Amabile Clarinet Trio: Playing innovative programme at York Late Music concert
HAMLET on a sinking ship, family politics on a calamitous wedding day and artists’ studios opening on two weekends are the headline acts on Charles Hutchinson’s latest bill of arts delights.
Classical concert of the week: York Late Music presents Amabile Clarinet Trio, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, April 11, 7.30pm
THE Amabile Clarinet Trio – York clarinettist Lesley Schatzberger, cellist Nicola Tait Baxter and pianist Paul Nicholson – presents an innovative programme featuring two premieres plus Thea Musgrave’s Canta Canta!, patron Nicola LeFanu’s Lullaby and Nocturne, American composer Robert Muczynski’s rarely played Fantasy Trio and the first York performance ofAlexander von Zemlinsky’s Trio in D minor.
The UK premiere of David Lancaster’s Canzone Sospesoand a world premiere from composer David Power will be complemented by a set of Morris newly transcribed by York composer Steve Crowther. Lancaster gives a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm, to be enjoyed with a complimentary glass of wine or juice. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
Lesley Jones and Steve Coates: Teaming up for the last time for Swing When You Sing
Farewell concert of the week: Steve Coates Music Productions present Swing When You Sing, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 12, 7.30pm
BEV Jones Music Company and The Jubilee Celebration Singers producer Lesley Jones bids farewell to the York stage after 20 years of mounting shows with Swing When You Sing, presented with Steve Coates Music Productions.
Alan Owens’s 16-piece big band will be joined on stage by singers Ruth McNeil, Annabel van Griethuysen, Hayley Bamford, Johanna Hartley, Adele Barlow, Larry Gibson, Terry Ford, Stephen Wilson, David Hartley and Geoff Walker to perform Rat Pack, Minnie The Moocher, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Under The Sea, Cheek To Cheek, Sway (Latin), Fever, Mr Bojangles, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black and Sing, Sing, Sing (with Bob Fosse-style dancing). “Varied? Yes! Upbeat? Yes! Emotional? Yes!” says Lesley. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
The poster for the launch of Bishy Road Community Choir
Start-up of the week: Bishy Road Community Choir, Stables Yoga Centre, Nunmill Street, York, from April 13
THE Stables Yoga Centre and Rachel Davies are setting up the Bishy Road Community Choir to run on Mondays from 5pm to 5.50pm at £5 a session from April 13. This welcoming, musically accessible group will use song to promote happiness, wellbeing and community. No experience or musical skills are needed; only enthusiasm to try feel-good singing. To book a place, visit stablesyoga.co.uk/timetable.
Wedded bliss amid wedding-day blisters: Darren Barrott’s Marek and Joy Warner’s Sylvia in York Actors Collective’s Till The Stars Come Down
Family politics of the week: York Actors Collective in Till The Stars Come Down, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April14 to 18, 7.30pm, Tuesday to Friday; 2pm and 6pm, Saturday
PREMIERED at the National Theatre in 2024 and now receiving its York premiere, Beth Steel’s contemporary British family drama is set on the wedding day of Sylvia and Marek in a South Yorkshire mining town.
Directed by Angie Millard, Till The Stars Come Down explores the tumultuous dynamics of a working-class family in a changing world of economic decline and political shifts as long-held secrets, passions, and tensions surrounding class, immigration, and social change spill over into chaos and tragedy. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Ralph Davis’s Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, set on a sinking ship, on tour at York Theatre Royal
Titanic anniversary event of the week: Royal Shakespeare Company in Hamlet, York Theatre Royal, April 14 to 18,7pm plus 1.30pm, April 16 and 2pm, April 18
LET director Rupert Goold introduces the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, starring Ralph Davis, as the tour sets sail for York on the 114th anniversary of the Titanic’s descent to the depths. “Our production is set aboard a ship but one that is soon to founder, going down with all hands,” he says.
“Its inspiration comes from the most famous sinking in history, and just as that icy tragedy came to pass in a little over two and a half hours, our play takes place in real time and for about as long, as much catastrophic thriller as poetic meditation. This production asks what it means to be human and decisive when time is running out.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Jan Brierton and Henry Normal: Poetic humour at Milton Rooms, Malton
Poetry at the double: Edge Street Live presents Henry Normal and Jan Brierton, Milton Rooms, Malton, April 16, 7.30pm
WRITER, poet, television & film producer and Manchester Poetry Festival founder Henry Normal is joined by Dubliner Jan Brierton for an evening of poetry and humour. Normal, whose credits include co-writing The Mrs Merton Show and the first series of The Royle Family, will be reading from his new book A Quiet Promise.
Brierton riffs on modern life, love and friendships, wellness and ageing, rage and domestic exasperation in her poetic reflections on being a wife, mother, daughter, sister and retired raver, plus plenty of stuff about tea, lipstick and biscuits. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Aggers & Tuffers: The chatter of cricket and the clatter of wickets at York Barbican
Not just cricket: Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell in An Audience With Aggers & Tuffers, York Barbican, April 16, 7.30pm
TEST Match Special commentator-and-pundit duo Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell take to the road for more cricket chat from beyond the boundary. Former Leicestershire and England fast bowler and three-decade BBC cricket correspondent Aggers teams up anew with record-breaking former England spin bowler and crowd favourite Tuffers, who gives his spin on his maverick playing days and second wind as a media personality on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, Strictly Come Dancing and A Question Of Sport. Box office update: limited availability at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Maureen Onwunali: Slam champ spinning words at Say Owt
Slam champ of the week: Say Owt presents Maureen Onwunali, The Crescent, York, April 17, 7.30pm
YORK spoken-word collective Sat Owt’s guest poet for April’s gathering will be Dublin-born Nigerian poet and two-time national slam champion Maureen Onwunali.
Rich with political observations and carefully crafted verse, her work has been featured by musicians, radio shows and organisations, such as the British Film Institute, Penguin, BBC, Roundhouse, Apples and Snakes, Obsidian Foundation and the Poetry Society. Box office: seetickets.com/event/say-owt-slam-featuring-maureen-onwunali/the-crescent/3588134.
Jacqueline James: Demonstrating her hand-woven rug-making in Rosslyn Street, Clifton, at York Open Studios
Art event of the month: York Open Studios, York and beyond, April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm
ARTISTS and makers involved in York Open Studios are putting the final touches to their workplaces and studios within York and a ten-mile radius of the city, in readiness to welcome visitors across two weekends.
This annual event offers the chance to gain a sneak peek into where the artists work, their methods and inspirations, whether a regular participant or the 27 newcomers, spanning traditional and contemporary painting and print, illustration, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and photography. For more information, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk; access the interactive map at yorkopenstudios.co.uk/map.
Book launch event of the week: Michelle Hughes, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, The Harriet Room, York Cemetery, York, April 15, 6.30pm
Michelle Hughes at work on a linocut. Picture: Jackson Portraiture
YORK printmaker Michelle Hughes is holding a special evening to celebrate the launch of her book Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut and her upcoming tenth anniversary in business.
Published in February, Michelle’s beautifully illustrated book shares how to design, carve and print birds and wildlife using traditional linocut techniques, guiding readers from simple one-colour prints through to more advanced multi-colour methods, including jigsaw, reduction and multi-block printing.
“Whether you are completely new to linocut or already exploring printmaking, the book offers clear step-by-step guidance, practical tips and creative inspiration for capturing birds and wildlife in this rewarding craft,” says Michelle.
She started her creative business on June 1 2016 in the wake of her fourth redundancy. After a 25-year career in design, she decided to take a leap by working for herself.
The cover artwork for Michelle Hughes’s book Printings Birds and Wildlife in Linocut
What began with freelance graphic design and a few linocut prints has grown into a thriving creative practice. Today, Michelle creates limited-edition linocut prints, teaches in-person workshops, runs online courses for students around the world and produces commissions for organisations, including the National Trust.
What to expect at the event:
A short talk about Michelle’s journey to becoming a professional printmaker
Behind-the-scenes insights into how the book was created
The chance to see original prints and lino blocks featured in the book
A Q&A session about linocut printmaking
Book signing
Opportunity to buy signed copies
“Come and celebrate wildlife, printmaking and the joy of carving and printing by hand,” says Michelle, who will be participating in York Open Studios 2026 at Venue 37, in St Swithin’s Walk, Holgate, York, on April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm.
Oliver Davis, Amber Wadey, Connor Keetley and Abigail Bailey in The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. Picture: Pamela Raith
FROM a very hungry caterpillar to a life-changing musical, a Ritchie Blackmore tribute to Normal poetry, Charles Hutchinson looks on the bright side for spring joy.
Children’s show of the week: ROYO presents The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow, 2pm and 4pm; Friday and Saturday, 11am and 2pm
CREATED by Jonathan Rockefeller, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show features 75 lovable puppets in a faithful 50-minute adaptation of four stories by author/illustrator Eric Carle:Brown Bear, Brown Bear, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, The Very Busy Spider and the titular star of the show. In the cast will be Abigail Bailey, Oliver Davis, Connor Keetley and Amber Wadey. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Nic Cage Against The Machine: A tribute act like no other at The Crescent, York
York tribute act of the week: Nic Cage Against The Machine, The Crescent, York, Friday, 7.30pm
MOVE over Elvana, the covers- band conflation of Elvis and Nirvana. Here comes the even wilder Nic Cage Against The Machine, a tribute to Californian rock band Rage Against The Machine, fronted by an homage to Hollywood’s Nouveau Shamanic method actor supreme Nicolas Cage, with props. Leeds fun punks Moose Knuckle support. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Blackmore’s Blood: Celebrating the hard rock of Deep Purple and Rainbow
Ryedale tribute show of the week: Blackmore’s Blood, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm
BLACKMORE’S Blood exploded on to the scene in 2016 with its tribute to Ritchie Blackmore’s rock years with Deep Purple and Rainbow, combining an authentic sound with a flamboyant stage presence and thrilling theatrics.
Playing not only the classics, every performance is a time machine, transporting audiences back to the glory days of hard rock with electrifying riffs, soaring melodies and Blackmore swagger. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
York Stage cast members in Nik Briggs’s production of Come From Away. Picture: Matthew Kitchen
Musical of the week: York Stage in Come From Away, Grand Opera House, York, Friday to April 18, 7.30pm, except Sunday and Monday; 2.30pm, Saturday matinees; 4pm, Sunday matinee
NIK Briggs directs the York premiere of Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s Olivier and Tony Award-winning musical account of the real-life story of 7,000 air passengers being grounded in Canada in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, whereupon the small Newfoundland community of Gander invites these “come from aways” into their lives with open hearts.
Performed by a cast of 19, Come From Away is “more than just a musical,” says Briggs. “It’s a celebration of humanity, resilience and the power of community. Step into a world where kindness conquers all, brought to life with invigorating, electrifying music and stories that will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the goodness of people.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Cyril Raymond and Janet Morrison in the poster for Meaningful Films’ documentary Briefest Encounters at City Screen Picturehouse
Film event of the week: Brief Encounter, Briefest Encounters and Q&A, City Screen Picturehouse, York, Friday, 7pm
FRIDAY’S screening of the 80th anniversary restoration of David Lean’s Brief Encounter (PG) will be followed by North Rigton-raised journalist, researcher and filmmaker Joanna Crosse’s new documentary, uncovering the untold love story behind the 1945 film, revealing the hidden past of her grandfather, actor Cyril Raymond, who played Laura’s cuckolded husband Fred.
In an uncanny twist of fate, Raymond had a ‘brief encounter’ with actress Janet Morrison during a transatlantic stage production in 1929 that resulted in a child being born out of wedlock. Cinema myth meets lived experience in Briefest Encounters as interviews, letters, Raymond’s rediscovered diaries and archive material show how interrupted love, inherited silence and duty shaped family lives for generations. Crosse and fellow Meaningful Films filmmaker Luke Taylor will take part in a Q&A afterwards. Box office: picturehouses.com.
Classical pianist Julian Trevelyan: Performing at Helmsley Arts Centre
Classical concert of the week; Julian Trevelyan, Farewell Letters, Helmsley Arts Centre, April 11, 7.30pm
CONCERT pianist Julian Trevelyan performs regularly throughout Europe and in the UK. He moved to France after winning the 2015 Long-Thibaud-Crespin international competition at the age of 16, becoming the youngest prize-winner in the competition’s history. He has since won prizes at international piano competitions such as Leeds, Géza Anda & Horowitz. He will be performing works by Bach, Byrd, Oginski, Beethoven, Schönberg, Strauss/Trevelyan and Mozart. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Jan Brierton and Henry Norma:l: Teaming up for poetry and humour at Helmsley Arts Centre
Poetry at the double: Edge Street Live presents Henry Normal and Jan Brierton, Milton Rooms, Malton, April 16, 7.30pm
WRITER, poet, television & film producer and Manchester Poetry Festival founder Henry Normal is joined by Dubliner Jan Brierton for an evening of poetry and humour. Normal, whose credits include co-writing The Mrs Merton Show and the first series of The Royle Family, will be reading from his new book A Quiet Promise.
Brierton riffs on modern life, love and friendships, wellness and ageing, rage and domestic exasperation in her poetic reflections on being a wife, mother, daughter, sister and retired raver, plus plenty of stuff about tea, lipstick and biscuits. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Maureen Onwunali: Slam champion in action at Say Owt’s night of poetry at The Crescent in York
Slam champ of the week: Say Owt presents Maureen Onwunali, The Crescent, York, April 17, 7.30pm
YORK spoken-word collective Sat Owt’s guest poet for April’s gathering will be Dublin-born Nigerian poet and two-time national slam champion Maureen Onwunali.
Rich with political observations and carefully crafted verse, her work has been featured by musicians, radio shows and organisations, such as the British Film Institute, Penguin, BBC, Roundhouse, Apples and Snakes, Obsidian Foundation and the Poetry Society. Box office: seetickets.com/event/say-owt-slam-featuring-maureen-onwunali/the-crescent/3588134.
More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 14, from The York Press
Amabile Clarinet Trio: Playing innovative programme at York Late Music concert
HAMLET on a sinking ship, family politics on a calamitous wedding day and artists’ studios opening on two weekends are the headline acts on Charles Hutchinson’s latest bill of arts delights.
Classical concert of the week: York Late Music presents Amabile Clarinet Trio, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, April 11, 7.30pm
THE Amabile Clarinet Trio – York clarinettist Lesley Schatzberger, cellist Nicola Tait Baxter and pianist Paul Nicholson – presents an innovative programme featuring two premieres plus Thea Musgrave’s Canta Canta!, patron Nicola LeFanu’s Lullaby and Nocturne, American composer Robert Muczynski’s rarely played Fantasy Trio and the first York performance ofAlexander von Zemlinsky’s Trio in D minor.
The UK premiere of David Lancaster’s Canzone Sospesoand a world premiere from composer David Power will be complemented by a set of Morris newly transcribed by York composer Steve Crowther. Lancaster gives a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm, to be enjoyed with a complimentary glass of wine or juice. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
Lesley Jones and Steve Coates: Teaming up for the last time for Swing When You Sing
Farewell concert of the week: Steve Coates Music Productions present Swing When You Sing, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 12, 7.30pm
BEV Jones Music Company and The Jubilee Celebration Singers producer Lesley Jones bids farewell to the York stage after 20 years of mounting shows with Swing When You Sing, presented with Steve Coates Music Productions.
Alan Owens’s 16-piece big band will be joined on stage by singers Ruth McNeil, Annabel van Griethuysen, Hayley Bamford, Johanna Hartley, Adele Barlow, Larry Gibson, Terry Ford, Stephen Wilson, David Hartley and Geoff Walker to perform Rat Pack, Minnie The Moocher, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Under The Sea, Cheek To Cheek, Sway (Latin), Fever, Mr Bojangles, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black and Sing, Sing, Sing (with Bob Fosse-style dancing). “Varied? Yes! Upbeat? Yes! Emotional? Yes!” says Lesley. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
The poster for the launch of Bishy Road Community Choir
Start-up of the week: Bishy Road Community Choir, Stables Yoga Centre, Nunmill Street, York, from April 13
THE Stables Yoga Centre and Rachel Davies are setting up the Bishy Road Community Choir to run on Mondays from 5pm to 5.50pm at £5 a session from April 13. This welcoming, musically accessible group will use song to promote happiness, wellbeing and community. No experience or musical skills are needed; only enthusiasm to try feel-good singing. To book a place, visit stablesyoga.co.uk/timetable.
Wedded bliss amid wedding-day blisters: Darren Barrott’s Marek and Joy Warner’s Sylvia in York Actors Collective’s Till The Stars Come Down
Family politics of the week: York Actors Collective in Till The Stars Come Down, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April14 to 18, 7.30pm, Tuesday to Friday; 2pm and 6pm, Saturday
PREMIERED at the National Theatre in 2024 and now receiving its York premiere, Beth Steel’s contemporary British family drama is set on the wedding day of Sylvia and Marek in a South Yorkshire mining town.
Directed by Angie Millard, Till The Stars Come Down explores the tumultuous dynamics of a working-class family in a changing world of economic decline and political shifts as long-held secrets, passions, and tensions surrounding class, immigration, and social change spill over into chaos and tragedy. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Ralph Davis’s Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, set on a sinking ship, on tour at York Theatre Royal
Titanic anniversary event of the week: Royal Shakespeare Company in Hamlet, York Theatre Royal, April 14 to 18,7pm plus 1.30pm, April 16 and 2pm, April 18
LET director Rupert Goold introduces the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, starring Ralph Davis, as the tour sets sail for York on the 114th anniversary of the Titanic’s descent to the depths. “Our production is set aboard a ship but one that is soon to founder, going down with all hands,” he says.
“Its inspiration comes from the most famous sinking in history, and just as that icy tragedy came to pass in a little over two and a half hours, our play takes place in real time and for about as long, as much catastrophic thriller as poetic meditation. This production asks what it means to be human and decisive when time is running out.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Jan Brierton and Henry Normal: Poetic humour at Milton Rooms, Malton
Poetry at the double: Edge Street Live presents Henry Normal and Jan Brierton, Milton Rooms, Malton, April 16, 7.30pm
WRITER, poet, television & film producer and Manchester Poetry Festival founder Henry Normal is joined by Dubliner Jan Brierton for an evening of poetry and humour. Normal, whose credits include co-writing The Mrs Merton Show and the first series of The Royle Family, will be reading from his new book A Quiet Promise.
Brierton riffs on modern life, love and friendships, wellness and ageing, rage and domestic exasperation in her poetic reflections on being a wife, mother, daughter, sister and retired raver, plus plenty of stuff about tea, lipstick and biscuits. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Aggers & Tuffers: The chatter of cricket and the clatter of wickets at York Barbican
Not just cricket: Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell in An Audience With Aggers & Tuffers, York Barbican, April 16, 7.30pm
TEST Match Special commentator-and-pundit duo Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell take to the road for more cricket chat from beyond the boundary. Former Leicestershire and England fast bowler and three-decade BBC cricket correspondent Aggers teams up anew with record-breaking former England spin bowler and crowd favourite Tuffers, who gives his spin on his maverick playing days and second wind as a media personality on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, Strictly Come Dancing and A Question Of Sport. Box office update: limited availability at yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Maureen Onwunali: Slam champ spinning words at Say Owt
Slam champ of the week: Say Owt presents Maureen Onwunali, The Crescent, York, April 17, 7.30pm
YORK spoken-word collective Sat Owt’s guest poet for April’s gathering will be Dublin-born Nigerian poet and two-time national slam champion Maureen Onwunali.
Rich with political observations and carefully crafted verse, her work has been featured by musicians, radio shows and organisations, such as the British Film Institute, Penguin, BBC, Roundhouse, Apples and Snakes, Obsidian Foundation and the Poetry Society. Box office: seetickets.com/event/say-owt-slam-featuring-maureen-onwunali/the-crescent/3588134.
Jacqueline James: Demonstrating her hand-woven rug-making in Rosslyn Street, Clifton, at York Open Studios
Art event of the month: York Open Studios, York and beyond, April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm
ARTISTS and makers involved in York Open Studios are putting the final touches to their workplaces and studios within York and a ten-mile radius of the city, in readiness to welcome visitors across two weekends.
This annual event offers the chance to gain a sneak peek into where the artists work, their methods and inspirations, whether a regular participant or the 27 newcomers, spanning traditional and contemporary painting and print, illustration, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewellery, textiles and photography. For more information, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk; access the interactive map at yorkopenstudios.co.uk/map.
Your Bard: Richard David-Caine’s William Shakespeare, centre, holds history in his hands as monarchs turn monstrous in Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage. Picture: Matt Crockett
FOR the first time in history, favourite songs and actors from the CBBC TV series Horrible Histories will be appearing live – and dead! – on stage in a special concert production. York Barbican awaits on April 6 and 7.
Asked to create the greatest show in history by his boss Queen Elizabeth I, esteemed playwright William Shakespeare has no idea just how much trouble is on its way from such monstrous monarchs as King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria.
Life will hot up even more when Death appears – and now Boudica and Cleopatra want to take over. Can matters worsen still more? Of course they can!
Find out how and why when actors from the BAFTA award-winning television series sing songs from the TV shows such as Funny Stupid Deaths, Charles II, Dick Turpin and The Monarchs Song, to the accompaniment of a live band led by Horrible Histories song master Richie Webb, as the Bard seeks help to save himself from execution.
Horrible Histories: The Concert director and Birmingham Stage Company actor/manager Neal Foster
“The trick about this show is the disaster is unfolding in front of you, so the audience are in on it,” says director Neal Foster. “No-one knows how it’s going to work or whether Shakespeare is going to get away with it or just how disastrous it’s going to because it’s really happening right there.”
On tour from January 23 to April 18, Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage is written by Ben Ward and Claire Wetton, with songs and music by Webb, and is directed by Birmingham Stage Company actor/manager Foster, designed by Jackie Trousdale and choreographed by Lucie Pankhurst.
Foster, the creative force behind all the Horrible Histories Live On Stage adaptations of Terry Deary’s stories since 2005, will be playing Charles II, York Gaol anti-hero Dick Turpin and a Viking.
“These Horrible Histories TV songs have been around for a long time and we feature 16 of the most popular songs in the show,” says Neal. “They’re so loved and no-one around the country’s ever had the chance to see them live on stage and to sing with the actors and join in.”
Neal Foster’s dapper King Charles II in Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage!Picture: Richard Southgate
Neal has brought together two worlds, television and stage, for the concert tour. “Part of the reason this production has happened is because in 2023 we got together with Lion Television [producers of the BBC series] to create ‘Orrible Opera for the BBC Proms,” he says. “It was a huge success and, more important, we had a lot of fun and found we complemented each other very well.”
Neal recalls: “We enjoyed working with each other so much, we really wanted to do something again. This seems to be as good as it gets: a collaboration where people get to see the TV actors on stage in a singalong of all the songs they know.
“It’s the biggest show – and the most expensive –we’ve ever done: 17 cities in three months; 23 people on the road, ten in the stage management team, a cast of eight, with a band of five musicians, and we’ve never had a live band in any of our shows before.
“There’s a lot of drama, lots of songs, lots of dancing, and it’s also got wonderful video effects, with the footage being filmed by Lion Television [producers of Horrible Histories on the BBC]. I think there are about 50 costumes, with wigs, hats, props, turning it into a really enormous show.
Neal Foster’s Charles II, second from right, singing The King Of Bling. Picture: Matt Crockett
“All the funding comes from ticket sales, so we’re always delighted that people keep supporting us. That’s how we’ve run our company for 35 years. except in Covid, when we were supported by the Government to do ten shows in car parks and at racecourses.”
Swapping TV for the live tour are long-serving Richard David-Caine, also known for Class Dismissed and CBeebies’ Swashbuckle; Harrie Hayes, who has embodied history’s most iconic royals, from Elizabeth I to Marie Antoinette; Inel Tomlinson, from Histories’ Rameses and Science’s Big Danny; company favourite Ethan Lawrence, also from Ricky Gervais’s After Life, and Verona Rose, Horrible Histories regular, Top Boy and Fully Blown writer-performer and host of ITV2’s Secret Crush.
Joining them are Neal and Alison Fitzjohn, his fellow stalwart from Horrible Histories Live On Stage, touring the world with Birmingham Stage Company.
“They’re such a strong company that in the first week of rehearsals we got so much work done,” says Neal. “My rule is that they must know so much like the back of their hand, and as with a lot of TV actors, our cast are really good on stage and at working with a live band.
Verona Rose and Ethan Lawrence’s Henry VIII in Horrible Histories: The Concert. Picture: Matt Crockett
“Richie Webb, who’s written all 200 songs featured in the TV series, will be on stage leading the band, and the actors are more than capable of hitting the back of the auditorium with their singing.”
Neal has had plenty on his plate, not only directing but also playing multiple roles on stage. “There are great parts for me in the show as I’ve managed to end up with Charles II, Dick Turpin and one of the Vikings, and I’m also understudying four of the other actors, so I’ve had to learn all the script. 100 pages! That’s been quite a challenge!” he says.
“I’m singing my two favourite songs from the TV series, because I’m singing The King Of Bling as Charles II and Dick Turpin’s Highwayman – and as a Viking, I am singing Literally, literally!”
Cast member Ethan Lawrence says: “It’s been a long time since I was last on stage – and I’ve only done one show before: a pantomime. Cinderella. I gave an absolutely stellar performance as Buttons. There were literally tens of people that said I was pretty good!
Neal Foster and his fellow Vikings “singing Literally, literally” in Horrible Histories:The Concert . Picture: Matt Crockett
“Basically I take the jobs that are put in front of me. I’m not so vain that I don’t take on work. It just so happens that I deal with the cards that are presented to me – and now I get the chance to go on stage with Horrible Histories, The Concert where Shakespeare is in the process of writing a show starring all your favourite Horrible Histories characters
“Chaos ensues, high jinks prevail – and it’s very interactive as well, encouraging the audience to participate. I can imagine this show, because of its live nature, will be evolving as we do it. York Barbican is very deep into the run, so theatrically it’ll be the show at its best.”
Fellow cast member Verona Rose admits: “I’m not that good at history! For me, the easiest way to learn about these characters is by watching Horrible Histories.
“I have Cleopatra’s big number, Ra Ra Cleopatra [from Awful Egyptians] and I’ve learnt so much from doing rehearsals for that song.”
Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage cast members, very much live on stage. Picture: Matt Crockett
Ethan picks out his favourite role: “I’m a busy boy in the show, but the chief thing that’s exciting for me is the opportunity to play Henry VIII. One of the really gratifying things is singing one of the more modern songs from the TV shows, Ruinous Rivals, with Harrie Hayes.”
Verona says “I’m excited to be doing this show, and the more we do the tour, the more shows we do, what the interaction will be will become clearer. From the first laugh, we’ll know what the audience will be like at each show.”
Speaking ahead of the tour, Neal says: “More than anything else this show will be a celebration of Richie Webb’s brilliant music. Having him on stage, with all these actors he’s worked with, has never been seen before on stage, so it will be very special.
Death stalking Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live and very much Dead On Stage. Picture: Matt Crockett
“I’ve no idea how the audience will react, though I have a feeling it might be even more ecstatic, with the words on screens and audience interaction encouraged.
“Very quickly things start to go wrong for William Shakespeare – and in Tudor and Elizabethan times, if things go wrong, you might lose your head! In the end it’ll be up to the audience to save Shakespeare from being for the chop.”
Come on York, make Monday and Tuesday the most Horrible shows yet.
Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage, York Barbican, April 6, 2.30pm and 6.30pm; April 7, 11am and 3pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
NEWSFLASH: 6/4/2026: Horrible Histories: The Concert star Richard David-Caine to play villain in York Theatre Royal panto
Richard David-Caine in the poster image for his role as Herman the Henchman in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
THE latest name to join York Theatre Royal’s pantomime cast for Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs is in York already today (6/4/2026).
CBBC and CBeebies’ star Richard David-Caine, who turned 39 on Sunday, will switch to the dark side as villainous Herman the Henchman this winter, but first he is on the 17-city tour of Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage! Next stop, York Barbican, today (6/4/2026) at 2.30pm and 6.30pm; tomorrow at 11am and 3pm.
Richard, core cast member of CBBC’sHorrible Histories and Horrible Science, is playing under-pressure playwright William Shakespeare, who is commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I to create the greatest show on Earth but promptly runs into trouble with monstrous King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria.
On his return to York, Richard will team up with regular Theatre Royal dame Robin Simpson and comic turn returnee Tommy Carmichael, who starred in Sleeping Beauty last winter.
Richard, who appeared in Shakespeare Live! on BBC 2 and Horrible Histories: The Movie and played naughty pirate Line in CBeebies’ Swashbuckle, will be following in the footsteps of CBeebies stars Andy Day (2021), Mandy Moate (2022), James “Raven” McKenzie (2023), Evie Pickerill (2024) and Jennie Dale (2025) in starring in the York Theatre Royal and Evolution Productions co-production.
Richard David-Caine in his promotional image for Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage! Picture: Richard Southgate
No stranger to pantomime, Richard won the Best Supporting Male award at the 2018 Great British Pantomime Awards for his performance as Herman the Henchman, the role he will reprise in York. Two years later, he received the Best Male Villain prize for Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Grove Theatre, Dunstable.
The 2026-2027 pantomime will be directed by Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster and written by Evolution Productions director Paul Hendy, the creative team behind such Theatre Royal shows as Jack And The Beanstalk, Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty.
Juliet says: “We are thrilled to welcome Richard to our cast for Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. He is absolutely hilarious and I know our audiences are going to love him as our baddie Herman the Henchman. Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to book early so you don’t miss out!”
Further casting will be announced for the December 4 to January 3 2027 run. Tickets are on sale on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Family tickets are available for all performances with savings of up to £61 on bookings for four tickets.
Richard David-Caine: back story
Richard David-Caine
ACTOR, writer, comedian and voiceover artist.
Born April 5 1987 in Ruislip, North London.
Graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2009.
Set up comedy group Four Screws Loose with Joseph Elliott, Conan House and Thom Ford in 2009, performing at Edinburgh Fringe for five successive years, along with Bestival, Latitude Festival, Underbelly, Southbank Festival, Brighton Fringe and Adelaide Fringe Festival. Featured on BBC Radio 4’s Sketchorama.
Core cast member of CBBC’s Horrible Histories and Horrible Science, featuring in Shakespeare Live! on BBC 2, and Horrible Histories: The Movie.
Starred in five series of CBBC mockumentary Class Dismissed, twice being nominated for Royal Television Society award for Best Comedy Performance. Created, wrote and fronted Big Fat Like sketch show, pastiching the internet with Joseph Elliott, Amy Gledhill and Ibidano Jack, on CBBC.
Richard David Caine’s William Shakespeare performing Literally with the Vikings in Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage! Picture: Matt Crockett
Appeared as one half of comedy duo Cook and Line with Joseph Elliott in CBeebies’ BAFTA-winning children’s game show Swashbuckle, launched in 2013. Young contestants aged four to eight, known as Swashbucklers, competed in physical, interactive games on a soft-play pirate ship to win back stolen jewels from naughty pirates Cook, Line and Captain Captain and their host, Gem.
Further film and television credits: Steal (Amazon); Masters Of The Universe (MGM/Mattel); Cruella (Disney); Father Brown (BBC); Better Things (FX); Avenue 5 (HBO); Midsomer Murders (ITV); Murder, They Hope (UKTV Gold); Finding Alice (ITV); Dead Air (BBC); Skins: Redux (E4); Doctors (BBC); Big Field (BBC) and People Just Do Nothing (BBC).
Stage credits: The Importance Of Being Earnest (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); The Witches (National Theatre, London); Soho Cinders (original West End cast recording, Queen’s Theatre); Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage! (national tour); The Taming Of The Shrew (Derby Theatre); The Tempest (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond); Potted Panto (Vaudeville Theatre, London) and Jihad! The Musical (Jermyn Street Theatre, London), as well as his award-winning one-man show, Tall, Dark And Anxious (Soho Theatre, London). How tall? Richard is 6ft 3ins.
Harrie Hayes’s Elizabeth I making her point to Richard David-Caine’s William Shakespeare in Horrible Histories: The Concert. Picture: Matt Crockett
James Bye, left, Shvorne Marks, Natalie Casey and Grant Kilburn in Danny Robins’ 2:22 A Ghost Story, on tour at Grand Opera House, York
THE clock is ticking to see a ghostly thriller, a madcap murder mystery, a poetic book launch and an unjust trial as Charles Hutchinson sets his arts alarm.
Supernatural thriller of the week: 2:22 A Ghost Story, Grand Opera House, York, March 30 to April 4, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
“THERE’S something in our house. I hear it every night. At the same time,” says Jenny, who believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam is having none of it. Whereupon they argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening and is moving closer. Only by staying up until 2:22 will they know the answer.
James Bye, Shvorne Marks, Natalie Casey and Grant Kilburn perform Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist podcaster Danny Robins’s supernatural thriller, the Best New Play winner at the 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards, on its return to York. As secrets emerge and ghosts may or may not appear, dare you discover the truth? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
What We Could Have, by Sarah Williams, from the Other Viewpoints exhibition at Pyramid Gallery
Meet The Makers event of the week: Other Viewpoints, Lesley Williams, Sarah Williams, Peter Heaton and Adele Howitt, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, today, 11.30am to 2.30pm
YORKSHIRE artists Lesley Williams, Sarah Williams and Peter Heaton and ceramicist Adele Howitt have teamed up for Other Viewpoints, on show until May 9. Today, they will be on hand to discuss their work.
Lesley, from York, makes semi-abstract oil paintings based on rural landscape and gardens; Sarah, also from York, employs colours, textural marks and shapes in blending abstract and figurative elements; Peter, from North Yorkshire, is exhibiting landscape fine art prints, and Hornsea maker Adele’s ceramics are marked by notions of the living landscape, abstraction, pollen grains and natural pattern.
Main Street Sound: In harmony with Harmonia at the NCEM
Choral concert of the week: Choirs In Harmony, Main Street Sound & Harmonia, National Centre for Early Music, York, today, 7.30pm
CHOIRS In Harmony brings together two Yorkshire vocal groups for an evening of rich, expressive choral music. York’s only ladies’ barbershop chorus, Main Street Sound, and Malton contemporary, folk, jazz, and musical theatre ladies’ choir Harmonia join forces to showcase a vibrant mix of contemporary arrangements, close harmony and uplifting ensemble singing. Expect moments of intimacy, bursts of energy and the joy of voices uniting in a space made for resonance. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Giddy up: Country queen Twinnie rides into The Crescent tonight
Recommended but sold out already: Twinnie, The Crescent, York, tonight, 7.30pm
BORN in York and now established as the UK’s leading country-pop trailblazer on the American circuit after her West End musical theatre days and TV soap career as Porsche McQueen in Hollyoaks and ruthless boxing promoter Jade Garrick in Emmerdale, Twinnie-Lee Moore returns home on her Dirt Road Disco Tour.
Noted for her fearless honesty and storytelling truths, she blends Nashville-inspired country roots with pop hooks and her own gypsy-influenced flair in songs of empowerment, vulnerability, and unapologetic individuality. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut in November 2023 as the first British Romani Traveller to perform in the circle and featured on Rob Brydon’s Honky Tonk Road Trip documentary series on BBC Two last year.
Lucy Keirl in rehearsal for the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s madcap musical mystery Murder For Two. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
Whodunit of the week: Murder For Two, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, today to April 18, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
JOE Kinosian and Kellen Blair’s fast-paced musical whodunit is a madcap murder mystery with a twist, performed by two actors, Tom Babbage and Lucy Keirl, who play 13 characters between them, plus the piano, as they put the laughter into manslaughter.
When famous novelist Arthur Whitney is found dead at his birthday party, it is time to call in the detectives, but they are out of town. Enter Officer Marcus Moscowicz, a neighbourhood cop who dreams of climbing the ranks. Here is his chance to prove his super sleuthing skills and solve the crime before the real detective arrives. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Stu Freestone: Launching first poetry collection at The Crescent
Book launch of the week: York Literature Festival and Say Owt present Stu Freestone, The Lights That Blur Between, The Crescent, York, March 30, 7pm to 10pm
YORK performance poet, Say Owt gobby collective associate artist and Cheese Trader cheesemonger Stu Freestone launches his debut poetry collection, The Lights That Blur Between, with two sets, one comedic, the other accompanied by guitarist Simone Focarelli, accordionist Ben Crosthwaite and drummer Joe Douglas. In support will be Grantham singer-songwriter Adam Leeson and York political satirist and performance poet Sarah Armitage.
Freestone’s poems explore the nostalgia of adolescence, relationships, loss and processing, as well as humorous themes of condiment addiction, festival trips gone wrong, cheesemonger battle raps and the perils of “after-work’ drinking in his honest portrayal of life experiences. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Dan Poppitt, Charlie Clarke, front, and Georgina Burt in rehearsal for Black Sheep Theatre Productions’ Parade
The other American musical of the week: Black Sheep Theatre Productions in Parade, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, April 1 to 4, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
PRESENTED by York company Black Sheep Theatre Productions under the direction of Matthew Peter Clare, Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry’s stirring Tony Award-winning musical explores love and hope against the odds, set against a backdrop of political injustice and rising racial tension.
Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew, is put on trial for murder in Marietta, Georgia, but when the world seems against you, receiving a fair trial might prove impossible. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Alison Moyet: Re-visiting Yazoo’s two synth-pop albums after more than 40 years at York Barbican. Picture: Naomi Davison
Gig announcement of the week: Alison Moyet, Songs Of Yazoo, the minutes and Other Tour, York Barbican, November 18
BASILDON soul, blues and pop singer-songwriter Alison Moyet will play York in one of ten new additions to her autumn tour, when she will focus on songs from Yazoo’s 1982-1983 catalogue, recorded with Vince Clarke, and a selection from her solo electronica albums, 2013’s the minutesand 2017’s Other, both co-written with producer Guy Sigsworth.
“Many years touring the same pool of songs and I am keen for a palate refresher,” says Moyet, 64. “Specifying which years I will be fishing from too, I think, is a grand way to serve pot luck for specific tastes. No bones.” Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
YORK spoken-word poet, performer and cheesemonger Stu Freestone will launch his debut poetry collection, The Lights That Blur Between, at The Crescent on March 30.
A co-founder and associate artist of Say Owt, York’s “collective of gobby northern poets” since 2014, he writes in a playful style founded in everyday moments in works that walk the line between between grit and gentleness.
Or as Barmby Moor surrealist comedian Rob Auton puts it: “There’s so much momentum in Stu’s words. The images sprint into your head and your brain is a better place for it.”
Stu Freestone’s poster design for his poem Before The Lights Go Out
Drawing from family stories, kitchen tables, pub corners and stages across the country, his poetry “celebrates ordinary lives with extraordinary care,” says Stu. “Blending conversational humour with emotional honesty, the writing explores love, loss, resilience, and the quiet lights that carry us through.”
The Lights That Blur Between has been written over more than a decade, shaped on stage and finally brought together “somewhere between a notebook, a pint and a deep breath”.
“The collection explores the nostalgia of adolescence, relationships and grief, and the ongoing work of processing life, as well as the occasional – and necessary – detours into the comedic themes of condiment addiction, festival trips gone wrong, cheesemonger battle raps and the perils of ‘after work’ drinking,” says Stu, summarising his “honest portrayal of life experiences”.
The artwork for Stu Freestone’s The Lights That Blur Between. The sea, its vastness and restorative powers, feature emotively in his writing
Freestone has performed across the UK, including multiple runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, and was shortlisted for Best Spoken Word Performer at the Saboteur Awards in 2015. He has shared stages with internationally renowned artists such as Shane Koyczan, Hollie McNish, Sage Francis, B. Dolan, Dizrael, and Harry Baker and has recorded live sessions for BBC Introducing and BBC Upload.
Now comes his debut book launch, promising an evening of powerful performance and heartfelt storytelling, including two sets from Stu, one comedic and spoken-word, the other accompanied by a band featuring guitarist (and shoemaker) Simone Focarelli, accordionist Ben Crosthwaite and drummer Joe Douglas.
Plus support slots from York performance poet and political satirist Sarah Armitage and his Grantham pal, emotive singer-songwriter Adam Leeson.
“It’s amazing really,” says Stu, reflecting on the book’s completion. “It’s been a journey since 2012-2013 to now, where I’ve always thought I should have done it before, but the writing wouldn’t be same.
Stu Freestone’s poster for Branches, from his The Lights That Blur Between collection
“I’ve had a lot more experiences to collate into my writing, so there are more meaningful tendencies to what I want to write about: whether nostalgia or re-living that nostalgia, or resilience or getting over grief: things I had not experienced back then. So it’s ‘me on a page’ on 100 pages and it’s nice to have that proof in my hand, in the book, which is very different to having it on my laptop.”
Stu’s poetry differs in print from live performance too. “There’s a massive contrast because I was very aware of how to transpose it to the page, and where it would need an edit to a make it more book-friendly,” he says.
“There are pieces that have evolved for the page or been written expressly for the page. There is therapy here, from both the reader’s perspective and mine, where I feel I’m confiding in them amid the grief of everyday life, when there are things that don’t get spoken about in the spoken-word performance environment.
Stu Freestone’s self-portrait from The Lights That Blur Between as he looks at himself in the mirror
“The book is basically saying we’re all the same in how we grow through memories, reflecting on those nostalgic moments but then contrasting that with the everyday processes of normal life: the things that others don’t see.”
The book is divided into four sections: adolescent reflection, mental health, then comedic works that “try to find the light in life” and finally, our relationship with loss, encapsulated in Before The Lights Go Out and the closing poem, title work The Lights That Blur Between.
“We try to get through loss with courage and empathy, where we can grow from our memories, but inevitably we walk through these lines between ‘breaking’ and ‘becoming’,” says Stu.
“I lost a friend, Nick, to suicide two years ago and wrote Before The Lights Go Out as an ode to our home town of Grantham and then the desperate bleakness of him no longer being there. The only thing I can take peace from is he achieved what he need to achieve, which sounds very dark, when he felt help was not an option.
Stu Freestone on stage at a Say Owt gig in York
“I’m 40 now, and to have lost as many people as I have in my close circle is very unlucky, so it’s an interesting place for me to try to find the perspective on that. I’ve done that through processing and writing, and I’ve written poems that aren’t in the book that are angry, but the ones in there that mean most to me are testament to trying to find positivity, for men to know that it’s OK to talk. That’s why we’ll be fund-raising for CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably charity.”
Stu’s trademark playful positivity surges through two poems in particular, Bliss, his hymn to York, his home since York St John University days in 2005, and Heed The Cheese, a nod to his other life running The Cheese Trader in Grape Lane. “I wanted to write a ‘univocalic’ poem, where every word uses only one specific vowel, so it had to be ‘E’ for cheese!” he reasons.
It strikes the only cheesy note in the book.
York Literature Festival and Say Owt present Stu Freestone, The Lights That Blur Between: book launch, The Crescent, York, March 30, doors 7pm. Box office: yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk or https://thecrescentyork.com/events/say-owt-stu-freestone-book-launch/.
Further Yorkshire performances:
13/04/26: Poetic Off-Licence, Holding Patterns, Leeds 28/04/26: ‘Goodnight D’, Crookes Social Club, Sheffield 02/05/26: The Old Courthouse, Thirsk 12/09/26: Bookmarked Festival, Thirsk
Stu is planning another York show, probably at Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, later this year. Watch this space.
Stu Freestone on the impact of York’s spoken-word proponents Say Owt
The logo for Say Owt, York’s gobby collective of northern performance poets
SINCE being founded by Henry Raby and Stu Freestone in 2014, Say Owt has run regular poetry events in York and beyond in the form of slams, workshops, scratches, open mics and a variety of other platforms.
More than 11 years on, Say Owt is run under the artistic directorship of Nerd Punk poet laureate, Vandal Factory theatre-maker and playwright Raby in tandem with associate artists Freestone, Hannah Davies and Dave “Bram” Jarman.
“What we wanted to create with Say Owt from the start was a platform for performance poets, whether new or established and well versed,” says Stu, whose Say Owt website profile introduces him as “the cheekiest of rogues with his devilish facial hair and a penchant for Hip-Hop”.
“It also gave us a platform to put our voices out there, and it’s magnificent that Say Owt has blossomed and bloomed into such a cultural beast, fronted by four very different performers. We’re like a ‘gruesome foursome’ of artistic merit!
“Henry is the punk poet extraordinaire; Hannah’s poems are a comforting hug; Jarman is more musical, and I’ve always liked doing things with a musical backing from my open-mic nights, where if people aren’t into poetry, the music gives it an extra surface.”
Say Owt associate artists Stu Freestone and Hannah Davies
Over the years, Say Owt has held events at The Basement at City Screen Picturehouse, The Crescent, St Mary’s Church and the Edinburgh Fringe.
Coming next will be the Say Owt Scratch at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, on April 7, trying out poems for performance from 7pm to 9pm, followed by Shane Koyczan, supported by Leeds poet, dance artist, performance maker and “witch-in-progress”Izzy Brittain, at The Wardrobe, St Peter’s Square, Leeds, on April 12 (doors 7.30pm).
“Shane is a huge international artist, from Canada, who’s played Say Owt before and is one of the most globally viral poets ever,” says Stu. “He performed at the opening to the Vancouver Winter Olympics in front of 50,000 people.
“He’s a tour de force – and he was the reason I started writing . I’ve been fortunate not just to see him perform a few times, but we’ve also put him on at Say Owt and I’ve interviewed him, which was a ‘pinch me’ moment.”
In the Say Owt diary too are: April 17, Say Owt Slam, featuring Dublin-born Nigerian poet Maureen Onwunali, at The Crescent, York (7.30pm); April 29, Bad Betty Press Showcase, Bad Betty Live x Say Owt x Rise Up!, featuring Keith Jarrett, Hannah Silva, Desree, Jake Wild Hall and Chubby Northerner, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb (7.30pm); May 21, Luke Wright: Later Life Letter, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb (8.30pm, doors 7.30pm), and June 17, world poetry slam champion Henry Baker, Tender Book Tour, York Theatre Royal (7.30pm).
For booking details, head to: sayowt.co.uk.
Artistic director Henry Raby and associate artist Stu Freestone spinning words at Say Owt Slam
Stu on the impact of the sea on his writing
“I WROTE The Escape Of The Ocean when I was trying to process something particularly unpleasant and troubling in my life,” says Stu. “The poem describes standing on the beach and experiencing everything there in that moment that I’d experienced, and wanting to re-create in my writing that feeling of standing there with the wind in your hair.
“I wanted it to replicate whatever beach you may have been on, experiencing the rushing back and forth of the waves, like when I was processing what I’d been through, but it also stands on its own for the reader, where I’m putting these moments in the text that I find particularly interesting and are mood enhancing.
“The ‘escape of the ocean’ represents that openness and incomprehensible vastness of the sea, where no matter how big your problems are, it gives you a sense of perspective in that moment, whatever you’re facing.
“None of your problems are insignificant until you can clear your mind, but standing by the sea, you might think ‘this is crazy’ when the enormity of the world’s problems make yours seem insignificant.”
The front cover for Stu Freestone’s The Lights That Blur Between
Stu on supporting the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) at Monday’s gig
“WE’LL be fund-raising for this charity, who stand up for finding a way to talk about suicide. The problem of mental health is rife, and I believe that everyone is as important as each other.
“For this occasion, I want to spread the message that everyone could do with discussing mental health.
“I’m at peace with it being OK to have a self-help element to the poems, without making it too overbearing, because the book is a tapestry of life as we live it and our lived experiences.
“The title poem, The Lights That Blur Between, relates to the loss of my friend Nick and to my personal battle with mental health, which I’d not gone through before, when he passed; trying to deal with that grief but also recognising mental health within myself and realising that maybe I had an issue.”
Stu Freestone opens up in performance
Stu on his love of life in York
BORN in Grantham, Nottingham Forest fan Stu moved to York in 2005 to study at York St John University and has never left, now dividing his time between writing and performing and putting the dairy into his daily diary as a cheesemonger at The Cheese Trader in Grape Lane.
“It’s a wonderful city,” he says. “You could always change certain things about any city but there are very few things I would change in York. I love the city’s size and how York is so emboldened by its history.
“There’s something so quaint about York, even though it’s a city, whereas Nottingham, for example, is a lot more of a concrete jungle. With every breath, there is history in York, which is exemplified by, wherever you look, people are taking photos.
“Having moved here and now made it my forever home, I try not to take it for granted. There’s a piece about York in the collection called Bliss, with a huge element of positivity about being who you want to be here, but also it’s about York being a city rooted in the ghost hunters charging through the alleys and snickelways.”
Stu continues: “Without living in York, I wouldn’t have had the same get-up-go to feel inspired to write. It’s a city where the community makes the place because we have a population of only around 200,000, which makes the community so strong, with an arts scene that’s bursting at the seams. It’s just a question of taking your chance.”
Bliss, Stu Freestone’s hymn to York in The Lights That Blur Between
This is not just another city. We all need somewhere to call home, and this is where we lay our heads. This is our city. Twenty four hours, seven days a week. There are many places like it but this one is ours to keep. The buskers make up the soundtrack of our streets, whilst the artists paint the Sistine Chapel on paving slabs beneath our feet. We, are the graphite drawn from pencil tips sketching picture perfect postcards. Simply illustrated character outlines making up the mise-en-scene of our skylines.
These streets are lined with the phantoms of our fair city’s history. City walls first built with earth and wood, now stand in York stone and concrete with tall tales that flush alongside cobbled streets. Complete with tour guides armed with lanterns leading the charge through side-streets and snickelways; calling out the long lost souls struck down by the bubonic plague in 1378. Just look how far we’ve come. If education taught us anything it was how and when to use our voice. To give it purpose, to make it count and to resonate the value of our own personal choice. Every syllable that drops from our lips, every letter uttered or muttered is our own personal gift. Our own little piece of bliss. A little piece of us that never needs to be re-stitched, and it’s up to us in how we use it.
We grew wise through school systems, hand in hand with coursework and examinations. Our teachers would throw outreach schemes posing questions like, “What do you want to be?” or “What are you going to study at college?” Listing all the reasons why knowledge is important; and to not make the same mistakes they made. Well at fifteen, we just wanted to see the world and there was nothing we could write on a personal statement that was going to change that. So we studied our books and studied our reflections, searching for vital signs that bind ambition. Alongside pressures of growing up in a system that’s so focused on how we are portrayed and how we might appear. We have a fear of not looking at ourselves as something special, but the truth is we are picture perfect. This is us and here we are.
We need to do it for ourselves because if we don’t nobody is going to do it for us. We need to form an alliance; against the naysayers who decide that the “correct body image” is that plastered on billboards and TV broadcasts; in films and magazines. With all these waves of pressure, how are we meant to stop feeling so weak? It’s no wonder it’s so hard to be yourself nowadays. But through it all we always overcome. Brick by brick like the walls that were built to surround this great city. A barrier of defense and resilience so far from mediocrity. We’re all one of a kind. We’re all one of the same. A flame that burns brighter every time it believes in itself. So let’s light fires all over this city tonight; and make a bonfire of belief in the streets that we call home.
Let us follow these cobbled brick roads down memory lane, and always start as we mean go on. And if starting as we mean to go on, means restarting from the beginning then welcome it with open arms even if the outcome moves us even further from the finish. Together we make up armies of ocean so vast, we ride on the waves of impossible. Impossible is what you make it. And if you’re the only person that can say it to yourself to make you believe it, then say it. Shape the things to come and change the world for some. Brandish your language in spirited ways. Holding word wars at dawn, armed with sonnets and soliloquies. Underground cap-gun fights in low-level lights, spilling capital-letter-started sentences and firing brackets for defenses.
Every comma and semicolon makes up the chevrons on our shirts and shoulders, redefining everything our parents ever told us about chasing who we want to be. Let the ashes of our past smoulder, as we walk barefoot over the fears we once faced. Retrace steps but realise our mistakes helped get us to this point. Our polished brass buttons reflect the inner glow of adversity. Gleaming. Shimmering. Shining. Beacons of our own success. Until we find ourselves at a full stop. Where we start it all again. Fill our lungs with all the would, could, and should-have-beens; and all the things that were, we wouldn’t trade for anything.
This is not just another city. This is us. We are here.
Copyright of Stu Freestone
The last word: The back cover to Stu Freestone’s The Lights That Blur Between
Darren Walsh: Puns by the punnet load at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
A PLETHORA of puns, a dysfunctional American family musical, an alien invasion in film and theatre and a bakery burlesque night confirm variety is the spice of Charles Hutchinson’s arts life.
Comedy show like no other, bar pun: Darren Walsh: Do You Like Puns?, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm
WITNESS a pun Goliath in person when Darren Walsh brings his 8ft frame to York for his Do You Like Puns? show. Noted for his Jokes On The Street series on social media, he combines sound effects, videos, one-liners and improvised jokes spun off audience suggestions. “Book now, li is two short,” he says. Think about it. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Pianist David Hammond
Classical concert of the week: York Late Music: David Hammond, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm
PIANIST David Hammond’s recital celebrates Yorkshire and northern composers, brought together in an afternoon programme full of musical storytelling, ranging in mood and imagery from Patrick John Jones’s Eel and the world premiere of James Else’s Kitten’s Prelude, to butterflies, letters and birthday cards in works by Dawn Walters and Nicola LeFanu.
Two further world premieres, a new James Williamson piece, alongside Scarlatti’s Cat’s Fugue, echo the animal thread and electronic elements feature in Jake Adams’s Thirty In Eight, adding a contemporary edge to Hammond’s typically imaginative combination of local voices, strong themes and plenty of character. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
Catrin Mai Edwards’ Martha, left, Estella Evans’ Mary Lennox and Dexter Pulling’s Colin in The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
Actor-musician show of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, until April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The BudapestCaféOrchestra: Fronted by Christian Garrick at Helmsley Arts Centre
Snappiest attire of the week: Christian Garrick & The Budapest Café Orchestra, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm
CHRISTIAN Garrick (violin, darbuka), Murray Grainger (accordion), Kelly Cantlon (double bass) and Adrian Zolotuhin (guitar, saz, balalaika, domra) team up in this refreshingly unconventional and snappily attired boutique orchestra. Playing gypsy and folk-flavoured music in a unique and surprising way, The Budapest Café Orchestra combine Balkan and Russian traditional music with artful distillations of Romantic masterworks and soaring Gaelic folk anthems.
Established by British composer Garrick in 2009, BCO have 16 albums to their name, marked by an “astonishing soundscape and aural alchemy” characteristic of larger ensembles, evoking Tzigane fiddle maestros, Budapest café life and gypsy campfires. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
This charming man: Nigel Havers is ready to talk at the Grand Opera House. Picture: Matt Crockett
Laughter, nostalgia and charm equals: Nigel Havers Talking B*ll*cks, Grand Opera House, York, March 23, 7.30pm
LET esteemed actor and self-deprecating raconteur Nigel Havers introduce his touring talk show. “Join me, a stage, and a lifetime of gloriously ridiculous stories to share with you. You’ll get the full Havers experience: charm, wit, and absolutely no running in slow motion.
“Of course, there’ll be behind-the-scenes gossip, tales of triumph (and disaster), moments of sheer madness, and a fair bit of talking b*ll*cks. And just when you think you’ve got me figured out, I might surprise you.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Off Pat: Nevin is ready to talk at The Crescent
Football chat of the week: Pat Nevin, Football And How To Survive It, The Crescent, York, March 24, 7.30pm kick-off, doors 7pm
PAT Nevin, the “Wee Man” on the pitch but never short of opinions off it, shares stories and insights from 40 years in football, turning out on the wing for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell in a professional career from 1981 to 2000.
Now a familiar voice on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Premier League coverage, Nevin has seen the game from all sides, from playing for Scotland under Sir Alex Ferguson to being chairman of the players’ union and even a spell as a club chief executive, with a sideline in DJing at club nights too. Expect stories of Kenny Dalglish, Ally McCoist and ex-Chelsea chairman Ken Bates, Morrissey, Saddam Hussein and John Peel too, in conversation with journalist Duncan Steer. Audience questions will be welcomed. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Dale Vaughan, left, Ryan Richardson, Monica Frost, Niamh Rose, Fergus Green and Matthew Warry, at the back, in rehearsal for Pick Me Up Theatre’s Next To Normal
American musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Next To Normal, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 25 to April 4, 7.30pm except March 29 and 30; 2.30pm matinees, March 28 and 29, April 4
ANDREW Isherwood directs York company Pick Me Up Theatre in Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt’s Tony Award-winning musical exploration of family and illness, loss and grief as a suburban American household copes with crisis and mental illness.
Dad is an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens but their lives are anything but normal, because Mom has been battling manic depression for 16 years.Next To Normal presents their story with love, sympathy and heart. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Mike Wozniak: Coming off The Bench to perform twice at the Grand Opera House, York
Sit-down stand-up of the week: Mike Wozniak: The Bench, Grand Opera House, York, March 25 and September 12, 7.30pm
THE Bench is the new stand-up tour show from Mike Wozniak, wherein in a story about a bench will be prominent. Previous experience of or strong opinions about benches are not required. Let Wozniak worry about that.
This Oxford-born comedian, writer, actor and former medical doctor portrays Brian in Channel 4 sitcom Man Down, is part of the team that makes Small Scenes for BBC Radio 4 and co-presents the Three Bean Salad podcast with Henry Paker and Benjamin Partridge. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Gorillaz: Bringing The Mountain to Leeds next Wednesday
Yorkshire gig of the week: Gorillaz, supported by Trueno, Leeds First Direct Bank Arena, March 25, 7.30pm; doors 6pm
DAMON Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s BRIT and Grammy-winning British band showcase their chart-topping ninth studio album in Leeds after two warm-up shows at Bradford Live. Spanning 15 songs that embody the collaborative Gorillaz ethos, The Mountain creates a “playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence”. Box office: gorillaz.com.
Bonnie Baddoo, Gareth Cassidy, Amy Dunn and Morgan Bailey in Imitating The Dog’s War Of The Worlds. Picture: Ed Waring
All’s Wells that ends in the worst nightmares of the week: Imitating The Dog in War Of The Worlds, Leeds Playhouse, March 25 to 28, 7.45pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
FOUR performers enter the stage and construct an epic road movie before your eyes in Imitating The Dog’s re-invention of H G Wells’s apocalyptic tale of alien invasion and the unfolding destruction of everything we hold dear as extraterrestrial life-forms land from the skies.
Using miniature environments, model worlds, camera tricks and projection, the ever-audacious Leeds company mixes the live and the recorded, the animate and the inanimate to ask “What would you do if order broke down? What would you do to survive? How far would you go to protect your own?” Box office: 0113 213 7700 or leedsplayhouse.org.uk
Vitamin String Quartet: Eroding boundaries between classical, dance, hip-hop and pop at Grand Opera House, York
Billie Eilish, Bridgerton & Beyond concert of the week: Vitamin String Quartet, Grand Opera House, York, March 27, 7.30pm
ERASING the boundaries between classical, dance, hip-hop and pop, Vitamin String Quartet perform renditions of everything from Billie Eilish to BTS, Taylor Swift to The Weeknd and Danny Elfman to Daft Punk. Formed in 1999, this Los Angeles group comprises Tom Lea, viola, Wynton Grant and Rachel Grace, violins, and Derek Stein, cello. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Freida Nipples: Baps & Buns burlesque on board a baguette at Rise@Bluebird Bakery
Cabaret of the week: Freida Nipples presents Baps & Buns Burlesque, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, March 27, 8pm, doors 7pm
YORK’S queen of burlesque, Freida Nipples, swaps teas for tease as she turns the bakery cafe into a cabaret joint for a night of fun, frolics and freedom of expression in all shapes and sizes.
On the fabulously zesty menu will be Donna Divine, Ezme Pump, Callum Robshaw and Freida herself, hosted by Harvey Rose. Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.
Elizabeth Marsh in rehearsal for The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, an hotel comedy thriller, a surrealist wine bar exhibition and Pulp confessions exhibition stir Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, front, spotted at Thursday’s launch of his RARE v WET exhibition with WET proprietors James Wall and Ella Williams and RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh, right
Exhibition of the week: Nicolas Dixon, RARE v WET, at WET, Micklegate, York, until April 22
YORK artist and event organiser Sharon McDonagh and DJ/artist Sola launch their RARE v WET series of solo exhibitions in aid of York charity SASH (Safe and Sound Homes) at WET, James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant, with Nicolas Dixon first up.
Leeds abstract surrealist Dixon’s murals and artworks have become landmarks in Leeds, including at Kirkgate Market, Trinity Shopping Centre and the University of Leeds, as well as Leeds United tributes to the 1972 FA Cup Winners at Elland Road and the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer in Wortley. On show is a mixture of new and older work, both prints and originals.
Stephen Joseph Theatre favourite Bill Champion as American billionaire Theodore Racksole in Claybody Theatre’s The Grand Babylon Hotel, on tour at the SJT next week. Picture: Andrew Billington
Thriller of the week: Claybody Theatre in The Grand Babylon Hotel, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 18 to 21, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
CONRAD Nelson directs an ensemble cast of multiple flamboyant characters in a rollicking comedy thriller of rapid-fire character changes, sharp humour and theatrical fun, presented in association with the New Vic Theatre.
In Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s novel, Nella Racksole discovers steak and beer are not on the menu for her birthday treat at the exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, prompting her American millionaire father to buy the chef, the kitchen, the entire hotel. Cue kidnapping and murder. Have Theodore and Nella bitten off more than they can chew? Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Baroque Alchemy’s Lyndy Mayle and Piers Adams: Playing NCEM tonight
Classical-electronic concert of the week: Baroque Alchemy, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm
ANCIENT and modern meet in a spectacular musical fusion in Baroque Alchemy, the realisation of recorder virtuoso Piers Adams and keyboard player Lyndy Mayle’s long-held dream. Ever since the rise of synth-led bands and New Age music in the 1980s, Red Priest frontman Adams has nurtured a vision to combine the drama of baroque music with the expansive sound-world of the electronic era. Now Baroque Alchemy turn the traditional early music recital on its head for the 21st century. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes: Evoking the Grand Ole Opry in A Country Night In Nashville at the Grand Opera House
Tribute gig of the week: A Country Night In Nashville, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
A COUNTRY Night In Nashville re-creates the scene of a buzzing Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville, capturing the energy and atmosphere of a night in the home of country music in a journey through the history of its biggest stars past and present. Hits from Johnny Cash to Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton to The Chicks, Willie Nelson to Kacey Musgraves are showcased by Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The book cover for Mark Webber’s I’m With Pulp, Are You?, under discussion by the author and guitarist at York Literature Festival
Book event of the week: York Literature Festival, I’m With Pulp, Are You?, An Evening With Mark Webber, The Crescent, York, March 17, 7pm
PULP guitarist and avant-garde film curator Mark Webber discusses I’m With Pulp, Are You?, his visually rich chronicle of the Sheffield band’s history from the perspective of a fan-turned-manager-turned-guitarist.
In his music memoir, 40 years of archived material comes to life as Chesterfield-born Webber recalls his fascination with David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol and counterculture, writing fanzines and organising concerts from the age of 15, joining Pulp in 1995 and playing on Different Class, This Is Hardcore, We Love Life and More, 2025’s recording renaissance after a 24-year hiatus. Box office: 01904 623568, yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk.
Bluey’s Big Play: Australian fun and games for children at the Grand Opera House
Children’s show of the week: Windmill Theatre Co in Bluey’s Big Play, Grand Opera House, York, March 19 to 22, 10am, Thursday and Friday; 10am, 1pm and 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
COMBINING puppets and original voices from Ludo Studios’ Emmy Award-winning Australian children’s television series, including Dave McCormack and Melanie Zanetti as Dad and Mum, this theatrical adaptation is based on an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, featuring music by series composer Joff Bush. When Dad wants a bean bag time-out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans as they pull out all the games and cleverness at their disposal. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Scouting For Girls: Re-visiting Everybody Wants To Be On TV at York Barbican
York Barbican gigs of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, March 17, doors 7pm; The Brand New Heavies, March 19
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too.
Ealing Acid Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies – Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, and Angela Ricci, vocals – mark their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican as their only Yorkshire destination. Expect joy, funk, love and fancy clothes. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Brand New Heavies: Acid Jazz joy, funk, love and fancy clothes at York Barbican
Comedy classic of the week: Rowntree Players in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, March 19 to 21, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
ROWNTREE Players bring Oscar Wilde’s cherished 1895 farcical comedy of manners to the York stage in the original four-act version reconstructed by Vyvyan Holland, under the direction of Hannah Shaw.
Lizzie Lawton’s John Worthing and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives under the false name of “Ernest” to escape social obligations, leading to romantic entanglements and comedic misunderstandings, played out by a cast featuring Jeanette Hambridge’s Lady Bracknell, Bethan Olliver’s Gwendolen Fairfax, Katie Shaw’s Cecily Cardew, Wayne Osguthorpe’s Reverend Canon Chasuble, Rebecca Thomson’s Miss Prism and Max Palmer’s Lane/Merriman. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
A collage from the rehearsal photo-shoot for Rowntree Players’ production of The Importance Of Being Earnest
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Super scooper: Funny Bones comedian Rob Rouse and his skeleton dog on tour at Helmsley and Scarborough
Elliot Mackenzie and Henry Jenkinson in rehearsal for John Doyle’s actor-musician production of The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, two cases for Sherlock Holmes, daft Funny Bones and chocolate cookery tips hit the sweet pot for Charles Hutchinson.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical , York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Josh Jones: Striving to earn his cat’s respect at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Wrestling with humour: Josh Jones, I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm
MANCHESTER comedian Josh Jones follows up Gobsmacked with I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show as he finds himself knee deep into his 30s, where nothing thrills him more than a Greggs’ Sausage Roll.
Living a more sedate life is not without its challenges, however, as he is yet to earn his cat’s respect. “I’ll be keeping it light: nothing super-political, nothing controversial, and it’s definitely not going to change your life,” he says of a set brimful of history, felines and his love of wrestling. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Cookery book talk of the week: Kemps Books presents Edd Kimber In Conversation, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 7.30pm
EDD Kimber, 2010 winner of the inaugural Great British Bake Off, discusses his new book, Chocolate Baking, The Ultimate Guide To Cakes, Cookies, Desserts & Pastries (Quadrille Publishing, March 5), a celebration of the world’s most-loved ingredient in 100 recipes that showcase chocolate in all its forms, sometimes rich and bold, sometimes subtle and surprising.
Expect delicious insights, behind-the-scenes baking stories and possibly a little tasting and demonstration too from Bradford-raised, London-based Kimber. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Jazz singer Claire Martin: Teaming up with IG4 at NCEM, York
Jazz gig of the week: IG4 with Claire Martin, National Centre for Early Music, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
VOCALIST Claire Martin joins IG4 pianist and composer Nikki Iles, saxophonist Karen Sharp and rising star bassist Ewan Hastie, 2022 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, to perform Iles’s new arrangements of Tom Waits, Burt Bacharach, Anthony Newley and Joni Mitchell songs, complemented by her stylish reworking of the American songbook, including Cole Porter and Johnny Mandel. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Super-scooper: Rob Rouse going walkies with his skeletal dog in Funny Bones at Pocklington, Helmsley and Scarborough
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm; Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
The poster for Ready Steady 60’s Show at Helmsley Arts Centre
Tribute gig of the week: Ready Steady 60’s Show, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
READY Steady 60’s Show celebrates the best of the Mod 1960s and British Beat boom in the four-piece tribute band’s two-hour show, paying homage to The Kinks, The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, The Move, The Hollies, and The Animals. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Baron Productions’ cast members at St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, where they will perform Friday and Saturday’s Sherlock Holmes double bill
Thriller double bill of the week: Baron Productions in Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia and The Speckled Band, St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm
SHERLOCK Holmes and Dr Watson embark on two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most captivating cases, presented by York company Baron Productions. London private detective Holmes has always despised love, until the day he pits his wits against mysterious blackmailer Irene Adler, who has a powerful hold over the King of Bohemia, one that could turn Holmes into a changed man if he dares do battle with her.
Then, when a desperate young woman begs Holmes for protection against her cruel stepfather, he and Watson must face a deranged doctor – who can commit horrible murders without entering his victims’ rooms – and a sinister “speckled band”. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/baron-productions.
The 309s: Bringing together Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan at Milton Rooms, Malton
Swing jive gig of the week: The 309s, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
WEST Yorkshire five-piece The 309s have spent 14 years purveying their swing jive repertoire all over the country. Think Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan joining forces to make a classic 20th century sound at the roots of rock’n’roll.
The 309s pick songs mostly from the southern States of America from 1925 and 1955, from Western Swing, created by Wills in Texas, through to rock’n’roll’s early days in Memphis, Tennessee, while taking in country boogie and jump blues too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Scouting For Girls: Marking 15th anniversary of platinum-selling Everybody Wants To Be On TV album at York Barbican
Anniversary gig of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, York Barbican, March 17, doors 7pm
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
JAPANESE prints, a Belgian detective, a Tudor queen and a West Riding pioneer are all making waves in Charles Hutchinson’s early March recommendations.
Exhibition of the week: Making Waves, The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print, York Art Gallery, until August 30, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
MAKING Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print presents Japanese art and culture in more than 100 striking and iconic works from renowned artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and Kitagawa Utamaro, among many others.
At the epicentre of this intriguing insight into the history and development of Japanese woodblock printing is the chance to see Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, one of the most recognisable and celebrated artworks in the world. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk.
York Community Choir Festival 2026: Showcase for choirs aplenty at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York
Festival of the week: York Community Choir Festival 2026, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
THE annual York Community Choir Festival brings together choirs of all ages to perform in a wide variety of singing styles on each bill. Across the week, 43 choirs are taking part in nine concerts, making the 2026 event the largest yet. Concert programmes feature well-known classical and modern popular songs, complemented by show tunes, world music, folk song, gospel, jazz and soul. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Death On The Nile: European premiere of Ken Ludwig’s new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Manuel Harlan
Murder mystery of the week: Fiery Angel presents Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile, Grand Opera House, York, March 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
AFTER tours of And Then There Were None and Murder On The Orient Express, Death On The Nile reunites director Lucy Bailey, writer Ken Ludwig and producers Fiery Angel for the European premiere of a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile.
On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun, a couple’s idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder. As secrets buried in the sands of time resurface, can Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Mark Hadfield), untangle the web of lies? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Nick Patrick Jones’s Henry VIII and Lara Stafford’s Anne Boleyn in Black Treacle Theatre’s Anne Boleyn. Picture: John Saunders
Historical drama of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Anne Boleyn, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
YORK company Black Treacle Theatre presents Howard Brenton’s account of one of England’s most important and intriguing historical figures: Tudor lover, heretic, revolutionary, queen Anne Boleyn (played by Lara Stafford).
Traditionally seen as either the pawn of an ambitious family manoeuvred into the King’s bed, or as a predator manipulating her way to power, Anne – and her ghost – re-emerges in a very different light in Brenton’s epic play, premiered by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in 2010. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Poetry event of the week: York Poetry Society, Poetry Pharmacy launch celebration, Jacob’s Well, Trinity Lane, York, Friday, 7.30pm to 9.30pm
TO mark Friday’s opening of the third Poetry Pharmacy, part bookshop, part apothecary, part reading room, and venue for readings, workshops, creative writing clubs in Coney Street, founder Deborah Alma talks about its concept of fostering the therapeutic effects of poetry.
Local poets are invited to read poems with this aim in mind in the second half. “Normally we ask of non-members a £3 entry fee, but on this occasion, if you write a poem relevant to the evening, all we will ask is that you read it to us as part of the programme,” says programme secretary Marta Hardy.
Irish dance and magic combine in Celtic Illusion, on tour at York Barbican
Magical experience of the week: Celtic Illusion, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
AFTER dazzling audiences across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the USA, this thunderous Irish dance and grand-illusion magic show is making its premiere UK tour in 2026.
Created by Anthony Street, illusionist and former lead of Lord Of The Dance, Celtic Illusion brings together dancers from Riverdance and Lord Of The Dance, who perform to a soaring original score and remastered classics by composer Angela Little. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, as Anne Lister, rehearsing for Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack. Picture: Colleen Mair
Dance premiere of the week: Northern Ballet and Finnish National Opera and Ballet in Gentleman Jack, Leeds Grand Theatre, Saturday to March 14, except Sunday and Monday, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm matinees on March 12 and 14
THIS groundbreaking new ballet marks a trio of ‘firsts’: the first time the story of Anne Lister has been told through ballet, the first large-scale commission for Northern Ballet since 2021 and the first under artistic director Federico Bonelli.
Yorkshirewoman Anne, the “first modern lesbian”, lived, dressed and loved as she desired, not as 19th century society expected of her. Northern Ballet’s interpretation of her life is choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, leading a female artistic team that includes Sally Wainwright, writer of the BBC/HBO television series Gentleman Jack. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
The poster for the Merely Players’ Fakespeare exposé at Helmsley Arts Centre
The Great Shakespeare Fraud of the week: Merely Players, Fakespeare, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
THERE are two problems with deception: being found out and not being found out. In 1794, noted antiquarian Samuel Ireland is delighted when his son William brings him unknown documents in the hand of Shakespeare, obtained from an anonymous source. However, scholars question their authenticity and denounce Samuel as a forger. The household is thrown into turmoil and family skeletons come tumbling out of cupboards.
Roll forward to 2026, when Samuel, William and their housekeeper Mrs Freeman meet again to sort out the truth of it all, if such a thing is possible. So runs Stuart Fortey’s tragicomic, scarcely believable, deceptively truthful tale of 18th century literary fraud and family deceit. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Very Santana: Celebrating Carlos Santana’s songs and guitar mastery at Milton Rooms, Malton
Tribute gig of the week: Very Santana, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
VERY Santana’s musical time travel experience celebrates the beautiful guitar melodies and creatively diverse, challenging songs of Carlos Santana, performed with room for extra improvisation.
The set list spans the Santana legacy, from the Abraxas album early peaks of Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti, through the late 1970s’ hits such as Europa and She’s Not There, to the modern-era Grammy winners Smooth and Maria-Maria. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Harry Enfield: No Chums but a cornucopia of comical characters at Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gig of the week: Harry Enfield And No Chums, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
FROM the meteoric rise of Loadsamoney, a Thatcherite visionary, to the fury of Kevin the Teenager, satirical comedian and self-styled “stupid idiot” Harry Enfield reflects on 40 years in comedy, bringing favourite characters vividly back to life on stage.
Then comes your chance to ask how it all works for the former University of York politics student (Derwent College, 1979 to 1982), discover what makes him most proud and find out what would he say to the many who ask, “You wouldn’t be allowed to do your stuff today, would you?”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Elvis Costello: Revisiting his 1977-1986 back catalogue in Radio Soul! at York Barbican in June. Picture: Ray Di Pietro
Gig announcement of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs Of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17
ELVIS Costello will return to York Barbican for the first time since May 2012’s Spectacular Singing Book tour, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton.
Costello, 71, will focus on songs drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1986’s Blood & Chocolate in 1986, complemented by “other surprises”. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/elvis-costello/.
York landscape artist, printmaker, workshop tutor and now author Michelle Hughes in her garden studio. Picture: Jackson Portraiture
YORK printmaker and workshop tutor Michelle Hughes’ debut art book, Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut, is published today by the Crowood Press.
“The slow boat from India must have sped up significantly as my publisher has emailed me to say it’s arrived at the distributors,” says a delighted Michelle, of St Swithin’s Walk, Holgate, York. “It’s all a bit of a surprise that it’s here because there’d been a delay.”
That delay led Michelle to decide to arrange the official launch for Wednesday, April 15 in the Harriet Room at York Cemetery, where doors will open at 6.30pm for the 7pm start.
“It will be by invitation only due to space constraints,” says landscape artist Michelle, who makes limited-edition linocut prints inspired by the Yorkshire coast, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and the Lake District and the wildlife observed from her garden studio.
“Partly because of the date, the launch will have an element of a ten-year celebration too to thank everyone who’s supported and been part of my journey as a printmaker since June 2016, when I launched my business. I’ll probably do a short talk and have examples of the prints and blocks. Plus, of course, I’ll be signing books.”
As of today, Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut is available from online retailers and bookshops. Alternatively, to order the book for delivery or to pre-order signed copies to collect from Michelle’s studio, visit: https://www.michellehughesdesign.com/printing-birds-and-wildlife-in-linocut-book.
Michelle Hughes’s book cover artwork for Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut
“In August 2023, I was approached by the Crowood Press [independent publishers of specialist books at The Stable Block, Ramsbury, Marlborough] to write a book on making linocut prints,” she says. “It took me 20 months to write, make the linocut prints, photograph each step, edit it, and have friends proof-read it.
“As I went along, I laid it out in line with Crowood’s in-house style and formatted it as I wanted it to appear in the book, to understand how it would visually look to the reader. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it.”
Last May, Michelle handed in her 42,000-word, 660-photograph manuscript and lay-out to the publishers. Several rounds of proof-reading and lay-out by a professional typesetter ensued, and now the 176-page book is not only published at £18.99 but has been selected as one of the top 25 books to have generated the most support for independent bookshops in the past month.
“This beautiful book explains how to capture the joy of nature in the versatility of linocut,” says Michelle. “From a simple idea or sketch, it guides you through the process of planning designs, carving and then successfully printing your work.
“Projects with detailed step-by-step instructions further demonstrate the process with one-colour and jigsaw prints, before advancing to reduction and multi-block prints. All are shown with the most endearing images that capture the enchanting characteristics of our much-loved British birds and wildlife.”
She continues: “With clear instructions, detailed demonstrations and expert tips developed from years of teaching, this book is designed to help you grow with confidence at any stage of your creative journey.
A close-up of Michelle Hughes carving a linocut. Picture: Jackson Portraiture
“Inside the book, you’ll discover 15 newly created linocut prints celebrating British birds and wildlife, alongside a selection of much-loved favourites. Each print is inspired by wildlife which visits my own garden and memorable encounters on countryside walks.”
Michelle grew up making things, sewing, not least crafting, and creating her own clothes, then studied for an ND in Design at Mid-Warwickshire College of Further Education, Leamington Spa, from 1987 to 1989 and an HND in Fashion Design at Southampton Solent University from 1989 to 1991.
After 25 years of designing fashion, textiles and homeware for major high-street brands, a fourth redundancy in 2016 gave her the space to experiment and play with linocut printmaking, becoming a self-taught printmaker.
She now exhibits at open studios and print fairs, works on commissions, including for the National Trust, and has taught more than 1,000 students worldwide through small group workshops in her print studio since July 2017 and online linocut courses since the Covid pandemic of 2020-2021.
“My creative process starts with photographs taken while walking and cycling,” she says. “I then transform landscapes and wildlife into simplified graphic shapes, applying a limited colour palette. I create limited-edition prints using the multi-block linocut method, hand-carving lino blocks for each colour and printing with oil-based inks.”
Michelle will be demonstrating that technique when participating in York Open Studios 2026 at 67, St Swithin’s Walk on April 18 and 19, when 150 artists and makers will be taking part at 107 venues, including 27 new artists in the 24th year of the annual art festival. Full details can be found at https://yorkopenstudios.co.uk/artists-makers/.
Michelle’s book will be on sale at York Open Studios, where once more she will be signing copies.
Michelle Hughes printing a linocut in her St Swithin’s Walk studio
Michelle Hughes: back story
Education
1971: Born in Coventry and grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1987-1989: ND in Design at Mid-Warwickshire College of Further Education, Leamington Spa.
1989-1991: HND in Fashion Design at Southampton Solent University.
Fashion, textiles and homeware career
1991: Moved to London.
1991-2003: Fashion and textile design for Gable Clothing Company UK Ltd, H.A. Clothing Company, Principles and Evans (The Arcadia Group), Freemans Plc and River Island.
2003-2005: Regional creative manager for Disney Home Europe.
2005-2006: Career break, volunteering for Rajana Arts and Crafts, Cambodia, and travelling in Southeast Asia.
2006: Moved to York.
2006-2009: Design manager, for Shared Earth, Fair Trade homeware and giftware retailer.
2009-2011: Senior graphic designer for Room for Design.
2011-2016: Design manager for cook and dine range at George Home, Asda Stores Ltd.
Michelle Hughes Design business
Jan 2016: Redundancy for fourth time.
June 2016: Started own business, Michelle Hughes Design.
April 2016: Joined York Printmakers.
Oct 2016: First exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery in York with York Printmakers.
July 2017: Started teaching linocut workshops in garden studio.
April 2018: First exhibited at York Open Studios.
March 2020: Launched e-commerce shop.
July 2020: Launched How To Make A Linocut Print For Beginners online course.
May 2021: Launched How To Make A Multi-block Linocut Print online course.
August 2023: Approached by independent publisher The Crowood Press to write book about how to make linocut prints.
February 24 2026: Publication of first book Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut.
Michelle Hughes holding a copy of her newly published book
Michelle Hughes’s creative journey
Growing up: A childhood of making things
“I’VE always loved making things and being creative. My favourite phrase was, and still is, ‘I could make that’. If I don’t know how to, I’ll certainly have a go,” says Michelle.
“Sewing, crafts and baking were my biggest interests. In my early teens, I made soft toys that I would sell to a local gift shop opposite Shakespeare’s birthplace in my home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. I still have the costing and sales book. I kept track of it all! An early entrepreneur in the making!! I went on to make all my own clothes.
“As a child of the 1970s, Tony Hart and Blue Peter greatly influenced my childhood. I loved making a Sindy doll clothes shop, filled with clothes I’d made too. I also liked drawing. I would spend hours sketching Disney characters. Ironically, I ended up working for Disney!”
Studying design and fashion
“MY strongest subjects at school were Maths, sewing, art and the sciences. I didn’t have a particular ‘I want to be something’ growing up. I just knew I liked making things.
“I took a two-year National Diploma in Design, specialising in fashion design in my second year. I excelled at the pattern-cutting and making part of the course and created a wedding dress collection for the end-of-year show.
“I then moved to Southampton to study for a two-year Higher National Diploma in Fashion Design. I graduated in 1991 at the age of 20. I have been lucky enough to be working as a designer ever since.”
Designing for well-known high street brands
“FROM 1991 to 2005, I worked my way up the career ladder in fashion, textile design and homeware. I designed for high-street retailers such as The Arcadia Group, Freeman’s catalogue and Disney. You may own something I’ve designed!”
London calling
“MY tutor recommended me for a junior textile design job in London. I had been hopeless at textile design at college and wasn’t a city girl at all. I did need a job, though. I applied, did the application design project for my second interview and got the job!
“So, at 20, I moved to London. It was a steep learning curve, and I was way out of my comfort zone. Back then, textile design concepts were still painted by hand using gouache paints. Each colour was mixed to the exact Pantone shade of the retailer’s palette. This is where I developed my strong eye for colour. I also learned how to create textile patterns and graphics.
“I worked my way up the career ladder in fashion and textile design, designing for high-street retailers such as Principles and Evans, part of The Arcadia Group, and Freeman’s catalogue.”
A change in direction: Homeware design
“AFTER 15 years in fashion design, I felt the need for change. I’d had enough of fast fashion and wanted to move into designing homeware. That seemed easy, as I had all the transferable skills, but I met a lot of resistance from recruitment agencies.
“I was contacted about a new role being created at Disney Consumer Products. As someone with a broad, adaptable skill base, I fit right in. I went on to set up the Pan European Creative Managers role for Disney Home and Disney Baby.
“My role was to develop the creative direction for Disney characters and films. I worked with the local European teams to create a cohesive look across Europe. Developing ranges on everything from Disney Princess bedding to Winnie the Pooh lunch boxes was great fun.”
In search of more meaning: Travel and designing for Fair Trade
“I’D climbed the career ladder and had a successful career, but something was missing. I longed to do something with more meaning and give something back. I also wanted to travel more as I hadn’t taken a gap year after graduating.
“In 2015, I quit my job to go backpacking around Southeast Asia for a year. I spent four months in Cambodia volunteering for a Fair Trade company in Phnom Penh.
“They had three gift shops and worked with an in-house team of artisan makers, as well as small producers and craftspeople across the country. I worked with them to develop their ranges and help improve their marketing. I loved every minute of it.”
Moving to York: A happy accident
“RETURNING to the UK, I didn’t want to return to city life or return to the rat race in London. At 35, I moved back in with my mum and dad to look for a design job in Fair Trade. It wasn’t easy, as most companies are pretty small.
“Months of cold calling led me to a design vacancy at Shared Earth in York. I came up for an interview and got the job. A few weeks later, I moved up here without a sense of where this new chapter in Yorkshire would take me.
“Shared Earth was one of the UK’s largest fair trade retailers and wholesalers. We developed ranges with more than 30 producers, craftspeople, and artisan makers worldwide.
“I became their had of design, developing homeware and gift ranges. I also created a fresh, cohesive look for Shared Earth’s branding and marketing materials. Communicating how the products were made, by whom, and the difference the purchase made was very important.”
Not everything goes to plan.
“THE recession hit, and many of the senior management roles were made redundant.
“I put a ‘help, I need a job’ post on Facebook, and a few days later, I had an interview for a maternity cover graphic design role at a design agency. I got it. Phew! Not being a formally trained graphic designer, I felt I had a lot to prove, which was another steep learning curve.
“When that ended, I was looking for work again. The design world is very London-centric, so it’s not easy.
“A role emerged at George Home at Asda, designing home accessories and lighting. It wasn’t right in my heart, but I had bills to pay. I remember crying when I got the job. It meant I was back designing in the commercial world again. Don’t get me wrong, it was a brilliant role.
“I became the design manager for the Cook and Dine range. We designed everything from the graphic illustrations on mugs and tableware to all-over prints on tea towels. They hadn’t had a designer on the team before, but I enjoyed the challenge.
“I worked with a team of in-house designers, freelancers, buyers and merchandisers on multiple ranges each year. We developed thousands of products each season.”
Sewing the seeds of change
“THE corporate world was all I’d ever known. I’d already tried to escape the rat race once before but had got sucked back in.
“I couldn’t imagine working in highly stressful head-office environments for the rest of my career. In design manager roles, I had lost sight of hands-on design work. My time was spent on strategic direction, planning what the trends and ranges would look like and overseeing designers or briefing freelancers to make that come to life. Plus, there are lots of meetings and endless emails!
“I’m a great fan of vision boards. I took two days off after ‘Barmoor’, a weekend yoga retreat near Hutton-le-Hole in the North York Moors. I created mood boards showing what I’d achieved, my strengths, and elements that could be part of a future business. I used pictures of things I’d designed or made, brands or products I adored or aspired to and inspirational quotes.
“I create vision boards or mood boards a lot. They’re a good idea because they clarify everything. They cemented what I had done so far and how I view myself. Although I didn’t know what would come next, I was clearer about what was important to me and what I liked. I also knew that my true inner confidence was rock bottom. Only one thing for that was to get help, and that’s what I did.”
Leap of faith: Starting own business in 2016
“MY fourth redundancy in January 2016 was an opportunity to make a significant lifestyle change, be it a scary one.
“Although it was, in part, what I’d been planning, I wasn’t ready; I didn’t have a plan (I’m a big planner). How on earth would I make a living? I hated the thought of working alone, as I loved being part of a team, bouncing ideas and bringing them to life. I’m a worrier, too and dreaded the thought of financial insecurity.
“I was in China on a buying trip when we heard about redundancies. I’d said, ‘If my role is one of them, then that’s it. I’m not working for anyone else ever again’. It had been my fourth redundancy. I’d become more resilient, as you have to be, and proactively found something else each time, but in my heart, I meant what I said.
“So, with one big shove, off I went. This was the beginning of my journey into self-employment. I started my own business in June 2016.”
Following dreams: A tale of two halves
“I INITIALLY set my business up purely as a graphic designer, offering design support to local businesses. That made sense, and in time, I would pay the bills.
“I had no intention of becoming an artist. I’d always seen making crafts or art as a hobby rather than a career choice. Plus, it’s tough to make a living from it. Sadly, we don’t seem to value handmade things and traditional crafts as much as we should.”
First graphic design briefs
“TO build my portfolio for my new business, I offered to refresh Hawthorn’s logo. They said yes in exchange for printmaking inks and tools. Win-win! This led to Hawthorn’s recommending me to Angela at Beetle Bank Farm. I went on to create their branding and marketing materials, using linocut to develop the initial design concepts.”
Time to play creatively: The craft of print
“THE craftsmanship of printmaking appealed. I’m a maker at heart. I love making things by hand and feeling that connection through all my senses. Linocut seemed like the natural choice. It’s also a craft or art form which is easy to get started with at home, with just a few simple tools and materials. Lino cutting at home doesn’t have to be expensive.
“I’d always been a fan of Angie Lewin’s linocuts and woodcut prints, and I’ve always loved mid-century design, whether that’s 1950s’ clothing or salvaging vintage furniture for my home. I love vintage railway posters and Japanese woodblock prints, too. There’s something about their graphic style and colour use.”
Learning to linocut: First linocut print
“IN terms of timelines, I’m going back a bit here. I first tried lino print in July 2013. There was a craft fair at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall in York. One of the makers had a ‘have a go’ table. I’d always liked the style of linocut and thought I’d have a go.
“With a full-on design career, there wasn’t much creative time for me outside of work. Apart from a few simple cards and gifts for friends. It wasn’t until I was made redundant in January 2016 that I found the time to play with lino properly.
“I’m entirely self-taught. I’d play and experiment. Some things worked, and others did not, but it was good to be back ‘playing’ with creativity.
“I used soft-cut lino for my early designs as I had basic lino tools. I also used what I’ve coined as ‘the jigsaw method’. Back then, I thought I’d made it up, but it seems a few others had been making prints that way too. My first series of Yorkshire Dales linocut prints was all created this way.”
Finding own style
“SINCE I started my career at 20, I’d always designed for other brands and didn’t have my own personal style. The focus had been on what was right for their brand, customers, style and trends.
“Using basic beginner’s tools, I played with ideas in my cold, dusty garage. I had my Eureka moment when I created my Yorkshire Dales and Teal Sunflowers linocut prints.
“Since then, my style has evolved and refined. I’m known for my use of colour and simple stylised silhouettes, particularly of local Yorkshire landscapes. I often use paths to draw your eye through the picture. I draw on my textile and graphic design experience for my use of colour and composition.”
Inspired by nature: Desire for adventure
“MY work reflects my love of nature and the great outdoors. My desire to rekindle the freedom of travel from my backpacking days in Asia has led me to explore what’s on my doorstep.
“I walk and cycle to gather inspiration. I don’t like to just grab a photo from Google. I need to see, feel and experience the landscape for myself. Observing my surroundings, I capture the colours, shapes and textures of nature, landscapes, wildlife, and building styles on my camera before returning to my studio to sketch ideas that capture the essence of the place.
“On walks, friends often say that they now ‘experience a view through the eyes of Michelle’, which is rather lovely.”
Joining the York Printmakers creative community
“IN April 2016, I joined York Printmakers. I felt like a fraud. I’d dabbled with linocut, but nothing that was any good.
“The group formed in 2015 and was in the process of creating its logo. Not a dry corporate one, but one where each member had created a letter in their style and printmaking technique.
“To begin with, I volunteered to design their logo, incorporating the letters the group’s members had created through various printmaking techniques. I made the linocut letter Y.
“Graphic design and bringing ideas together were something I could do. The group is incredibly friendly and welcoming to printmakers of all levels, but my own self-doubt wasn’t having that.
“Going through redundancy is mentally quite challenging, and no matter how much I’ve told myself not to take it personally, I do, and it knocks my confidence. In many ways, designing the logo gave me a sense of purpose, and I felt that I could offer something useful to the group.”
Exhibiting for the first time
“YORK Printmakers’ support and encouragement spurred me on to create new lino prints. Joining the group’s first exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery in York in October 2016 gave me something to work towards. I was bitten by the bug and asked to exhibit my work there again.”
Living the dream: Garden studio
“LIKE many artists and makers, I started working on my kitchen table. I often used my very cold and dusty garage for printing.
“In March 2017, I converted my dusty, cold garage into a bright, light, warm, inspiring workspace. Back then, I’d lived here for ten years and had always dreamed of making better use of the space.
“Redundancy money allowed me to convert my garage into a light, airy, insulated garden studio. I live in a quiet suburb of York, with a view of Holgate Windmill.
“I love the quality of light, even on the greyest day. I have windows overlooking my garden, so it brings the outdoors in. It’s such a relaxed place to work. Listening to birdsong is quite idyllic.”
Learning new linocut techniques
“IN 2017, I started experimenting with making multicoloured prints using the multi-block technique. Usually, a separate lino block is carved for each colour layer within a linocut print. “It takes a lot of planning to ensure the registration of each lino block line up when printed. I’m very mathematical and enjoyed pattern cutting at fashion college, so I guess I use a lot of those skills. Now, I mainly use the multi-block method to create my linocut prints.”
York Open Studios
“I APPLIED for the 2017 York Open Studios but sadly wasn’t accepted. I applied the following year and was accepted, taking part in my first event in April 2018. I’ve applied and taken part each year since then, as well as hosting my own open studio events. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet people and share how I create my linocut prints.”
Sharing a passion through linocut workshops and online courses
“I WANTED to inspire others to make more time in their lives for a creative hobby, and in July 2017, I started running linocut workshops from my York studio.
“I teach small groups of four, so everyone gets lots of one-to-one attention. I thoroughly enjoy teaching them. The look on people’s faces when they peel back the paper from the lino block for the first time is an absolute joy, even more so when someone has started the day saying they’re not arty or can’t draw.
“Initially, I taught beginners through my introduction to linocut workshops. Participants learn how to use lino tools to create various marks and print them. With my background so strongly rooted in design, I love helping evolve their ideas from a photo or inspiration image into a sketch and a design that works well for lino print.
“I now offer follow-on workshops where participants learn how to make multicoloured linocut prints using either the Jigsaw or Multi-block linocut methods. I have more ideas for different lino print workshops, so watch this space!”
National Trust commission
“IN December 2018, I was contacted by a graphic design agency about creating a series of 12 linocut prints for the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo. These were to be used, and still are, across a range of marketing materials. The curlew linocut print has since been used on gift ranges for the National Trust shop too.”
Adapting during the pandemic: Teaching online
“IN March 2020, the pandemic lockdown meant everything came to a standstill overnight. Events, exhibitions and workshops were cancelled and postponed; graphic design work dried up, and I had to adapt quickly.
“The Design Trust launched an online course called Learn How To Teach Online, which was invaluable. The approach to teaching online in different formats is very different.
“I spent another three months writing, filming and editing my first online course. I had a wealth of experience to draw on from the in-person workshops I’d been teaching.
“In July 2020, I launched my first online linocut course, Beginners’ Guide to Linocut printing, followed by How to Make a Multi-block Linocut Print in May 2021. I continue to teach online, with students joining from all around the world.
“I host monthly Zoom Q&As for my students, and it’s been a joy to help so many people discover the craft of traditional printmaking.”
Adapting during the pandemic: E-commerce online shop
“UNTIL the pandemic, I’d focused on selling my original prints through local art galleries, print fairs and events. With all these being cancelled, I was stuck.
“I built my online shop and, to my surprise, realised that people all over the country wanted to buy my lino prints of Yorkshire.
“Alongside my online shop, I now continue to take part in two main events a year, York Open Studios in April and the York Printmakers Print Fair in September.”
Becoming a full-time professional printmaker
“THE challenges I faced during the pandemic became the silver lining.
“Adapting my business during the pandemic was a success, and I realised I could make a living solely as a professional printmaker.
“As the world returned to normal, I decided to leave graphic design behind and hand over my clients to a friend who’s a graphic designer, so I could focus solely on printmaking.”
Commissions
“IN addition to the National Trust project, I have been privileged to work on a number of commercial commissions. Two of my favourites have been:
“In 2019, Jim Leary commissioned me to create a series of ten linocut print illustrations for his forthcoming book, Footmarks: A Journey Into Our Restless Past.
“In January 2022, I was commissioned by The Chase Creative Consultants to create artwork for The Rawcliffe Bridge Award for Sustainability. The illustration is composed of 16 individual linocut prints. Each quadrant of the plate depicts a season in the farming year and the natural cycle of farming.”
Licensing
“AS well as commissions, I license linocut prints for book covers, homeware, interiors and editorial projects.
“It’s quite a privilege to have your art chosen for the front cover of a book and an absolute delight to see it in print!”
Launching first book!
“IN August 2023, I was approached by The Crowood Press to write a book on making linocut prints. I was blown away!
“I’m proud to be launching my first book, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, on February 24 2026.
“It took me 20 months to write, make the linocut prints, photograph each step, edit it and have friends proofread it. As I went along, I laid it out in line with Crowood’s in-house style and formatted it as I wanted it to appear in the book, to understand how it would visually look to the reader. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it.
“Last May, I handed my 42,000-word, 660-photograph manuscript and layout to my publishers. Since then, it’s undergone several rounds of proofreading and has been laid out by a professional typesetter.
“My book covers all the basics you need to make linocut prints, from planning designs to carving techniques, mixing colours, and printing. Plus registration, jigsaw prints, reduction prints, multi-block linocut prints, stamping with lino blocks and printing on fabric.
“Inside the book, you’ll find 15 newly created linocut prints of birds and wildlife, along with a selection of favourites.”
One final question: What next?
“WITH the successes I’ve had over the last ten years, I often get asked what next. I find that a tricky question. I’ll always have drive and passion to learn more and move things forward, but I love the mountain I’ve climbed over the past ten years, and I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved in that time.
“It’s important to me to have a sustainable business, one in which there’s a balance between my work and my personal life. Spending time in nature not only inspires my work, but it’s what brings so much joy and well-being to my life.
“It’s important to me to create new print collections and teach with quality and integrity, inspiring and encouraging others.
“I’d like to create linocut prints of so many places and views. Yorkshire always holds my heart, especially the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve got lots of ideas from inspiration trips to Northumberland and Scotland too.
“I have plans for new workshops and courses up my sleeve, too.
“I just love what I do, just as it is.
“Having said all of that, I’m always open to ideas!”
