THE Joseph Rowntree Theatre, in Haxby Road, York, has been awarded £10,000 by the Big Lottery Fund to help with remedial work to its Art Deco auditorium.

Built in 1935 by the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust for the benefit of employees and residents, the theatre has been in constant use ever since and retains its 1930s' ambience.

The volunteer-run charity that owns and manages the theatre bought the freehold from York St John University in 2017 and has wasted no time in setting about renovating the building. Low-risk asbestos in the auditorium walls has been removed by specialists to ensure the theatre is a much safer place and the auditorium has since been re-plastered and fully repainted in readiness for the new season of shows opening on September 20.

Dan Shrimpton, chairman of trustees, said: "We're working to a very tight schedule and we're on time for re-opening. We had saved up money for redecorating the auditorium, but the extra removal work wouldn't have been possible without the grant, for which we're truly grateful."

Mr Shrimpton praised the commitment of the many volunteers who have given up time during the summer months to ensure that contractors had access to the building and were able to crack on with the job. "The board are extremely grateful to them all," he said.

The JoRo has a packed autumn and winter programme in the diary featuring five fully staged musical shows, Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologues, two dance school shows, five concert productions, the York Gang Show and the annual Rowntree Players pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, from December 8 to 15. In addition, the Shakespeare Schools Foundation Festival will take place on October 15, when four schools will perform 30-minute versions of the Bard’s plays.

The new season will open with Jorvik Gilbert & Sullivan Company's Princess Ida from September 20 to 22, followed swiftly by the JoRo’s own Music Night fundraising concert celebrating Those Red Letter Years on September 23. As well as marking significant anniversaries for Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Burt Bacharach, Andrew Lloyd Webber Kylie Minogue and many others, this show will honour the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War with a selection of songs from the era.

Tickets can be booked at josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk/events and on 01904 501935 with no booking fee.

Charles Hutchinson