YORK Theatre Royal will hold an open day on Sunday and present its last performance on Monday evening before closing on Tuesday for work to begin on a £4.1m redevelopment programme likely to take eight months.

The open day will run from 11am to 4pm. Self-guided tours will be available all day, allowing you access to parts of the theatre usually kept hidden from audiences, while a variety of activities will be available for for all age ranges. You also can vote for which chair design you would prefer for the new auditorium seating from a selection on show.

The theatre’s De Grey Rooms Ballroom will be open next door, where tables will be dressed for a wedding so that prospective bride and grooms can see how their big day would look in the venue, coupled with caterers supplying tasters. In advance of the ballroom hosting a Summer Masked Ball on Saturday, June 6, two free dance classes with a professional dance teacher will take place there on the open day.

In the theatre, children can dress up on stage to make mum laugh on Mothering Sunday and children will leave with a treat if they take part in the Tate Wilkinson Sweetie Trail. The Theatre Royal café, which will move to the De Grey Rooms cocktail bar from April 1, will be serving food, cakes and drinks.

Another highlight will be a series of free talks. Kaeli Wishart, the Theatre Royal's visitor services manager and a trained archaeologist to boot, will discuss the building's history, while York Archaeological Trust will give an overview of the theatre's archaeology and what the trust hopes to find under the stage of England's oldest continuously running theatre outside London.

Ian Small, a member of the Theatre Royal's 1744 Club, will reflect on the life and work of 18th century actor-manager Tate Wilkinson and his place in Yorkshire’s theatre history. All these talks will be in the theatre's Keregan Room, a 12th century crypt that still features the original pillars.

Kaeli Wishart says: "York Theatre Royal is unique in that it has managed to maintain so many interesting and historical features as part of its interior. There are many fascinating stories about the theatre and you don’t need to be a history buff to enjoy them. I hope people will come along to support the theatre before its temporary closure and take advantage of all that is on offer on Sunday."

All activity is free and the usual prices will apply at the café. Booking is required for the free talks but you can just turn up for all the other activities; more information can be found at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or by phoning 01904 623568.

The historic last performance in the main house in its present configuration will have a suitably historic theme on Monday at 6.30pm, when York Theatre Royal and Royal Shakespeare Company will co-present The Head That Wears A Crown in collaboration with seven York schools.

Each school will perform a ten-minute play adapted by the RSC's Chris White from three of Shakespeare's History Plays, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2 and Henry V. Contact the above website or phone number for tickets.