10 July), presented by the Original Theatre Company. Olivier Award winning Ford Davies plays the writer Graham Greene who travels into the heart of the Soviet Union to meet his old MI6 boss Kim Philby.

Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in the world premiere of T S Eliot’s Four Quartets (26-31 July). This solo theatre adaptation features Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages and Little Giddings which were published together in 1943. The quartet ranges across themes of time, nature and the elements, faith and spirituality, war and mortality.

HOW TO BOOK

Members’ 10-day priority booking opens Friday (9 April), Members’ 5-day priority booking on 14 April and general bookings open 19 April – all from 12noon.

Tickets can be purchased online on our website or through our Box Office, which will be open for telephone bookings from 14 April, 12noon to 3pm Monday to Saturday and in person from April 15, 12noon to 3pm Thursday to Saturday.

SEE IT SAFELY

We are proud to be See It Safely approved by Society Of London Theatre & UK Theatre, so you can feel confident and safe knowing that we are COVID-secure and following the latest government and performing arts guidelines. For detailed information about the ways we are welcoming audiences back safely, visit our keeping you safe page.