York St John students takeover York Theatre Royal for week-long arts festival

Takeover 2022 is a week-long arts festival at York Theatre Royal organised and run entirely by York St John students.

The Takeover festival gives young people the opportunity to gain valuable real-life work experience with support and mentoring from industry professionals. Performance students and alumni from the School of the Arts at York St John University have been tasked with developing and producing the programme for the large-scale arts festival held at York Theatre Royal.

Running from 9 to 14 May, the festival is themed around ‘The Unspoken’, combining local and personal stories with an exploration of the wider world through a compelling combination of theatre memory and art. Performances include interactive theatre, one-person shows and comedy.

Now in its tenth year, the Takeover festival is significant in recognising the talent and potential of young people, emerging young professionals and companies.

Dr Sarah O’Brien, Associate Head of School of the Arts at York St John University said:

"We are so pleased that as part of our partnership with York Theatre Royal, York St John University can offer students experiences that are central to the theatre and events industry. For Takeover, our students are marketing, directing and producing a festival at this international venue. In addition, they’re making vital contacts they will rely on in the future and they are learning about the industry 'on the job'. Our students are also performing work as part of the festival alongside professionals at all stages of their career."

Book a show from the festival line-up on the York Theatre Royal website.