Dan KettlewellHaving just hosted the world-famous York Mystery plays and playing host to four theatres, York seems to pervade some kind of a theatrical aura.
York-based WeAreTheatre are one of the lesser-known organisations in this ever popular genre, but you may well have stumbled across some of their performances by accident. Being founded in the 1990s they have had a long-term habit of creating theatre in unusual public places such as a rendition of Macbeth around St Nicholas Fields Environment Centre and in the Minster itself. Families may also have seen frightening performances at Lightwater Valley Theme park in Ripon last year during Halloween
As well as using theatre in its traditional form, they also use the power of creative arts to run workshops for students and pupils, dealing with issues as wide ranging as science, careers and bullying to name but a few.
Along the way they hope to attract those with specific skills or support those who wish to develop a role in the industry such as production, design and lighting and with a university education costing so much these days, this may be a perfect alternative to achieve useful and real experience in the trade.
Playing their part evermore in York’s local communities, they also host theatrical events for those with learning disabilities going as far as a real-life public performance as part of a theatre group called ‘Diverse’. With this they stay true to their mantra of focussing only on ability, rather than a less constructive spotlight on things people can’t do.
WeAreThreatre are amassing such a good reputation that they have recently been involved in the production of fairyttale stage musical Ruby by EMMY award winning composer Martyn Swain.
Trying, as they proclaim, to expand the vision of theatre they seem to be doing just that, with a further pirate-based performance due at Lightwater Valley this September.
