The Joseph Rowntree Theatre is a registered charity serving the people of York and North Yorkshire. A Grade II listed theatre, it was built by the Rowntree Village Trust in 1935. It is the only remaining Rowntree building still used for its original purpose - a place for recreation and entertainment.

Today, a volunteer board of 15 trustees manages the theatre, supported by over 170 volunteers working across all areas, from stage crew to box office, fundraising and marketing.

It is a proscenium theatre, with 365 seats and full stage facilities, including the ability to fly scenery.

We have big plans for the future of our theatre. Our founders, the Joseph Rowntree Village Trustees, built the theatre as place for recreation and education. Building on that legacy, we want to expand the theatre into a space for our local community to come together, a place for everyone.

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre already has a special place in the hearts of many people in York – it’s a unique facility. But now we want to reach out further and open up our premises, both in terms of the building and people who use our facilities.

We are evolving our theatre into a vibrant community hub and creating new and exciting opportunities for more local people to get involved. Whilst the performing arts remain at the heart of what we do, we passionately believe that by opening up our theatre, more people from our neighbouring communities and across the City of York will be excited and inspired.

This is why we are embarking on a major capital project, to raise money to fund our theatre expansion and create multiple-use spaces. Achieving our ambition and realising our development plans will bring real and tangible benefit not just to our regular users and performers but also to the whole community. It will enable us to introduce more people to the experience of theatre.

We hope you will join us on our journey and help us to expand our theatre into a space where there is a place for everyone.

Our Vision

To be a vibrant community facility open to all

Mission Statement

As a registered charity we strengthen engagement in creativity and develop shared experiences that connect with lives of others by providing quality engaging performances with excellent customer service, maximising the theatre and its resources to entertain, educate and inspire.

Our Values

• Resilience - Celebrating the Theatre's legacy and planning for the future.
• Excellence - Work with energy and aim for the highest standards.
• Inspiration - Create a place where people can inspire and be inspired.
• Collaboration - Working together to produce and to enable others to produce great work.

Our Objectives

1. The advancement of the arts, education and community through the provision of a theatre and associated facilities and to be a venue for social activities and meetings likely to benefit the community.
2. To facilitate the presentation of arts of all types both by and for the Community.
3. To advance the knowledge and understanding of the Community in all of the performing arts by enabling access to them.
4. To facilitate training and provide volunteer experience in all aspects of theatre operation and management