York Theatre Royal have today (15 April) announced that a new large-scale community production will take place during the summer of 2025.
Focusing on the life of York social reformer and philanthropist Seebohm Rowntree, research volunteers are being sought to delve into the fascinating history of the period and the life of this famous York figure to shape the theme of the production.
Volunteers will be working to support playwrights Misha Duncan-Barry and Bridget Foreman, who will be developing the script for the brand-new show. Bridget’s writing credits include previous YTR community productions Everything Is Possible: The York Suffragettes and In Fog and Falling Snow (co-written with Mike Kenny) and Misha is a playwright in residence at YTR and was the Assistant Director on the 2023 community production Sovereign.
An event will take place in the Studio at York Theatre Royal on 2nd May at 7PM to find out more about what the research project entails, including practical tips on research skills. Volunteers are invited to sign up on the website here.
Juliet Forster, Creative Director of York Theatre Royal, who will co-direct the show said: “The idea for making a community production about Seebohm Rowntree came from consultation with our community and was suggested by two different people – this project has been community-led right from the very beginning and we want to continue in this way. Working with the local community to bring to life these epic productions is truly such a joy for us and by involving volunteers at this early stage to get their input on the story and ideas for the script, we believe it will help us co-create something really special. This period of history is fascinating and there are so many different areas we can explore together.”
A new fundraising campaign ‘I love community theatre’ has also launched this week which calls for donations to help the theatre continue to make accessible, community theatre for all. Details on how to donate can be found here.
The theatre has a long history of large-scale community productions, most recently with Sovereign (2023) and The Coppergate Woman (2022) – both of which brought together hundreds of volunteers in areas on and off-stage including wardrobe, marketing, fundraising and production. Further opportunities to volunteer with the project will be announced later this year.
Involvement from local community groups is welcomed too and if you run or work with a group that would love to be involved and would benefit from extra support please contact YTR’s Community Connector Lydia at lydia.crosland@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Tickets for the production will go on sale later in 2024.
Image credit: Cast of community production Sovereign in 2023 – by Charlotte Graham.
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