York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust - YMPST

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York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust - YMPST

The York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust supports the city’s Mystery Plays in their various incarnations.

Join us as we raise both funds and awareness - and have some fun in the process!

19/09/2026

Setting up at St Crux - it is now 10am and we are open! Come on down. We're here until 3.

18/09/2026

Baking, baking and more baking for St Crux this Saturday - will we see you there?

12/09/2026

In case you missed the last newsletter, we could still use some bakers for our fundraiser at St Crux on 19 September. We are just out in the courtyard this time, not operating like a cafe as we have done previously, so bonus points if you can bring baking that is easy for people to take away (we will provide the little paper bags).

02/09/2026

Final Audition Call!

Audition slots are filling up, but there are still a few spaces left this week, so it's not too late to be part of this year's Nativity for York.

Auditions will be short group exercises of around 20 minutes, working on a section of the Plays. You don't need to prepare a speech or monologue, but be ready to tell a Christmas cracker-style joke as a warm-up!

Auditions will be held at Clementhorpe Community Centre on Thursday 3 September from 7-9pm, and Sunday 6 September from 2-5pm. To arrange an audition slot, please contact the director directly at [email protected].

Performances are 21 & 28 November (matinees), 4 December (evening), and 5 December (matinees).

21/08/2026

On Saturday 19 September we'll be back at St Crux for another fundraising day! There will be cake, books, and bric-a-brac...but we need to borrow some tables (only the courtyard is being hired out, not the actual building where the tables are kept). If you have a folding table, that could pack down to fit into a car and which we could borrow for the day, please let us know. We can collect and return it.
Thank you to those who have volunteered so far to help out on the day or to bake: if you can offer some time or some baking, we would be very grateful (send an email to the Chair on [email protected])

16/08/2026

Director Announcement and Auditions

We have a director for this year’s Nativity! We are very pleased that Tom Straszewski will direct this year’s production. Many of you will remember Strasz as the Artistic Director for both the 2018 and 2022 waggon plays, or from the York Shakespeare Project. His expertise in site-specific theatre also fits very well with our touring production.

With the director in place, we are looking for an energetic ensemble cast of around 15-20 people, of all experiences and backgrounds. You do not have to have performed in a Mystery Play (or any play!) before – but be ready to get stuck in, in a warm and friendly environment. Auditions will be short group exercises of around 20 minutes, working on a section of the Plays. You don't need to prepare a speech or monologue, but be ready to tell a Christmas cracker-style joke as a warm-up!

Auditions will be held at Clementhorpe Community Centre on Thursday 3 September from 7-9pm, and Sunday 6 September from 2-5pm. To arrange an audition slot, please contact Strasz directly at [email protected].

Performances are 21 & 28 November (matinees), 4 December (evening), and 5 December (matinees).

24/07/2026

There is still one more week to apply to direct this year's Nativity! If you think this opportunity might be for you, please email our Chair on [email protected] for the information pack. The deadline to apply is 31 July.

(Photo by John Saunders from last year's production.)

09/07/2026

CALL FOR A DIRECTOR

If you took part in the Mystery Plays Festival this year and enjoyed the experience, or if you watched them and thought, ‘that looks like fun; I want to do that’, we have a Nativity coming up later this year, and we are looking for a director.

This hour-long performance will bring the Nativity section of the York Mystery Play cycle to life in a way that contrasts with previous productions. As with our previous two Nativities, this will be a touring production staged at three venues in and around York.

Want to direct? The Committee has approved a director’s fee of £1000. You are expected to edit the script, audition, and rehearse on weekday evenings and weekend afternoons for a period of at least 8 weeks.

If you are interested, email our Chair, Emily Hansen, [email protected], for an Information Pack which will provide more information about this opportunity. The closing date for applications will be midnight on Friday 31 July 2026.

Please share this message with anyone who may be interested! The call for actors and a production team will go out in August.

Photo by John Saunders, from the 2025 Nativity.

05/07/2026

What a cast! What a crew! What talented Waits! Very proud of you all. The waggons come back in 2030, but you'll see us sooner than that; we'll be touring the Nativity again this year, so stay tuned for details...

Address

C/O York Theatre Royal, St Leonard’s Place
York
YO17HD

Website

http://ympst.co.uk/

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