Margaret Atwood, author of the modern feminist classic The Handmaid’s Tale, revisits Homer’s The Odyssey in a powerful, irreverent and darkly humorous retelling that unpicks one of the oldest of myths.

Immortalised as the devoted and faithful wife to the glorious Odysseus, Penelope waits 20 years for her husband to return from the Trojan War, silently weaving and unpicking and weaving again. Now it’s time to hear the story of those left behind…

Reimagining this ancient tale, Atwood gives voice to the silenced Penelope and her chorus of maids. Wandering the underworld Penelope spins a different kind of thread: her side of the story – a tale of injustice, betrayal and revenge.

The Penelopiad

York Theatre Royal

A mother and her daughter keep a homeless woman as a slave in their London home. Power starts to shift when the daughter gets distracted by business and the mother becomes ill. A tale of freedom and control. The Strongbox is written by Stephanie Jacob.

The Strongbox

The silent masterpiece with a brand-new live score

The Film

Nosferatu (1922) is arguably the film that gave birth to the horror genre. Notable as the first cinematic interpretation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, its combination of expressionistic acting and unforgettable images render it just as powerful and unsettling today as when it first thrilled cinema goers 100 years ago.

Nosferatu with Live Score

A fun and friendly introduction to dancing led by York Dance Space! Explore moving together using a variety of dance styles, stories, creative play and imagination. You will need to wear comfy clothes to move in, bring a water bottle, we encourage people to dance in bare feet although socks are fine too but may be slippy.

Leaps and Bounds

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ_ZQW5C2pw&amp;t=2s

The Artelize Podcast Presenting Will Shutes: 'Bring it down out of the clouds to human being level'

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFe6mW6x9pc

The Artelize Podcast: 'Amplifying What Makes Us Human'. A conversation with Zuly E. Inirio

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Discover the artists shaping the future of music at the New Music Stage with live performances from 10 breakthrough artists. Start with an industry panel featuring representatives from Universal, Fontana, EMI, Rough Trade and Matador Records, offering insights into today’s music landscape, followed by networking sessions. Hear from last year’s winner, Dilettante, and see the 2026 winner announced.

Aesthetica New Music Stage

The late Queen Elizabeth II was famous for her discretion. She never said anything in public that could ruffle the lightest of feathers. But she had one way of expressing what she really thought – through her wardrobe.

By Royal Appointment is a funny, poignant and celebratory new play about the kind of power that only a Queen can wield – she charms the world through coats and admonishes her family through a carefully chosen hat.

But the Queen herself is uninterested in fashion, her look is managed by her Designer, her Milliner and most powerful of all, her Dresser who was a working-class girl who goes from advising the Queen on the colour of her lipsticks to the real power behind the throne. But the Dresser, like all royal favourites is living on borrowed time.

By Royal Appointment

The Everybody Dance Festival is a vibrant celebration of dance, movement, and community.

Bringing together schools, colleges and community groups from across Yorkshire it creates an inclusive space for people of all ages and abilities. With workshops, live performances, and interactive events, the festival inspires joy, creativity, and connection through the power of dance.

Everybody Dance Festival

With Lost Dog’s blend of dance, theatre and comedy this duet reveals the real story of Romeo and Juliet.  It turns out they didn’t die in a tragic misunderstanding, they grew up and lived happily ever after. Well they lived at least.

Now they’re 40ish, at least one of them is in the grips of a mid-life crisis, they feel constantly mocked by their teenage selves and haunted by the pressures of being the poster couple for romantic love. They have decided to confront their current struggles by putting on a performance – about themselves. Their therapist told them it was a terrible idea.

Juliet & Romeo

“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, York Theatre Royal's 2026 pantomime will be the most magical of all...”

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs is set to be a festive fairytale extravaganza. With lavish costumes, stunning sets, hilarious jokes, and dazzling special effects, this will be an unmissable treat for the whole family.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Ey up, there's a swashbuckling panto with a brand new story coming to York for Christmas 2026! Complete with jokes for the whole family, catchy songs, spectacular costumes and all the pantomime magic you'd expect, join Peter Pan and his friends as they challenge the nefarious Captain Hook for freedom of Neverland once again. Stay tuned for cast details to be announced in this hooking good panto extravaganza!

The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook

Grand Opera House York

A new play from the John Godber Company in association with York Theatre Royal

Dave and Sapphire have worked backstage at the Old Forge for years. They’ve never felt the lure of the spotlight, they prefer the dark of the wings. But when they learn that the venue is closing, they are both shocked and angry.

Despite dwindling audience numbers, unfunny stand-ups and a chaotic staff, they love this damp, old, crumbling local theatre.

With money in short supply, they offer to stage their own extraordinary dramatic adventure, full of the characters they have met and scenes they have witnessed. Might it bring back the punters, or be a further reason to turn the Old Forge into luxury flats?

In his audacious new comedy, Godber interrogates hope, ghosts and the power of performance as seen through the eyes of a cynical backstage duo.

This Is The Life

York Light Opera Company excitedly returns to YTR with a hilarious and empowering story.

Based on the seminal 1980 hit movie featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, 9 to 5 The Musical is a high energy, outrageous, and thought-provoking show where three unlikely friends learn there is nothing they can’t do, even in a man’s world.

Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton. Book by Patricia Resnick. Based on the 20th Century Fox Picture.

9 to 5 The Musical

“You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away — a man is not a piece of fruit.”
After thirty-four years on the road, Willy Loman returns home exhausted. A man who has sacrificed everything in pursuit of success and recognition. Yet the American Dream seems always just out of reach. As his career falters and the debts mount, Willy is lost in memories of the past as his family try desperately to reconcile the man they love with the tragic consequences of his delusions.

For the first time York Theatre Royal and Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre will partner on this new production of Miller’s timeless masterpiece, directed by Dominic Hill.

A powerful and heartbreaking story about the pursuit of wealth and popularity, it remains devastatingly relevant today.

Death Of A Salesman

Welcome to Burlesque! The iconic 2010 film which shimmied from screen to stage is now heading out on tour! Set in a struggling burlesque lounge at the mercy of big-shot developers, the titular Burlesque is a titillating tale of rivalries, relationships, and revelry as witnessed by newbie Ali. With her own dreams of stardom propelling her forward, can her talents help to keep the club afloat?

Burlesque

Experience the original, critically acclaimed production of Tristan & Yseult – one of the most influential theatre productions of the 21st century. Adapted and directed by Emma Rice, this iconic show returns to the UK for the first time in ten years, offering a rare chance to encounter a modern masterpiece fresh and live on stage.

First created in 2003, Tristan & Yseult took the theatrical world by storm. Visceral, playful, and heartbreakingly beautiful, this internationally celebrated production blends myth, music, movement, and storytelling into an unforgettable theatrical night out. This landmark show, that has inspired a global generation of artists and audiences, is now re made, re mastered – and truly unmissable.

Events in York

The Penelopiad

York Theatre Royal

The Strongbox

York Theatre Royal

Nosferatu with Live Score...

York Theatre Royal

Leaps and Bounds

York Theatre Royal

The Artelize Podcast Pres...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: 'Am...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

Aesthetica New Music Stag...

York Theatre Royal

By Royal Appointment

York Theatre Royal

Everybody Dance Festival

York Theatre Royal

Juliet & Romeo

York Theatre Royal

Snow White and the Seven ...

York Theatre Royal

The Further Adventures of...

Grand Opera House York

This Is The Life

This Is The Life

9 to 5 The Musical

York Theatre Royal

Death Of A Salesman

York Theatre Royal

Burlesque

Grand Opera House York

Tristan & Yseult

York Theatre Royal