Ripon Theatre Festival

Workhouse Walkabouts
2024-07-06 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | Minster Gardens, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
FREE EVENT
11am-12noon Minster Gardens
1.15-2pm Minster Gardens

The Bachelors of Paradise
2024-07-06 11:00 - 11:30 | Ripon Marketplace, Market Place, Ripon, HG41BP, United Kingdom
The most beautiful birds to grace the streets of Ripon this season. Check out their glorious wingspans and gorgeous tailfeathers. Stilt walkers from Full Stilt.
FREE EVENT
Market Place 11-11.30am
Cathedral Forecourt 12.30pm
Kirkgate 2 -2.30pm

Theatre for One
2024-07-06 10:45 - 11:30 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
Street theatre with a difference. 3 short performances lasting 3 minutes.
Each performed to only one person at a time, (plus curious onlookers!)
A most intriguing, and then exclusive, theatre experience!
“A simple idea, the best ones often are, created with such loving care and attention to detail that you just have to smile. Sometimes three minutes is all that’s needed!” Dorothy Max Prior, Animations Online (UK)
Join Lempen Puppet Theatre for The Belly Bug and Dr Frankenstein.
Have a look down the “Belescope” and see the habitat and habits of the belly bug. Enjoy the dance of life!
Come and join Dr Frankenstein at his work table and watch him at work. Unsurprisingly he’s creating a new life!
FREE EVENT – just turn up!
Theatre for One is also running from 1.30 – 2.30pm and from 3-4pm on Kirkgate.

Monoliths - Saturday morning
2024-07-06 10:30 - 13:30 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
Three women. Three voices. Three stories.
An immersive, digital theatre experience, which interweaves three northern UK landscapes – a moor, a city and a coast – with sweeping soundscapes and poetic monologues. Written by Hannah Davies, Carmen Marcus and Asma Elbadawi, the stories are an arresting testament to the inextricable link between person and place.
Three stories open the world of the English northern landscape in virtual reality, what it means to come from it, live in it and belong to it.
Monoliths has been shown at several international film festivals including Melbourne International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Sheffield Doc Fest.
https://www.ripontheatrefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/monoliths_trailer_draft-1080p-new-logos.mp4

Directed by Lucy Hammond.
Four screenings per hour between 10.30 and 1.30pm.
Each performance lasts 11 minutes and can be experienced by 3 visitors at a time, wearing XR headsets.
Age guide 11+
Presented by Pilot Theatre and One to One Development Trust
Tickets £5

Ripon City Morris & 400 Roses and Thorns
2024-07-06 10:30 - 11:15
We are a North West Morris Dancing team from Ripon. We practice most Monday evenings from 7.45pm in Bishop Monkton Village Hall, which is between Ripon and Harrogate. In the summer months we dance at various pubs in the area on Monday evenings and at Festivals, weekends of dance and at many other events. We are instantly recognisable by our patriotic kit and fresh flowered hats.
We are joined by the incredible 400 Roses and Thorns
FREE EVENT
10.30-11.15 Ripon Cathedral forecourt
12-12.30pm Market Place
2-2.30pm Ripon Cathedral forecourt
3.30-4pm Market Place

Logy on Fire
2024-07-06 10:30 - 11:15 | Ripon Marketplace, Market Place, Ripon, HG41BP, United Kingdom
Juggling danger and excitement, this show is raw, rock ‘n’ roll and full of danger. Playing with fire and risking lacerations and climaxing in a perilous display of equilibrium and custom-made razor-sharp unique object juggling like you have never seen before!
Logy is a Belfast-based bearded multi manipulator and performer. Performing since 2001, he has performed all over the world as a successful street entertainer and stage performer.
FREE EVENT
Market Place 10.30am – 11.15am
Minster Gardens 12.30 – 1.15pm

Ayla's Dream
2024-07-06 10:30 - 11:15 | Ripon Library, The Arcade, Ripon, HG4 1AG, United Kingdom
Another magical miniature suitcase show from expert puppeteers, Eye of Newt. A captivating tale of night skies, light and counting sheep. Puppet workshop making beautiful moths accompanies the library performance.
Age guide ​3-10
A Pay What ​You Can event. Recommended price £4 per ​child.
Performance is also repeated every ten minutes in Ripon Cathedral from 12noon-12.30pm

Rock Choir
2024-07-06 10:15 - 10:45 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
The UK’s original award-winning, local, contemporary choir.
Local leader Flo Glen says “If you love to sing, you’ll love Rock Choir! No auditions and no musical knowledge needed. We meet every Thursday in Ripon at Harrogate Road Methodist Church 10am-11:30am. Harewood Rd, Ripon HG4 1TG
You can book a taster session https://www.rockchoir.com/join/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Rock.Choir.Flo.Glen/
FREE EVENT
10.15-10.45am Ripon Cathedral
12.30-1pm Market Place

Saturday Street Entertainment
2024-07-06 10:00 - 16:00 | Ripon City Centre
Walkabout acts, crazy characters, circus and clowning bring the streets and open spaces of Ripon to life throughout the day.
Professional acts come together with community performers including Ripon City Morris Dancers, the Rock Choir and Ripon Youth Theatre.
Performances will be staged at Ripon Market Place, Minster Gardens (in front of the Courthouse Museum), on Ripon Cathedral Forecourt and on Kirkgate. Watch out for fire-juggling, giant birds of paradise, interactive dance, barmy tea-ladies and don’t forget to catch a ride for a Sedan Chair story!
All events are FREE.
Printable running orders for Saturday 6 July area available here.

Arcade

Medusa

Rock Choir

Logy on Fire

Ripon City Morris

Bachelors of Paradise

Sedan Chair Stories

Ripon Youth Theatre

The Tea Cosies

Medieval Maniax

The Wakeman Mummers

400 Roses and Thorns

Stone Soup

Workhouse Walkabouts

The Tea Cosies
2024-07-06 10:00 - 10:30 | Ripon City Centre
Meet Dorothy Dunker, Tippy Teapot and Barbara Bourbon. Come and have a natter with our colourful crochet trolley dollies!
There’s always a warm brew and plate of goodies on show when these ladies are about…
“One lump or two?”…
A fun, family-friendly walkabout act with dance, stories and jokes. There are also a few interactive games which may involve biscuits!
FREE EVENT
10 – 10.30am City Centre streets
11.30 – 12 noon City Centre streets
1.30 – 2pm City Centre streets
3pm – 3.30pm City Centre streets

Medusa
2024-07-06 10:00 - 10:30 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
Medusa Gothic Morris are a women’s dance group, we are based in Knaresborough and practice on Thursday evenings. We dress in black and purple, and regularly dance at local events. We would welcome new dancers (no experience necessary) and musicians to join us, contact Sally on 01423 868753 or email spolem@hotmail.com
FREE EVENT
10-10.30am Ripon Cathedral forecourt
1.30-2pm Ripon Cathedral forecourt

Arcade
2024-07-06 10:00 - 10:30 | Ripon Marketplace, Market Place, Ripon, HG41BP, United Kingdom
Casson & Friends has a passion for bringing dance to people in new and unusual ways. Set to a bouncing electronic soundtrack, ARCADE’s interactive dance games will connect you with the childlike joy of play. Watch the fun unfold or get stuck in with our friendly team of dancers, led by The Gamesmaster.
Six unique games in each set – some mesmerising & fun to watch,
others invite gentle playful participation.
Casson & Friends are known best for World Record Breaking
international hit, ‘The Dance WE Made’.
“Absolute genius – whether you watch or participate, it can’t fail to make you smile” Bradley Hemmings – Artistic Director, Festival.org
FREE EVENT
Market Place 10 – 10.30am
Cathedral Forecourt 11.30 – 12 noon
Market Place 1 – 1.30pm
Market Place 3 – 3.30pm

Saturday Pop-Up Events
2024-07-06 09:30 - 18:00 | Ripon City Centre
We love our Pop-Up Events! Surprising events in surprising places. Puppets, storytelling, music, heritage tales, poetry, music and theatre. Venues large and small, across our beautiful city. Professional performances alongside community groups plus events from our Storyteller-in Residence and shows with links to the history of Ripon.
Please note: some of these events are ticketed – check each event listing for full details.
Printable running orders for Saturday 6 July are available here.

Time
Venue

Tales from Honeypot Village
9.30-10.15am
The Unicorn Hotel (Wetherspoons)

Rock Choir
10.15-10.45am
Ripon Cathedral

Ayla’s Dream (with workshop)
10.30-11.15am
Ripon Library

Theatre for One
10.45-11.30am
Ripon Cathedral

Snakes and Ladders at the Workhouse
11am-12.30pm
Workhouse Museum

Yorkshire Voices
11.30am-12 noon
Ripon Cathedral

Tales from Honeypot Village
11.30am-12.15am
Little Ripon Bookshop

Ayla’s Dream
12-12.30pm
Ripon Cathedral

U3A Folk Group
12.30-1pm
Ripon Cathedral

Snakes and Ladders at the Workhouse
1-3pm
Workhouse Museum

Theatre for One
1.30-2.30pm
Kirkgate

The Trial of John Sinkler
2-3pm
Courthouse Museum

Theatre for One
3-4pm
Kirkgate

Kirkgate Street Party
3-6pm
Kirkgate

Tales from Honeypot Village
2024-07-06 09:30 - 10:15 | The Unicorn Hotel, 2 Market Place East, Ripon, HG41BP, United Kingdom
Join our Storyteller in Residence, Ilaria, for a breakfast-time adventure. Funny and interactive stories featuring loveable characters Rita the Mouse and The Tidy Trolls.
Age guide ​4+
A Pay What ​You Can event. Recommended price £4 per ​child.

Looking For Me Friend - the Music of Victoria Wood
2024-07-05 20:00 - 21:30 | Ripon Arts Hub, 49 Allhallowgate, Ripon, HG4 1LQ, United Kingdom
*SOLD OUT*
“The most feel-good show in town”⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (The Daily Mail) has spread nostalgia and laughter throughout the UK and has the seal of approval from Victoria’s very own schoolchums and colleagues.
Featuring the star of BBC1’s ‘All Together Now’, Paulus The Cabaret Geek “King of Cabaret” (The Stage) with Michael Roulston (Fascinating Aïda) on piano, it is an hour of pure joy filled with Victoria’s best-loved songs, including the iconic ‘Ballad of Barry & Freda’ (Let’s Do It) and the classic ‘It Would Never Have Worked’.

Powered by youtube embed code and snabblån 5000
This show is for fans of Victoria and for those yet to discover her, to come together and relish her breathtaking wizardry with words.
In telling Victoria’s story, Paulus unfolds his own. A relatable story of a 1970s childhood and what it really means to find your tribe.
So, pair your stilettos with an oven glove, zip up your cocktail slacks and get booking!
“Vic would have loved this” Sue Devaney, dinnerladies.
“We loved it!” Fascinating Aïda
Ticket price: £16 (£14)

Trunk Tales
2024-07-05 17:30 - 18:30 | The Ripon Inn, Park Street, Ripon, HG4 2BU
A well-travelled lady arrives with her trunk of tales that tell of boastful toads, magical fish and fearsome beasts. Using only the contents of her magical luggage, she creates Arabic seas, epic mountains, fields of turnips and the tallest trees. Interactive stories from around the world. Imagination is the only passport you’ll need.The perfect tea-time treat for families.
Age guide ​4+
Presented by Tell Tale Hearts
​Performance takes place in ​The Ripon Inn Garden Marquee
Tickets £6 per child (accompanying grown-ups go free)

Mr Owen's Pocketbook
2024-07-05 14:00 - 15:00 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
*SOLD OUT*
Wilfred Owen lived his last summer in Ripon. He spent his last birthday in the Cathedral which now provides a fitting backdrop for Rupert Mason’s one-man performance.An officer travels from Allied HQ to the Western Front one week before the Armistice and discovers the pocket book of a young lieutenant killed that day.
The show movingly explores Wilfred Owen’s experience of war through his own and the poetry of his contemporaries.
Written and directed by award-winning writer Justin Butcher.
Age guide 14+
Running time 55mins
Tickets £10 (£8)

Monoliths - Friday
2024-07-05 13:30 - 15:30 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
Three women. Three voices. Three stories.
An immersive, digital theatre experience, which interweaves three northern UK landscapes – a moor, a city and a coast – with sweeping soundscapes and poetic monologues. Written by Hannah Davies, Carmen Marcus and Asma Elbadawi, the stories are an arresting testament to the inextricable link between person and place.
Three stories open the world of the English northern landscape in virtual reality, what it means to come from it, live in it and belong to it.
Monoliths has been shown at several international film festivals including Melbourne International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Sheffield Doc Fest.
https://www.ripontheatrefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/monoliths_trailer_draft-1080p-new-logos.mp4

Directed by Lucy Hammond.
Four screenings per hour between 1.30 and 3.30pm.
Each performance lasts 11 minutes and can be experienced by 3 visitors at a time, wearing XR headsets.
Age guide 11+
Presented by Pilot Theatre and One to One Development Trust
Tickets £5

Short Story Writing Workshop
2024-07-05 11:30 - 13:00 | Ripon Library, The Arcade, Ripon, HG4 1AG, United Kingdom
A fun, practical and creative session for adults. How to turn your real-life experiences and memories into material for imaginative short stories. Bring a pen and notepad.
Led by Ilaria Passeri, RTF Storyteller in Residence. “Ilaria Passeri has a knack for finding the bizarre in the mundane and weaving it into funny and touching stories. Her voice is original and engaging.” Micheál Jacob, script consultant and former BBC TV comedy executive.

Storytime with RTF Storyteller in Residence
2024-07-05 10:30 - 11:00 | Ripon Library, The Arcade, Ripon, HG4 1AG, United Kingdom
Storytime for pre-schoolers and those they bring with them.Can you help Derek the Dragon? Will you cheer on Rita the mouse in her skateboarding competition? And is your bedroom as messy as Brian the chickens?
Age guide ​2-5
A Pay What ​You Can event. Recommended price £4 per ​child.

Shakespeare's Royals
2024-07-04 19:30 - 22:00 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
Join Barrie Rutter OBE, plus special guest, to celebrate the Bard’s Kings & Queens – their achievements, conquests and foibles – with anecdotes and memories from a career of playing and directing Shakespeare’s Royals, with Northern Broadsides and beyond, all over the world.
“A formidable, inspiring frontman, never afraid to be outspoken, the irrepressible Yorkshireman has lost none of his fervour to have a good time with audiences.” Charles Hutch Press
Tickets £18 (£16)

Ripon Ghost Walk
2024-07-04 19:15 - 21:00 | Ripon Marketplace, Market Place, Ripon, HG41BP, United Kingdom
Explore the darker side on Ripon’s history from the macabre to the mysterious. Discover ancient burial sites, curious bone finds and characters who lived and died hundreds of years ago, but who some say still linger… With such a long history, it’s no wonder the streets of Ripon are filled with stories.
Led by Ripon Museum Trust Guides.
All proceeds to Ripon Museum Trust
Meet at 7.15pm by the red telephone boxes in the Market Place. The walk will last around 1 hour 30 minutes, finishing back at the Market Square in time to see the Ripon Hornblower at 9pm.
Ticket Price: £4 – £6

Stand Up Stories
2024-07-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Storehouse Bar & Eatery, The Warehouse, Blossomgate, Ripon, HG4 2AJ, United Kingdom
*SOLD OUT*
Join our Storyteller in Residence, Ilaria Passeri, for funny stories with a glass of wine.The product of a bold Scottish mother, an errant Italian father and a little sister with the vocabulary of a truck driver, Ilaria has found herself in more than a few scrapes, situations and silly scenes. In this quirky twilight hour of hilarious tales, she brings in her family, friends, a wide range of pets, and one very peculiar clown, to entertain and flummox in equal measure.
A whistle-stop tour through the confusing comedy of errors that is her life.
Age guide 16+
Tickets £12 include a glass of Prosecco/sparkling soft drink

Monoliths - Thursday
2024-07-04 13:30 - 15:30 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom

Thursday Lunchtime Concert
2024-07-04 13:00 - 13:50 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom
Ripon Cathedral is delighted to host wonderful performers in the stunning setting of the medieval quire for its free lunchtime concerts which take place most Thursdays throughout the summer season.
Linking with Ripon Theatre Festival 2024, this week’s recital from tenor Joseph Spratt is sure to feature a song or two with a theatrical nod. Joseph will be accompanied by Tim Harper.
Joseph is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and a familiar face with Leeds Symphony Orchestra.
For all Thursday Lunchtime Concerts visit: https://riponcathedral.org.uk/events/thursday-lunchtime-concerts/
Refreshments provided from 12.30
A FREE event (retiring collection)

Look After Your Knees
2024-07-03 20:00 - 21:30 | Ripon Arts Hub, 49 Allhallowgate, Ripon, HG4 1LQ, United Kingdom
Look After Your Knees is a new solo work by theatre maker, performer and physical comedian Natalie Bellingham. It is about the pain and beauty of growing older, of connecting and unravelling, of taking hold and letting go. This new solo performance uses comedy, storytelling, movement and interaction to uncover some of the things in life that can be hard to talk about. It’s a celebration of being human in all its banality, sprinkled with joy and ridiculousness. It’s a visual and physical collage performed by a clown delving into the space inside us left behind by time.
This is a show about facing change when you didn’t see it coming. It’s about what comes next.
“Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone” Baz Lurhman, 1999
“Great comic timing, fantastic physicality and delivers emotional moments exceptionally well… clearly (an) exceptional talent.”
Jacob Bush, The Reviews Hub Yorkshire
“Honest, raw and emotionally open on the stage, it makes for a performer who is utterly compelling.” Nick Ahad, Writer and Broadcaster
Natalie was a 2021 Funny Women finalist and co-founder of Uncanny Theatre with whom she toured original work for a decade throughout the UK. She has recently been touring The Polar Bear (Is Dead), a creative collaboration with Daniele Pennati from Milan, and has been working with acclaimed art clown Jamie Wood to create this new solo show Look After Your Knees.
Wednesday 3 July, 8pm
Presented in memory of Ripon Theatre Festival founder, Ian Holloway. There will be a collection after the show for St Michael’s Hospice.
You may also make a donation to the charity directly via Ian’s Just Giving page. Thank you for your support.
Tickets £12 (£10)

Monoliths - Wednesday
2024-07-03 13:30 - 15:30 | Ripon Cathedral, Minster Road,, Ripon, HG4 1QS, United Kingdom

A Spoonful of Julie
2024-07-03 13:00 - 14:00 | Holy Trinity Church, Kirkby Road, Ripon, HG4 2EY, United Kingdom
It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!Who loves Julie Andrews? A practically perfect and truly memorable one-woman tribute. Full of charming stories of Julie’s life with songs, sing-a-longs and medleys from all her best-known shows.
A lunchtime delight to entertain and transport you to a world of favourite things.
Performed by Nicola Mills with Pianist Maria King
Suitable for all ages and one of our dementia-friendly events.Refreshments available.
Tickets £8

Hilarity Bites Festival Special
2024-07-02 19:30 - 22:00 | Ripon Arts Hub, 49 Allhallowgate, Ripon, HG4 1LQ, United Kingdom
Hilarity Bites Comedy Club x Ripon Theatre Festival feat. Tarot, Black Liver, Joe Kent-Walters, and host Lee Kyle
Tonight’s extra special comedy collaboration has a twist of theatre and a dash of music with a good dollop of improv squirted on the top.
Tarot
Born from the loins of multi-award winning sketch powerhouses Gein’s Family Giftshop and Goose, the on-stage members of Tarot, Adam Drake (Extraordinary), Ed Easton (Starstruck) and Kath Hughes (After Life) write it together with the off-stage members Ben Rowse (Petrichor) and Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Live At The Apollo).
Following a sell out critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2019 they went on to create their Radio 4 series Soundbleed and two short films Hiraeth and Pedwar. Their second Fringe show Cautionary Tales enjoyed similar success in 2022 followed by a week long run at the Soho Theatre, and can now be seen on ITVX.
They have also appeared on Dave’s News Desk at the Edinburgh Fringe, The Paddock for Channel 4 and Live from Barry Island for BBC – but this is a show that is best witnessed live and up-close!
“The jokes come out of nowhere, are bark-out-loud funny, and the whole hour is startlingly live” – The Guardian
“One of the balls-out funniest show of the Fringe” – Chortle
“Tarot will not give you nightmares, though you might wake laughing your head off” – Evening Standard
Black Liver
Ruth is from Blackpool. Keith is from Liverpool. Together they are BLACK LIVER.
Born out of the boredom of lockdown 2020, Black Liver (AKA comics Keith Carter and Ruth Cockburn) has become a surprise hit. The rock ‘n’ roll comedy duo are currently on nationwide tours with two of their shows, putting sounds and words together to make you smile inside and out.
“Iconic” – The Forgotten Arts Festival
“Theatre, comedy, musical, cabaret… you get them all with these two!” – Stage Handed Magazine
“Part music duo, part double act – Black Liver are that quirky couple you want as your best friends…” – Northern Uproar
Joe Kent-Walters
BBC New Comedian of the Year 2023
Joe Kent-Walters is a multi-award winning comedian from Huddersfield. He has been delighting audiences up and down the country with his idiosyncratic style of outrageous character comedy, most notably with his comic creation Frankie Monroe, MC of a working mens club in Rotherham that is a portal to hell.
His performance as Frankie saw him win the 2023 BBC New Comedy Award after a “barn storming” (Ibid) set at Glasgow’s Kings Theatre Joe is now in development with the BBC and is one of Jiksaw’s 2024 ‘Faces of Comedy’.
Prior to his BBC success Joe won the 2021 Chortle Student Comedy Award which saw him play the main comedy stage at Latitude festival and tour Australia, performing at the Sydney Comedy Store.
“Mesmerising and unpredictable presence” – Chortle
Lee Kyle
In his never ending quest not to have a proper job, Lee Kyle spent time as part of an all male Spice Girls tribute act before spending a decade as a professional wrestler.
Managing the difficult trick of being both odd and relatable, he did a show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013 that he heard was well received but he doesn’t read reviews because his psyche is too fragile to handle them so he isn’t totally sure what they said.
Armed with props and a rapid gag rate he cuts a confident, if off-beat figure on stage. His jokes veer between the clever and the silly and deliver more than their fair share of belly laughs.
“Had everyone on their feet – Sublimely ridiculous” – The Northern Echo
“A brilliant performance.. Pure genius!” – NARC Magazine
“Quirky and original – the highlight of the night” – Giggle Beats
Note: Line-ups are subject to change in extreme, and unavoidable, circumstances.
Show may contain strong language and adult themes.
Doors 7.30pm, Show starts 8pm
Ticket price: £10

Tales from the Scriptorium
2024-07-02 14:00 - 15:30 | Swanley Grange at National Trust Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, Fountains Abbey, Fountains Lane, Ripon, HG4 3DY, United Kingdom
Brother Aidan returns to the Festival, bringing heritage crafts, history and storytelling to his new home at Fountains Abbey. Witness the process of creating an Anglo Saxon book whilst he weaves talks of his life as a monk. On hand – a huge range of replica artefacts. Demonstration includes parchment and ink making, leatherwork, bookbinding and calligraphy. An interactive event for adults.
Presented by Andrew Bates from Hazelsong Theatre.
Duration 90 minutes
We are no longer taking bookings for this event: Please book for the 11am show instead.
