Wren Crawford’s Jesus in The Company of Merchant Adventurers’ Doomsday, staged with Ravens Morris & Haigha and the Northern Militia. Picture: John Saunders
YORK is the city that knows its waggon wheels from its Wagon Wheels, for so many years sent spinning towards theatregoers by pantomime dame Berwick Kaler.
Once every four summers, the York Festival Trust, the city Guilds and assorted theatre companies and community groups take to the city streets to revive the medieval texts of the York Mystery Plays, mingling with the Sunday shoppers and the aromas emerging from cafes, restaurants, stalls and storied chocolate store over two weekends.
Ten of the 48 plays – the most complete set in the world – and a further extract are being staged at four stations, the wagons kept on the move from mid-morning at the Minster Refectory Gardens to King’s Square, St Sampson’s Square and the one seated, ticketed location, Dean’s Park, in the shadow of York Minster.
Being the city of festivals and home to the Jorvik Viking Centre, let alone stag and hen parties, York and dressing up go hand and hand, never more so than for the York Mystery Plays, where the sight of Angel 1 and 2 walking through Goodramgate, wings at full span, faces shielded by veils, separated from their fellow Doomsday performers, looked perfectly normal for a York Sunday rather than an act of divine intervention.
It is easy to take such occurrences for granted in York, but it is all part of living with history and history being alive in a city whose present and future continues to be shaped by its past.
The Mystery Plays are steeped in tradition: plays being “brought forth” on waggons – always with a double ‘GG’ – pulled by human toil rather than horses, led by drums and banners and the dignitaries of assorted guilds in full regalia.
Each set must fit on the waggon, calling for inventive, compact design, easy to assemble and take down. Some are humorous, such as Pip Cook and the Guild of Cordwainers’ The Shepherds, with its multitude of sheep; none is more impactful than the cross rising to the sky, bearing the pierced frame of Thom Feeney’s Jesus of Nazareth, pulled and pushed into position by the four jesting Workmen of York Settlement Community Players, performing a Pageant Waggon play for the first time in 12 years for the York Butchers’ Gild.
Faces familiar from the York theatre scene or from past productions share the spotlight with performers new to the declamatory demands of street theatre in a production that always reflects the changing community of York.
Bodhan Pitel’s Herod in DSpace Ukrainian Theatre and the Guild of Scriveners’ The Massacre Of The Innocents. Picture: John Saunders
Step forward DSpace Ukrainian Theatre, the company set up in York by artistic director and actress Daryna Klymenko, presenting The Massacre Of The Innocents, a title that could not have more resonance.
Writing in the York Mystery Plays Festival 2026 programme, Klymenko says: “Working on the tragic story of the Massacre of the Innocents, we could not ignore the parallels with the modern world – with the way dictatorship , violence and an unhealthy hunger for power and wealth become irreversibly destructive.
“Through this performance, we aim not only to tell a tragic story, but also to ask the question: why do similar tragedies continue to happen? And what has the power to resist them?”
DSpace specialise in physical expression, body language and hidden parallels, and their performance, led by Bodhan Pitel’s violent, gaudy Herod, is the essence of why these Plays continue to chime with the times.
Through the day’s perambulations, we encounter all manner of angels (Guiding/Herald/Fallen/Death/Hey-Hey Angel et al); seven iterations of God (including Daniel Wilmot’s Deus for the Guild of Building’s The Creation) and Jesus times three (the stripped Oscar Langford and Thom Feeney and a white-robed/Elvis-in-Vegas Wren Crawford).
Then add Adam & Eve, Satan, Satanas and Devils, Noah and Mrs Mrs Noah, a Forsaken Soul, shepherds, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Naughty Child 1 and 2, Saved Souls and Damned Souls, messengers, councillors and all manner of animals. All life – and one central death– is here and here to stay, you sense.
Pageant Master Dr Alan Heaven has overseen a festival with two Sunday performances, midweek Sunset plays in Shambles Market, walks and talks, pop-up shop and exhibitions, pipers’ performances and a Festival Fringe: a proper festival that celebrates York, street plays and the alliterative Yorkshire dialect, all while embracing history and Mystery with gusto.
The York Mystery Plays 2026, next performance, July 5. More details at yorkmysteryplays.co.uk.
Christina Meehan, left, Karen Holmes and Pippa Duffy in rehearsal for Calendar Girls The Musical at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
THE York Mystery Plays on waggon wheels, Calendar Girls in the round, early music beyond borders and Jim Hacker’s lust hurrah promise high summer times for Charles Hutchinson.
Make a date with: Calendar Girls The Musical, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until July 25
AS director Paul Robinson reveals: “Our new in-the-round staging of Tim Firth and Gary Barlow’s Calendar Girls brings the audience into the heart of the Rylstone Women’s Institute, making this true story of friendship and determination feel more personal and immediate.
“This intimate production will create a unique, shared experience, reminiscent of gathering around a community hall or a close friend’s living room, allowing for a deeper connection to the characters and creating a collective, communal atmosphere that fully immerses everyone in the moving story of these ‘ordinary women’ doing something quite extraordinary.” Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Cathy Sara’s Villeyn and Thomas Frere’s Jongleur in Riding Lights Theatre Company’s Mistero Buffo at Friargate Theatre, York. Picture: John Shepherdson
2026 York Mystery Plays Fringe play of the week: Riding Lights Theatre Company in Mistero Buffo, Friargate Theatre, York, today to Saturday, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm matinees on Friday and Saturday
TWO wild strangers roll into York for the 2026 York Mystery Plays Fringe to tell tales destined to turn the city upside down. Combining ferocious wit and fearless physical storytelling, Paul Birch’s two-hander production for York’s Riding Lights Theatre Company tears into faith, power, profit and hypocrisy by turning ancient Bible stories into urgent, humorous modern theatre with a clear spiritual heart.
Written by Nobel prize-winning Italian playwright Dario Fo, translated by Ed Emery and performed by Yorkshire actors Thomas Frere and Cathy Sara, this 1969 take on the Mystery Plays will appeal to Fringe theatregoers with a taste for subversive and unapologetic comedy with bite. Box office: www.ridinglights.org.
Kirkgate in floral splendour for summer at York Castle Museum. Picture: Gareth Buddo
Flower power of the week: Summer at York Castle Museum, in bloom until September 6, open Mondays, 11am to 5pm; Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm
YORK Castle Museum is capturing the essence of ‘grand days out’ and celebrating iconic summers across two contrasting centuries this summer season. Drawing on the breadth of the museum’s social history collection, Victorian York Galas and the Swinging ’60s are the programme’s key focus with games, crafts and seasonal decorations providing nostalgia and summer fun for visitors.
Further highlights include Last Stop Before Kirkgate, Novo Theatre’s immersive experience replicating a 19th century coaching inn and arrival into York, and Yorkshire artist Pippa Dyrlaga’s paper-cut hot air balloons, telling the story of balloon rides during the galas. Tickets: yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk.
The Choir Of Man: “The best trip to your local you’ll ever have”…at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: The Other Richard
Foot-stomping musical celebration of the week: The Choir Of Man, Grand Opera House, York, today and tomorrow, 7.30pm; Friday, 4pm and 8pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
SET in the The Jungle pub on stage, The Choir Of Man is billed as “the best trip to your local you’ll ever have” as a cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs with tap dance and soulful storytelling in an uplifting celebration of community and friendship.
The debut UK & Ireland tour cast features Gustav Melbardis as Maestro; Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi as Poet; Levi Tyrell Johnson as Hard Man; Ben Mabberley as Joker; Rob Godfrey as Beast; Jack Skelton as Handyman; Joshua Lloyd as Barman; Sam Walter as Romantic and Aaron Pottenger as Bore performing Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns N’ Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry hits. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston: Presenting A Gentle Air with tenor Paul Agnew and lutenist Sergio Bucheli on July 9 at 2026 York Early Music Festival
50th anniversary event of the summer: 2026 York Early Music Festival, Beyond Borders, Friday to July 11
THE premier British early music festival marks its 50th anniversary with a celebration of “just how far early music has travelled – beyond the borders of the myriad historic venues of our city to a worldwide audience,” says director Delma Tomlin.
Opening with Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, presented by I Fagiolini, and closing with Solomon’s Knot’s rendition of Bruhns’s St Mark Passion, the festival welcomes The Sixteen, B’Rock Orchestra & Vocal Consort, Imago Mundi, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and NCEM Platform Artists Anacronia and Contre le temps, among others. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk/yemf.
Tribute show of the week: The Rat Pack, Las Vegas Live!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm
DIRECT from London’s Leicester Square Theatre, The 02 and a Royal Command Performance, David Alacey stars as Frank Sinatra alongside West End favourite Tim Harwood as Dean Martin and former Coronation Street and Hollyoaks star Ashley Campbell as Sammy Davis Jr in the original Rat Pack tribute show, now celebrating its 25th record-breaking year of re-creating their Las Vegas heyday at The Sands. BBC musical director Mac Shone will be at the piano alongside the Buddy Greco All-Stars. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Bodhan Pitel’s Herod in DSpace Ukrainian Theatre and the Guild of Scriveners’ The Massacre of The Innocents in the 2026 York Mystery Plays. Picture: John Saunders
Theatrical event of the week: 2026 York Mystery Plays, streets of York, Sunday, 10.30am to 4.50pm; Sunset in the Shambles Market, tonight, 7.45pm
THE four-yearly staging on the York Mystery Plays on pageant waggons takes place at four locations across the city: free viewing at the Minster Refectory Gardens, Deansgate, (from 10.30am) King’s Square (from 11.10am), St Sampson’s Square (from 11.50am) and ticketed seats at Dean’s Park (from 12.30pm). Ten core plays will be complemented by further extracts to tell the story from The War In Heaven to Doomsday. For full details, go to: yorkmysteryplays.co.uk.
A special midsummer performances of five plays will be held in Shambles Market tonight, introduced by the York Waits musicians before Pageant Master Dr Alan Heaven guides the audience through each play, from the Creation sequence to the interactive show Doomsday. Tickets: ticketsource.com/york-festival-trust.
Clive Francis and Simon Rouse in I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Michael Wharley
Political drama of the week: I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, Grand Opera House, York, July 7 to 11, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
JIM Hacker is back, older, but perhaps not wiser, and still utterly baffled by the real world. Hoping for a quiet retirement from government as the master of Hacker College, Oxford, Jim (Simon Rouse) instead finds himself facing the ultimate modern crisis: cancelled by the college committee. Enter Sir Humphrey Appleby (Clive Francis), who has lost none of his love for bureaucracy, Latin phrases and well-timed obstruction.
Can Humphrey and Jim outmanoeuvre the hostile students, the Fellows and reality itself? Or is it finally time to say “I’m Sorry, Prime Minister”? Brimming with wit, nostalgia and more double-speak than a press briefing, the final chapter in the evergreen comedy series is written and directed by Jonathan Lynn,co-directed by Michael Gyngell and presented by The Barn Theatre, Cirencester. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Dan Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in York Light Opera Company’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
A SNAPPY crocodile and a Man-Wulf, a spelling bee musical and the York Mystery Plays on wagon wheels keep Charles Hutchinson’s arty eye on the ball and off the football.
Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, today to Saturday & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026)
NEIL Wood directs York Light in Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical account of six ‘mid-pubescents’ battling for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of words hoping to never hear the bell that signals a mistake.
Cue a heart-warming message that highlights themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Jordan Eskeisa, left, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile, front), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical. Picture: Danny Kaan
Mischievous adaptationof the week:Roald Dahl Story Company in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow to Sunday, 10.30am and 1.30pm
ROALD Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only fellow jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy, grumptious, horrid brute.
Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié. Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza star.Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Stewart Lee’s illustration for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, on tour for three nights at Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm
AFTER a five-night Theatre Royal run in the fledgling days of Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf in January 2025, the contrarian comedian returns to York for three more nights of testing whether the beast inside us all can be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s scalpel-sharp stand-up?
Lee will play the same material three ways: first up, telling liberal jokes in a liberal way, then, after a screaming transformation into the Man-Wulf, reactionary jokes in a reactionary way post-interval and, finally, wolf’s head removed, reactionary jokes in a liberal, left-leaning way. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The Moorlands Blues Band: Playing at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents The Moorlands Blues Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 8pm
IN The Moorlands Blues Band, the powerhouse blues ensemble founded by seasoned musicians Giuseppe Vitale and Rod Mackay is joined by Owen Houlston on voice and guitar. In high-energy performances of soulful depth, they play everything from the rawness of Old Delta Blues to the swing of Jump Blues and the gritty soul of Chicago Blues. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Karl Mullen: Everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, at The Old Paint Shop
Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Karl Mullen, York Theatre Royal Studio, Friday, 8pm
AFTER two Old Paint Shop gigs last year, Karl Mullen, upright-piano busker, Phoenix Inn fixture and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion, completes his hat-trick, serving up his energetic take on everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Coastal gig of the week: Pete Tong, Ibiza Classics, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Friday, gates open at 6pm
FROM the sun-soaked shores of Ibiza to the world’s biggest stages, Pete Tong has redefined live dance music over more than 30 years of pushing boundaries and supporting new talent.
After celebrating the tenth anniversary of Ibiza Classics with four sold-out nights at the Royal Albert Hall, he heads to the Yorkshire coast with The Essential Orchestra, having first visited Scarborough Open Air Theatre in 2023. Box office: scarbroughopenairtheatre.com.
Becky Hill: Performing after Saturday’s race meeting on Knavesmire
Under starter’s orders: Becky Hill, Summer Music Saturday, York Racecourse, Saturday, first race at 1.20pm
BECKY Hill, two-time BRIT Award winner for Best Dance Act, opens the summer of post-racing concerts at York Racecourse, promising a high-energy performance on the “Glastonbury-style stage” after seven races. For her set list, she can pick from such hits as Gecko; Back & Forth; Wish You Well; Lose Control; Better Off Without You; Heaven On My Mind; Remember; My Heart Goes; Run; Crazy What Love Can Do; History and Disconnect. For race-day tickets, go to: yorkracecourse.co.uk.
York Mystery Plays: Returning to streets of York on June 28 and July 5
Theatrical event of the week: The York Mystery Plays, streets of York, June 28 and July 5, 10.30am to 4.50pm; Sunset In The Shambles Market, June 30 and July 1, 7.45pm
THE four-yearly staging on the York Mystery Plays on pageant waggons take place at four locations across the city: free viewing at the Minster Refectory Gardens, Deansgate, (from 10.30am) King’s Square (from 11.10am), St Sampson’s Square (from 11.50am) and ticketed seats at Dean’s Park (from 12.30pm). Ten core plays will be complemented by further extracts to tell the story from The War In Heaven to Doomsday. For full details, go to: yorkmysteryplays.co.uk.
Special midsummer performances of five plays will be held in Shambles Market on June 30 and July 1, introduced by the York Waits musicians before Pageant Master Dr Alan Heaven guides the audience through each play, from the Creation sequence to the End of Days in the interactive show Doomsday. These shows begin at 7.45pm and end as the dusk is deepening before 10pm. Tickets: ticketsource.com/york-festival-trust.
The Choir Of Man: Harmony singing to the max at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: The Other Richard
Foot-stomping musical celebration of the week: The Choir Of Man, Grand Opera House, York, June 30 to July 2, 7.30pm; July 3, 4pm and 8pm; July 4, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
SET in the on-stage pub The Jungle, The Choir Of Man is billed as “the best trip to your local you’ll ever have” as a cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs with tap dance and soulful storytelling in an uplifting celebration of community and friendship.
The debut UK & Ireland tour cast features Gustav Melbardis as Maestro; Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi as Poet; Levi Tyrell Johnson as Hard Man; Ben Mabberley as Joker; Rob Godfrey as Beast; Jack Skelton as Handyman; Joshua Lloyd as Barman; Sam Walter as Romantic and Aaron Pottenger as Bore performing Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns N’ Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry hits. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Rose Drew and Alan Gillott, of Stairwell Books, publishers of “the best in Yorkshire writing. Based in York, tales from all over”. Picture: Emily Drew
SCORES of writers, some as young as eight, will share their stories and poems aloud at Merchant Taylors’ Hall, York, on June 25, as part of this year’s York Mystery Plays Festival and Fringe.
After asking for submissions from writers earlier this year, festival poet laureate Rose Drew will head up Voices of the Plays: A Celebration of York Mystery Plays in Poetry and Prose, an evening of themed story and poetry sharing.
“We wanted to inspire our York writers so we set up a poetry and short fiction competition, themed around the Mystery Plays, with a focus on The Flood and War,” explains Rose, who will be supported by deputy laureate Alan Gillott and York Festival Trust chair Roger Lee.
York Mystery Plays: Back on the waggons this summer
“Stories and poems are written to be heard and we loved the idea of our city’s writers sharing their work aloud, in front of a York audience, before we made our final decision on whose work will be published.”
The resulting York anthology will be published by Stairwell Books around the end of August, when the York Festival Trust plans to release a streaming version or DVDs of the Mystery Plays performed this summer.
“I have to admit it will really be an excuse to have a great creative night out!’ says Rose, who runs regular poetry open-mics and is the co-founder of independent publisher Stairwell Books.
Festival poet laureate Rose Drew and deputy laureate Alan Gillott standing by the St Mary’s Abbey ruins in York Museum Gardens. Picture: Emily Drew
“Children’s entries were judged separately for primary and secondary students. Everyone who entered will receive a Certificate of Participation,” she adds.
“I’ll be flying in from the United States that day and making straight for the Merchant Taylors’ Hall, but if anything can keep jet lag at bay for me, it’s live fresh writing talent!”
Children’s readings start promptly at 7pm; doors open at 6.30pm. To book to attend the Festival Live Readings, go to: https://www.yorkmysteryplays.co.uk/tickets-merch/.
Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, circa 1829-1832, from Making Waves at York Art Gallery. Picture: courtesy of Maidstone Museum
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 launch 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.
Phoenix Dance Theatre in Interplay, premiering at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Drew Forsyth
Connectivity of the week: Phoenix Dance Theatre, Interplay, York Theatre Royal, today, 2pm and 7.30pm
LEEDS company Phoenix Dance Theatre’s world premiere tour of Interplay opens at York Theatre Royal, featuring dynamic works by Travis Knight and James Pett (Small Talk), Ed Myhill (Why Are People Clapping?!) Yusha-Marie Sorzano & Phoenix artistic director Marcus Jarrell Willis (Suite Release) and Willis’s Next Of Kin.
Across duet and ensemble works, Interplay explores themes of duality and shared authorship, revealing how distinct artistic voices can intersect to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Each piece offers a unique perspective, united by a bold physicality and a deep curiosity about human relationships, rhythm and collective experience. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.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.
Lara Stafford’s Anne Boleyn, with the masked ladies of the Tudor court behind her, in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Anne Boleyn. Picture: Paul Hutson
Historical drama of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Anne Boleyn, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 3 to 7, 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.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, as Anne Lister, rehearsing for Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack. Picture: Colleen Mair
Premiere of the week: Northern Ballet and Finnish National Opera and Ballet in Gentleman Jack, Leeds Grand Theatre, March 7 to 14, except March 8 and 9, 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.
Obert String Quartet: Opening York Late Music’s 2026 concert programme at Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate. Picture: Drew Forsyth and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (top left and bottom left)
Classical concert of the week: York Late Music, Obert String Quartet, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, March 7, 7.30pm
SALFORD’S Obert String Quartet explores themes of transformation, spirituality, and mortality in a celebration of performers and composers from the North of England, pairing Schubert’s Death And The Maiden (String Quartet No. 14 in D minor) with new miniature works written in response by Northern Composers Network members Jenny Jackson (Flex), Hayley Jenkins (Give Me Your Hand), Ben Gaunt (Skulls, Various), James Cave (Rouffignac) and James Else (Still Movement).
The first half comprises Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, curator Else’s On The Wind and Bradford-born Steve Crowther’s String Quartet No. 2. Violinist Lisa Obert, Jackson, Gaunt, Cave and Else take part in a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm. Box office: latemusic.org.
Del Amitri’s Justin Currie, left, and Iain Harvie: Cherry-picking from four decades of songs at York Barbican in November
Gig announcement of the week: Del Amitri, Past To Present UK Tour 2026, November 16
GLASGOW band Del Amitri will open their 17-date Past To Present autumn tour at York Barbican, where core members Justin Currie and Iain Harvie will mark four decades of songs, stories and live shows.
The career-spanning set list will chart their early breakthroughs, classic singles such as Nothing Ever Happens, Always The Last To Know and Roll To Me, fan favourites and recording renaissance after an 18-year hiatus with 2021’s Fatal Mistakes. Box office: www.gigsandtours.com, www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.delamitri.info.
York Community Choir Festival 2026: Showcase for 43 choirs at Joseph Rowntree Theatre
In Focus:Festival of the week: York Community Choir Festival 2026, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, March 1 to 7
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 take 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. Performances start at 2.30pm and 7.30pm tomorrow; 7.30pm, March 2 to 6; 2.30pm and 7.30pm, March 7.
Sunday, March 1, matinee
Stagecoach York Show Choir, Singing Communities Poppleton, Selby Youth Choir, Aviva Vivace! and The Stray Notes.
Sunday, March 1, evening
Easingwold Community Singers, Some Voices, Supersingers, Harrogate Male Voice Choir and Heworth Community Choir.
Monday, March 2
Huntington School Choirs, Tadcaster Community Choir and Community Chorus.
Tuesday, March 3
York Military Wives Choir, Jubilate, Sing Space York Musical Theatre Choir, Garrowby Singers and The Abbey Belles.
Wednesday, March 4
Elvo Choir, Sounds Fun Singers, In Harmony, Euphonics and Stamford Bridge Community Choir.
Thursday, March 5
Track 29 Ladies Close Harmony Chorus, Cantar Community Choir, York City Harmonisers, Stamford Bridge Singers and York Rock Choir.
Friday, March 6
Ryedale Voices, Eboraca, The Wellbeing Choir, Bishopthorpe Community Choir and Harmonia.
Saturday, March 7, matinee
The Leveson Centre Choir, Fairburn Singers, The Bridge Shanty Crew,The Rolling Tones and York Celebration Singers.
Saturday, March 7, evening
Pocklington Singers, Sound Fellows, Stonegate Singers, Main Street Sound and York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir.
Tickets are on sale on 01904 501935 or at josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk; proceeds go to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre.
Alan Heaven: Pageant Master for York Mystery Plays 2026
In Focus too: York Mystery Plays 2026 volunteer launch event, Bedern Hall, Bartle Garth, York, March 5, 7.30pm; doors, 7pm. Free entry; all welcome
THE Guilds of York will be the driving force behind the York Mystery Plays in June this year, marking more than 25 years of bringing the medieval plays to the city streets on pageant wagons.
The plays will be staged in procession on Sunday, June 28 and Sunday, July 5, complemented by twilightperformances in the Shambles Market on Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1. A Festival Fringe of various events will run for two weeks from around June 22, leading up to the main performances.
This summer’s production renews a tradition that has belonged to the people of York for more than 700 years as a defining expression of the city’s history, identity and community spirit.
Produced by York Festival Trust, the 2026 production once again will bring medieval drama into the streets and historic spaces of the city, reconnecting modern York with a cycle of plays first performed by its medieval guilds.
From their earliest beginnings, the Mystery Plays have been a civic undertaking – created by local people, for local people – and that principle remains at the heart of the 2026 revival.
To begin this next chapter, York Festival Trust is inviting the city to a public volunteer launch event, calling on residents from all walks of life to help shape the production.
The event will combine a traditional call-out with a jobs fair-style marketplace, making it clear that there is a place for everyone. Opportunities range from music performance to costume, set and prop making, stewarding, administration and fundraising.
Many roles require no previous experience, only a willingness to contribute time, skills and enthusiasm to a shared civic project.
York Festival Trust chair Roger Lee says: “The Mystery Plays are one of the strongest expressions of York’s collective identity. They only happen because people step forward to give their time and talents. This launch is about opening the door wide and inviting the city to take ownership of the plays once again.”
The launch is open to all ages and backgrounds and is aimed particularly at those who may never have taken part previously. Families, students, craftspeople, historians, performers and those who simply care about York’s heritage are all warmly encouraged to attend.
Those attending will be able to meet members of the production team, led by Pageant Master Alan Heaven, as well as learning about specific volunteer roles and signing up for auditions, workshops and taster sessions taking place later in the year.
Further information on York Mystery Plays 2026 is available at yorkmysteryplays.co.uk or by emailing volunteer@yorkmysteryplays.co.uk.
