York Theatre Royal relies on ticket sales to keep going. So when, on March 20 last year, the theatre was told - like others up and down the country - that it would have to close, it's very survival was suddenly at stake.

The shutdown had been looming for days. PM Boris Johnson had already been suggesting that people shouldn't go to the theatre, without actually forbidding them from doing so, said Theatre Royal chief executive Tom Bird. That was 'challenging'.

He remembers going backstage to chat to the cast of Alone In Berlin and saying: "I don't know whether you're going to be working on Monday night."

When the order to close came, it was a case of 'all hands on deck to make sure we survived', Mr Bird says.

Theatre-goers who had tickets for cancelled shows were asked if they would be willing to donate the money they had paid to the theatre - or if, instead of a refund, they would agree to see a later show. The response was amazing. "People were fantastic. It really reminded us that this is their theatre."

York Press:

Denis Conway and Charlotte Emmerson in last year's Alone in Berlin 

Begging letters were sent to 'high net-worth individuals'. And there was also a more low-key campaign inviting people to make donations by text. The York Conservation Trust, which owns the theatre building, did its bit by giving the theatre a 'bit of a break' on rent.

Then, later in the year, came substantial grants - £196,493 from the Arts Council, announced in July, and £230,000 from the government's Culture Recovery Fund, announced in October.

The theatre survived - although it has been tough at times, Mr Bird says. At one time or another, everybody employed by the theatre has been placed on furlough, he says. "The first couple of months of this year, I was on part-time furlough!"

It has been hardest of all, however, for the freelance performers - actors, dancers, musicians - who rely on live performance for a living. "It has been really tough for them."

That's why, when the theatre decided to put on a pop-up travelling panto over Christmas, it was cast using local performers. It's also why, when the theatre re-opens on May 17 (coronavirus permitting) it will do so with a series of 20 five minute 'love letter' performances by local artists.

York Press:

The Theatre Royal hopes to re-open on May 17

The 'love letters' will be performed on the opening night of The Love Season - the theatre's new season of plays based on the theme of love. Did then theatre not think of putting on some plays examining the impact of the pandemic on all out lives?

Not really, Mr Bird admits. "We're going for a light theme."

The pandemic has got him thinking, however, about the role the arts can play in York. Like everyone else, he has noticed the number of empty shops in the city: a problem that began long before covid. His big idea: pop-up live art in those empty spaces.

That would be much better than boarded-up windows, he says - and would also be a way of helping struggling artists."We want to make sure that being an artist in York is a viable job."

Booking is already open for this coming winter's pantomime Cinderella. Visit yorktheatreroyal.co.uk