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THE "staggering" discovery of the medieval foundations of St Leonard's Hospital in the archaeological excavations at York Theatre Royal will force Berwick Kaler's pantomime into a temporary new home.

Dick Whittington (And His Meerkat) will be staged in The Signal Box Theatre, the newly named 1,000-seat, purpose-built, insulated theatre at the National Railway Museum, where the Theatre Royal is already presenting two shows this summer – the community play In Fog And Falling Snow and a revival of The Railway Children – during the £4.1 million refurbishment of the theatre's stage and auditorium.

City of York archaeologist John Oxley confirmed further excavation was needed on the "unprecedented find" in an area of the stalls floor at the St Leonard's Place theatre, leading to the decision to switch Mr Kaler's 37th pantomime to the tent-shaped theatre in Leeman Road.

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Last month, The Press revealed that the panto may have to move if works over-ran, but artistic director Damian Cruden said there had not been an inevitability that such a step would happen. "We did as much preparatory work as we could before lifting up the stage floors for the excavations and it didn't point to anything like this [discovery] at all," he revealed.

"We worked to the advice of the York Archaeological Trust, the builders and the City of York archaeologist John Oxley that four weeks of archaeological research would be enough."

The subsequent discovery of the hospital foundations has spiked the original 27-week time span for the theatre refurbishment.

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"So we've had to make a clear decision about where the pantomime will be as it's the most important pantomime in the country and we must build and design a show to a standard our audience expects," said Mr Cruden.

He already had made plans to engage a new designer for Dick Whittington, whose name will be revealed in a fortnight and whose task now will be to construct pantomime sets for a traverse theatre with a running rail track through the middle.

Archaeologist Ben Reeves said archaeologists nationwide have been contacting him since the foundations were found. "In terms of this find's significance to York, this was one of the biggest medieval hospitals in the country," he added.

Architects De Matos Ryan are working on ideas for incorporating the archaeology into the theatre's new design. The Theatre Royal auditorium and stage will now be re-launched with its early spring productions. First to re-open will be the newly transformed café and bar area in the new year.

 

York Press:

DICK Whittington (And His Meerkat) will run at the Signal Box Theatre, National Railway Museum, York, from December 10 to January 24.

The run has been reduced by a week on account of the increased seating capacity, 1,000 seats rather than 800 at the re-designed York Theatre Royal, and the traditional last night performance, when the crew get their own back on the cast, will take place on the newly added last Sunday.

Already, 13,500 people had bought tickets and will receive a personally addressed letter "explaining the situation and being asked to trust box office staff to ensure they are transferred to a seat of the same value and quality in the Signal Box Theatre".

Ticket holders should wait for their new tickets before contacting the theatre, save for those seeking a refund on 01904 623568. Those yet to book should note that the show will not be on sale for several days until all bookers have been transferred. Ticket prices are unchanged; visit yorktheatreroyal.co.uk for more information.

Please note, the Signal Box Theatre, previously used for The Railway Children in Chicago in 2011, will be warm thanks to insulation.

Writer, dame and co-director Berwick Kaler will be joined by fellow regulars David Leonard, Martin Barrass and Suzy Cooper. Kaler, meanwhile, has signed up to play the Old Gentleman in The Railway Children, performing alongside Barrass's Mr Perks.

The role will give the dame the chance to experience the tented theatre's traverse design with the audience seated in rows of ten on either side of the elongated stage.