Ripon Theatre Festival 2023: The ultimate guide to standout theatrical performances across the city

The festival will run from June 7-11, one day longer than last year, and is even more jam-packed with events taking place in venues and on stages scattered around the city.

The venues will be both indoor and open air, with a wide range of free entertainment popping up at locations across the city centre.

A volunteer led project, the organisers have aimed to make the festival as affordable and accessible as possible.

Pop-up venues include the Market Place, Cathedral, Little Ripon Bookshop and Curzon Cinema as well as walkabout acts touring the streets of the city, all offering professional entertainment for the family.

The opening night on Wednesday, June 7, will see young people leading the way when Ripon YMCA take centre stage to promote up-and-coming local theatre company ‘Forget about the Dog’ with their intriguing show ‘Happy Place’.

Happy Place, a comedy with puppetry, physical theatre and live music invites audiences to join four strangers on a journey which has been described as ‘Monty Python meets Black Mirror’.

New this year is a dedicated family day in Ripon Spa Gardens on Sunday, June 11, where everything will be free to watch.

Entertainment will include puppet shows, open-air theatre, community performances and hands-on activities.

The event will see around 50 performances from 30 professional companies, including over 20 community performers, playing a key part in the festival once again.

Rehearsals have begun for the community cabaret event, and festival organisers are encouraging any theatre groups, dance troupes, comedy acts or storytellers to get in touch if they would like to take part in any of the events across the weekend.

There will be a host of ticketed events at Ripon Arts Hub, including a performance of Robin Hood coming to Fountains Abbey with his merry men, courtesy of Illyria.

Festival Director Katie Scott said: “We are delighted this year we can offer many performances as Pay What You Can events.

“We know that families in particular are feeling the financial crunch. This allows ticket purchasers to select their chosen amount or to opt for a free ticket.

“It’s also a way of encouraging people to come to multiple performances by spreading their budget and trying different shows in different venues.”

The Festival is managed by a team of volunteers from Ripon City Festival Trust.

The Clerk of the Trust, Tim Jones said: “The Theatre Festival is something we are keen to support as it involves so many local people.

“It celebrates Ripon and brings the city to life with colour and activity.

“There is something for all ages and we look forward to a great turn-out in this, our second year.”

The festival is also working with local charity Dementia Forward to provide a sensory theatre show and with Ripon City of Sanctuary in promoting a lunchtime show with Syrian links.

For more informationvisit https://www.ripontheatrefestival.org/events/list/