A THEATRE in York is set to commission new work from dozens of local professional artists from the city and around North Yorkshire, as part of a new project.

As part of a new scheme, called Green Shoots, York Theatre Royal will select 20 commissions, offering £1,000 per commission plus £150 each time they are performed.

This is a follow-up to Love Bites, the "hugely successful" show that reopened the theatre following the lifting of restrictions in May 2021. The performance featured 20 pieces of short work from local artists that applied to showcase their work on the theatre's famous stage.

Now comes Green Shoots, featuring new work from local professional artists centred around rebooting post-pandemic and looking to the future of the planet.

Speaking on the new project, York Theatre Royal's creative director, Juliet Forster, said: “Love Bites last year was a joyous event that will live long in my mind, not just because we were re-opening after 14 months of enforced closure, but also because our stage was filled to overflowing with the tremendous talent and ingenuity of local artists. It was moving, spectacular, surprising, thought-provoking and funny in equal measures.

“We have created this opportunity with Green Shoots because we are excited to see what they will do next.”

The work celebrating local talent and live performance will be performed on the main stage on June 7 and 8 this year, as part of the new 'Rumours & Rebels' season at York Theatre Royal.

More than 2,000 artists across a variety of art forms applied for the Love Bites project last year - and they ranged from spoken word to circus.

The commissions should respond to the title Green Shoots in any way that can be interpreted – pieces might be about hope, recovery, new beginnings, revolution, new life, growth, the environment or anything else that can be imagined as a response.

The work should be able to be performed or shared both live and in a digital form and have a duration of up to five minutes.

Artists may apply as individuals or as part of a collective. The theatre said it is keen to incorporate as wide a mix of art forms and interpretations of the theme as possible, so welcomes submissions from artists working in any medium.

Interested artists are being asked to write a short proposal for their piece, how it might be performed live and how it would translate this into a digital form.

Closing date for submissions, which should be sent to York Theatre Royal on: commissions@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk, is midday on March 24.

For more information about Green Shoots and how to apply, visit the theatre's website at: yorktheatreroyal.co.uk