Community Performers

Are you a performer? 

Do you act, sing, dance, play, juggle, mime, yodel, recite, or take part in any other activity you’d like to share with our audience? 

Do you perform with a community group based in Yorkshire? 

Our Community Performers make Ripon Theatre Festival truly special, bringing energy, creativity and flair to the Family Weekend.

You could play a vital role in helping us fill the city with theatre, music and dance. We just love to show off local talent alongside our professional acts. 

2025 saw 412 Community Performers strutting their stuff over our Family Weekend and we’re always looking for new groups to keep our programme fresh, dynamic and engaging. 

Whether you’re a new performer looking for a platform or an established group, we would love to hear from you.

We encourage you to check through all the FAQs below to find out more. Then please complete our Expression of Interest Form when you are ready.

Ripon Theatre Festival 2025
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FAQs

  • To showcase what you do to the wider public 
  • To publicise a forthcoming concert or performance 
  • To try out something new  
  • To recruit new members 
  • To be part of the festival experience 

RTF26 will run 5-12 July 2026.

There will be slots available for Community Performers on the following Family Weekend dates: 

  • Saturday 11th July 2026,10am-4pm 
  • Sunday 12th July 2026, 10am-4pm 

If we do offer you the chance to perform at RTF26, we’ll make sure that we consider your specific travel requirements and/or availability. 

Slots are generally half an hour, but this can be flexible 

There might be a chance for your group to perform more than once 

Pop-up events and performances take place throughout the town centre and vary year on year.  

Community Performers will mainly be found in open-air spaces including: 

  • Ripon Market Place 
  • Kirkgate 
  • Minster Gardens 
  • Cathedral Forecourt 
  • Ripon Spa Gardens 

Individual performers and smaller groups might also perform in local shops, cafes and bars. 

We’ll find the best spot to suit your technical, artistic and access needs. 

There is no charge to take part in Ripon Theatre Festival. 

Sadly RTF is not able to pay fees or expenses to Community Performers.  

All monies collected from audiences at Festival events are treated as donations to the Festival (The Ripon City Festival Trust, charity number 514981). 

Professional artists and theatre companies are invited to contact the Festival Director katie@ripontheatrefestival.org to discuss future RTF performance opportunities.

We are working hard to make RTF as accessible and inclusive as possible for audiences and performers. We don’t want anyone to be inhibited from applying due to their access needs. 

Please ensure you tell us about your access needs when you complete the online form, so our Community Performers’ Coordinator, Sue, can make any necessary arrangements.  

Further information about access is published on our Venues and Access page.

  • Complete the online form to express your interest (before Christmas if you can)   
  • We’ll get in touch in the New Year to let you know if we can accommodate you in 2026 
  • By the end of February we’ll confirm the exact date for your performance(s)  
  • Exact timings and performance sites will be scheduled by the end of April 
  • Before the Festival you’ll receive full details about parking, muster points, health & safety etc.

Sue Bishop is RTF’s Community Performers Coordinator. Please do not hesitate to contact her if you have any further queries.