A replica Hawker Hurricane has been carefully placed on the roof of the Theatre Royal. It is there to honour the memory of the French airmen who flew missions from Elvington airfield near York in 1944/45. Over half the airmen lost their lives in bombing raids over France.
The panto is still on at The Theatre Royal for another couple of weeks. Following after is Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, quite a contrast!
This was the scene the morning after a night time promenade theatre performance through the city streets. See here for a report of the event, and some much more dramatic images than mine!
The Joseph Rowntree Theatre was built by the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust in 1935. It seats around 450 and was designed to bring affordable entertainment to the citizens of York. It is still used as a performance venue by upwards of 30 local art groups and entertainers, and is staffed entirely by local volunteers. It is close to the site of the Rowntree chocolate factory and since this was taken over by Nestle UK they have owned (and supported) the theatre.
Last month ownership of this Art Deco beauty passed to York St John University. There is a covenant on the building which means it must continue to be used as a theatre, and as it has been recently refurbished I look forward to my next visit.
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