Off-Tour Theatres: York Theatre Royal

Another theatre site outside London, one of the oldest active theatre sites in Britain...

York Theatre Royal

Whilst Bristol Old Vic is cited as the United Kingdom's oldest continuously operating theatre (serving audiences since May 1766), York Theatre Royal goes back further as an active theatre site - originally built in 1744.

Perhaps an unlikely spot for a theatre, the location was previously a medieval hospital with a well under the stage that's believed to date back to the Romans. Tate Wilkinson, an 18th Century actor-manager who managed a number of theatres on the 'Yorkshire Circuit', was responsible for gaining the theatre its 'Royal' title. Taking over the theatre in 1769, he paid £500 for a Royal Patent - only the third provincial theatre to be granted this royal stamp of approval since the Theatre Patent Act of 1660. A successful and popular manager, Wilkinson was also responsible star names of the time to York - including the revered acting siblings John Philip Kemble and Sarah Siddons.

York Theatre Royal Auditorium (2025)

The theatre was entirely rebuilt in the late-19th Century in the preferred Gothic style, the current frontage dating back to 1879. Its exterior is decorated with statued carved heads representing Elizabeth I, Shakespeare's Falstaff and Hamlet (representing Comedy and Tragedy), Macbeth, Cleopatra and Titania. You can also find a full-size statue of Shakespeare standing in 'Oscar Wilde style'. The interior was modernised in 1967, and the auditorium entirely refurbished in 1994. The most recent significant development is the addition of a studio space to provide a home for emerging companies and small-scale productions.

The theatre made international headlines earlier this year when it was chosen by Gary Oldman for his long-awaited return to the stage. Having made his professional stage debut at York Theatre Royal in 1979, Oldman returned in 2025 to perform, direct and design a production of Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape. A critical and commercial success, the theatre welcomed thousands of audience members through its doors - many for the very first time.

York Theatre Royal website: https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/