York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people.

Venue: York Theatre Royal
Address: St Leonard’s Place, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 7HD, England
Town: York, GB
Capacity: 750

York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to offer productions in-the-round. The theatre puts on many of its own productions, as well as hosting touring companies, one of which is Pilot Theatre, a national touring company which often co-produces its work with the theatre. Additionally the main stage and studio are regularly used by local amateur dramatic and operatic societies. York Theatre Royal was one of the co-producers of the historic York Mystery Plays 2012 which were staged in York Museum Gardens between 2-27 August. The theatre reopened on 22 April 2016 following a £6 million redevelopment, with a new roof, an extended and re-modelled front of house area, a refurbished and redecorated main auditorium and with major improvements to access and environmental impact. York Theatre Royal was built in 1744 on, and among, the site of the medieval St. Leonard's Hospital. Parts of the old hospital can still be seen in the modern building, including archways and walls. Under the stage lies a well, which is believed to be dated from the Roman era of York's history. The 1744 theatre replaced a theatre in Minster Yard, built by Thomas Keregan, with the encouragement of the city corporation, in 1734. Twenty five years after its construction, in 1769, Tate Wilkinson paid £500 for a royal patent, which was granted by the Theatres (York and Hull) Act 1769 (9 Geo. 3. c. 17) and accordingly it was renamed the Theatre Royal. Wilkinson ran a company that included theatres in Hull, Leeds, Pontefract, Wakefield and other Yorkshire towns. His company was reckoned to be the leading provincial company, and he attracted many of the finest actors of the period, including John Philip Kemble and his sister Sarah Siddons, Dorothea Jordan and Elizabeth Farren, to act in York. Since Wilkinson's time