The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Martin Rowley officially opened our brand-new Garden
Room on Saturday 2 August 2025, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Guests at the event were invited to explore this exciting new space, which is designed to enhance the theatre-going experience for all our visitors.

The Garden Room has replaced the temporary caravan bar that was outside the main
entrance. Now audiences can now enjoy a pre-performance or interval drink whatever the
weather.

Dan Shrimpton, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said, “This is such an important milestone for
us and the first step toward having a bar inside the building. I want to say a huge thank you
to everyone who has supported us in helping to make this project a reality. Your generosity
has made a world of difference and enabled us to build this new much-needed facility.”
Around £140,000 has been invested into the Garden Room, with fundraising through the
Heart for the Arts appeal and Buy a Brick.

It’s not too late to Buy a Brick and have your name – or a quote from your favourite musical
or play – displayed on the wall inside the bar.

The initial planning for the Garden Room is for five years. During that time the theatre is
planning its next steps in developing and extending the building and eventually bringing the
bar area inside the theatre building.