Our ‘Raise the Roof’ music video, which can be viewed on You Tube, will help fundraise £5,000 to go towards vital roof repairs. It total we are aiming to raise £90,000 from our Raise the Roof appeal, which will contribute to the overall costs of the repairs.

The video features a cover version of the Drifters’ song, “Up on the Roof”, originally written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The video was produced, arranged and performed by some of the many York-based performers who consider our theatre their theatrical home, many of whom are also theatre volunteers.  Put together during lockdown via socially distanced media, the video can be watched here.

Ollie Nash, one of the theatre’s stage managers and Jessica Douglas, a regular musical director of shows produced at our theatre, formed a team of singers and musicians to create the video, which has been a real challenge under lockdown conditions. In the week leading up to its release Ollie spent a total of 30 hours pulling all the bits together for the final edit.

Graham Mitchell, our fundraising and events director said, “We’ve had great fun putting this video together.  The fact that so many of our performing and volunteering community came together ‘virtually’ to produce it shows just how much the future success of the theatre means to them.”

Our current roof has stood the test of time and has not had any major work since the theatre was built, 85 years ago. However, it is now in need of urgent repair and this has to be done before we can move on with our major plans to expand the building. 

We have set up a Just Giving page for our Raise the Roof appeal. Please donate today, even just the amount of a takeaway coffee. 

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For more information about our appeal, please contact: Graham Mitchell (Company Secretary and Events and Fundraising Director), tel:  07761 683440; email: graham.mitchell@jrtheatre.co.uk  

Video credits

Arranged by Jessica Douglas

Mixed and edited by Ollie Nash

Piano -  Jessica Douglas

Drums  -  Clark Howard

Bass -  Georgia Johnson

Guitar - Damien Sweeting

Violin 1 -  Emily Jones

Violin 2  - Tom Marlow

Performed by Abigail Atkinson, Chris Gibson, Helen Singhateh, Jennie Wogan, Nick Sephton, Paul Blenkiron, Ruth McCartney, Sandy Nicholson and Susan Blenkiron.