This Summer the studio at York Theatre Royal is once again being transformed into cabaret club The Old Paint Shop for an exciting season of shows. The season opens with a joyful celebration of Pride as we showcase a variety of work from queer artists, following York Pride on 30 May. Expect new writing from award – winning artists, an uplifting story time for the whole family and a Pride month party!
The season continues with a mix of Old Paint Shop favourites and exciting new acts, performing an eclectic mix of comedy, live music, burlesque and more.
Seating will be cabaret club style and unreserved offering a unique, intimate theatrical experience where audience members are encouraged to grab a drink at the bar, sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
04 June – Queer Spaces
Join us for a sparkling one-off night of brand-new LGBTQ+ performances. Created by actors, poets and writers, the line-up includes award-winning artists trying out new material for the first time.
Produced by Yorkshire’s queer touring theatre company, Roots (Happy Meal – Fringe First), with all proceeds going towards their support of new local artists.
05 June – 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche (sold out)
It’s 1956 and The Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein are having their annual quiche breakfast. As the assembled ‘widows’ await the announcement of the society’s prize-winning quiche, the atomic bomb sirens sound! Has the Communist threat come to pass? How will the ‘widows’ respond as their idyllic town and lifestyle faces attacks? Winner of a national ‘Best Amateur Production’ award after a sell-out run at Theatre@41 in York in 2024, 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche is a tasty recipe of hysterical laughs, sexual innuendos, unsuccessful repressions, and delicious discoveries.
06 June – Story Time with Mama G
Mama G will be sharing original stories and songs, and some of the best picture books on the market, in an uplifting story time for the whole family. There’ll be dancing and giggles galore as Mama G shares the power of being who you want and loving who you are!
Described as “Everyone’s favourite pantomime dame” (Metro), Mama G has been telling stories since 2018. In that time, she has been a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent, performed her show Off-Broadway, and performed at libraries, festivals, prides, museums and theatres all over the UK.
Suitable for ages 3+
06 June – Haus of Games: Pride Month Party
Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for turbulence, darling — The Isolation Creations are back and ready to take you sky-high with their old-school drag spectacular, Haus of Games.
This time, our Trolley Dollies are taking you on a first-class flight full of bingo, party games, music, and mayhem — all served with that signature blend of Carry On-style comedy, retro glamour, and outrageous charm.
Expect a camp fest of fun, fabulous prizes, and more double entendres than an in-flight safety demo. Think Lily Savage meets Dame Edna, with more than a splash of Les Dawson.
Join us in celebrating Pride Month the only way we know how — with laughter, glitter, and a generous serving of nonsense at 30,000 feet.
Dress code: Seaside Summer Holiday or Mile High Club chic — prizes for the best-dressed passengers!
10 June – Red
International cabaret siren Amber Topaz brings you a brand new, classy, sassy, fabulous musical revue, celebrating redheaded musical theatre stars of stage and screen.
A delicious cocktail of Old Hollywood glamour, West End and Broadway classics. Full to the brim with iconic show-stopping numbers, honouring these formidable flame haired trailblazers that have shaped musical theatre herstory.
From the golden era of Hollywood to the bright lights of Vegas. Embodying legendary artists such as Rita Hayworth, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Shirley MacLaine, Gwen Verdon and many more.
Choreographed and directed by Nikki Woollaston (Old Friends Associate Director, West End & Broadway, Resident Director Les Misérables Worldwide Area Tour)
11 June – Wright & Grainger Say it and Play it
Local lads Wright & Grainger bring a carefully curated evening of stories, poems, songs and gentle chaos to York Theatre Royal’s Old Paint Shop. Known for their internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning adaptations of Ancient Greek myths, sometimes they do something a bit different. This is a set full of their shorter stuff, the collaborative stuff, the poems that stand on their own, the beautiful tracks they’ve been writing. It’s a gorgeous weave of their home-grown stuff, grown and told on home turf.
12 June – Tracey Collins – An Evening with Elvis Lesley
Join award-winning comedian Tracey Collins (Shell Suit Cher, Audrey Heartburn) as she brings her electric musical comedy show to the stage.
This hilarious one woman show follows Elvis Lesley as they prepare to leave their day job in the UK and gyrate their way back to the bright lights of Las Vegas! Featuring brilliantly reworked songs, surreal stories, heart-stopping hip gyrations, and a whole lotta chaos.
Will they nail that famous lip curl, sensuous croon, and jiggly legs? Come and find out — and witness Elvis as you’ve never seen them before!
13 June – The Jazzville Quartet with Kirsty Hughes
York-based jazz combo, The Jazzville Quartet, are delighted to present an evening led by the fabulous Kirsty Hughes. London-based Kirsty sings in a variety of styles and settings, including West End shows and cabaret. Kirsty is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music. She will be showcasing her love of Judy Garland and the great jazz singers in an intimate cabaret-style performance.
Joining Kirsty is a top class band consisting of piano maestro, arranger and composer, Alec Robinson, along with Alex Fisher on saxophone, Tim Murgatroyd on double bass and Steve Hanley on drums.
The band will be exploring the Great American Songbook in a joyful celebration of swing and Latin classics and haunting jazz ballads. Expect an unforgettable evening of music played with passion – along with a few surprises!
17 June – Neil Haigh’s Comedy Masterclass Ruined by Stewart Wright
Neil Haigh’s Comedy Masterclass Ruined By Stewart Wright combines clowning, improvisation and theatrical storytelling.
A beleaguered acting lecturer channels twenty years of disappointment into a one-off Masterclass amidst a backdrop of professional pressure and personal crisis…will a surprise guest be his ruin or saviour?
Neil Haigh’s experience with groundbreaking theatre company Cartoon de Salvo and Stewart Wright’s 30 years as a comic character actor (Smack the Pony, Bridget Jones’s Diary) combine exquisitely into the most perfect of stage duos. York audiences may remember Stewart Wright from his role as Welsh welfare officer Sergeant Dave in Military Wives- The Musical last September. With BAFTA-nominated Justin Sbresni as comedy consultant, this is a rare and unique treat of an evening out.
18 June – Rock Paper Goose
Rock Paper Goose are an indie pop band based in York, comprising multi-instrumentalists Nathan Greaves (vocals, guitar, synth) and Olly Whitehouse (vocals, synth, bass). They write catchy melodies over the top of infectious, colourful music that takes inspiration in equal parts from Rock, Pop and EDM to create a sound that is uniquely their own, with a life-affirming live show full of playful energy and joy. They released their debut album Okay! in September 2025 and will be playing a mix of these songs alongside new, unreleased music.
19 June – Velvet Jazz Night with Luka Watabe
Step into the glamorous evening with Luka Watabe and her professional jazz musicians. Expect a stunning Old Hollywood glamour complementing her rich, smooth vocal styling. The sophisticated repertoire features classic jazz standards and modern songs delivered with a sleek jazz twist. This will be a truly memorable night of world-class music.
20 June – Freida Nipples presents…The Exhibitionists (sold out)
Join York’s own Internationally Award-Winning Burlesque Artist Freida Nipples as she welcomes some of her favourite and most fabulous performance artists from across the UK and further afield to YTR this June.
From Burlesque to Drag and beyond, be sure to expect the unexpected. Get ready to be dazzled, shocked and in awe by these performers. Only a few things are guaranteed, glamour, gags and giggles. Get ready to explore the world of The Exhibitionists.
25 June – Thorpe and Morrison
Thorpe and Morrison (Harry Thorpe and Sean Morrison) are a contemporary fiddle/guitar duo formed in Birmingham, UK. They have toured around the United Kingdom and Europe to critical acclaim.
Having played together for over six years, this aspiring young duo have developed a joyful, sensitive and energetic approach to the music they create, and hope these sensibilities can be shared with others throughout the journey as they continue to grow. Their most recent album, Grass and Granite, was nominated by Fatea Records for instrumental album of the year 2024.
26 June – Karl Mullen
York favourite Karl — the upright-piano busker and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion — serves up a hilarious, high-energy mix from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging and piano busking.
Find out more information here.
You might also be interested in...
