THE TakeOver 14 festival gives under-26 year olds the chance to take over the York Theatre Royal building to run a week-long festival of innovative theatre, dance and comedy.

TakeOver has lost its specific project funding but continues under the umbrella of the Theatre Royal's programming, with a board led by chairman Amos Jacobs and two groups of volunteers, one aged up to 16, the other aged 16 to 26.

An Access All Areas scheme offers volunteers the chance to see how the Theatre Royal works, learning such skills as marketing and leafletting shows around York.

This autumn's festival will run from Monday to Saturday, kicking off with the satirical duo of York actress Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding in Lip Service's The Picture Of Doreen (CORRECT)Gray, in which 25 to 30 community actors will join the main-house production in the roles of school pupils and "some random fairies" at 7.30pm.

In this spoof on Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Doreen is invited to a school reunion, whereupon the headmistress dusts off Doreen's portrait to reveal a dark and dreadful secret.

Further shows on the main-house stage will be Leeds company Phoenix Dance Theatre's triple bill on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm and Brighton company Actors of Dionysus returning to their former home city of York to present aerial artist Tamsin Shasha and Jonathan Young's Helen, a contemporary exploration of Helen of Troy 20 years after her ship-launching peak.

Stuff and Nonsense follow up their sold-out show at last year’s festival with Goldilocks And The 3 Bears, adapted and directed by Niki McCretton, in a 1pm performance with puppetry, music and mischief next Saturday for two year olds and upwards.

The festival's main-house programme will conclude next Saturday at 8.30pm with Kill The Beast's debut production The Boy Who Kicked Pigs, a physical theatre show that has been newly crowned the £2,000 winner of the Peter Brooke Festival Award at a ceremony at the National Theatre in London two nights ago.

Kill The Beast's grisly adaptation of former Doctor Who star Tom Baker’s cult novel depicts how events escalate rapidly as 13-year-old Robert Caligari goes from kicking his sister‘s piggy bank to plotting murder and mass destruction in this inventive black comedy.

"We're absolutely thrilled and supremely grateful to receive such a fantastic award," say Kill The Beast. "In an uncertain time for all fledgling theatre companies, to see the work of young theatre makers championed and celebrated by such prestigious establishments is really heartening and inspiring."

Another nominee for the Peter Brooke Award, Smoking Apples and Little Cauliflower's show Cell, will open TakeOver's Studio programme on Monday at 7.45pm. It tells the story of Ted, who goes on a trip of a lifetime after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Charming puppetry to an original music score promises to break hearts before putting them back together.

Hot off the Fringe circuit, Metal Rabbit presents the UK premiere of Oscar winner Dalton Trumbo’s anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun, on Tuesday at 7.45pm. War Horse actor Jack Holden plays Joe Bonham, who has volunteered for the First World War trenches, only to pay a price he never expected. This performance will be preceded by York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre's Project L pre-show performance in the foyer at 7.15pm, one of several such foyer events during the festival, including puppet-making, storytelling and porridge to accompany Goldilocks next Saturday.

Fragility come to York from the Stockholm Fringe on Wednesday at 7.45pm with their award-winning Birthday Suit Party, a cheeky double bill of My First Ten Sexual Failures And Other Stories About Growing Up and GameShow that is really not as naughty as it sounds.

Swansea's Noel James uses props, malaprops and music in his evening of comedy, promising an hour's worth of new material in the Studio on Thursday at 7.45pm, while Antler Theatre combine polyphonic song with playful storytelling about Crab and her tragic obsession with the unknown in Where The White Stops next Friday at 7.45pm.

Closing the Studio week next Saturday at 7.45pm will beTake The Space's Hanging Hook, an intimate solo play by Siobhan Nicholas about Robert Hooke, England’s answer to Leonardo daVinci and rival to Isaac Newton. Chris Barnes will play the artist, scientist , engineer and architect, who became the Royal Society's Curator of Experiment but was later written out of the history books.

York company SLAP – it stands for Salacious.Live.Art.Performance, – will present a multi-disciplinary show of theatre, dance and performance art in the Victorian ballroom of the De Grey Rooms on Wednesday at 8pm, and festival performances will be complemented by workshops by Noel James and Phoenix Dance Theatre on Thursday and the Tea Time Talk: Helen, by Mr Grant, tutor of classics at Queen Margaret's School, next Friday in the De Grey Rooms Cocktail Bar.

For full programme details and bookings, visit yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Tickets also can be booked on 01904 623568.