The annual festival celebrating all things Shakespeare is back this month.
The seventh edition of the York International Shakespeare Festival will run from Tuesday 22 April to Sunday 4 May for over 10 days of events celebrating the beloved Bard.
There will be a variety of events on offer, from performances to comedy to speakeasys to competitions.
International offerings for 2025 include artists from the US, Ukraine, Japan, Poland, Bulgaria, and Turkey. The festival will feature world and UK premieres, so it’s a must for any fan of William Shakespeare and his work.
Check out our guide below to eight events you don’t want to miss.
To see the full programme of events for the festival, visit the York International Shakespeare Festival website.
Eight highlights for York International Shakespeare Festival
Henry VI Parts 1, 2, & 3 “I Am Myself Alone”
A bare space, a crown and a throne. An ensemble cast in a powerful production of actor generated theatricality and transformation, telling a cautionary tale about power and greed, which shows how a tyrant can rise in a torn and broken society.
York Shakespeare Project presents all three parts of Henry VI as one show, directed by Irwin Appel, Professor of Theater at University of California Santa Barbara. His condensed version of the trilogy promises to be a fascinating and thrilling piece of physical theatre.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York YO31 7PB
- Tue 22 – Sat 26 Apr
- 7:30pm (2:30pm Sat matinee)
- £15
- Tickets
Re-Lording Richard 3.0
1485: King Richard III dies. His death marks the end of the ‘Wars of the Roses’. He finds himself in a waiting room and … waits. For what? He doesn’t know. At his side is Alexa. He learns of his legacy of being the most reviled king of England to have gone down in history as a usurper and a tyrant.
Shakespeare’s play underpins Richard’s person as the embodiment of evil. Richard shares his story with us: his childhood, the scheming life at court, his fears, doubts, joys and unwavering loyalty. He explores the change in fashion. Above all, Richard settles accounts with Shakespeare. Back then, it was the theatre; today, it is social media that provides the space for propaganda and fake news. Richard and Alexa come across the question: Has the world really changed fundamentally.
- York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium, Lord Mayors Walk, York YO31 7EX
- Thu 24 Apr
- 7:30pm
- From £5.50
- Tickets
A Midsummer Night’s Mischief
The fairies in the forest are starting a fight – but which side are you on? Team Titania or Team Oberon? Hoglets Theatre presents an interactive, fun and larger-than-life production, based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Expect wild characters, raucous singalong songs, puppets, stunts, and some frankly ridiculous disco dancing! Get yourselves down to the forest – it’s all kicking off!
A play designed especially for young children (with recommended ages being 5 – 11 years old – but everyone is welcome). And whilst we love the bard, no previous experience of Shakespeare is required!
- York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium, Lord Mayors Walk, York YO31 7EX
- Sat 26 Apr
- 2pm
- From £11
- Tickets
Dance the Past
Step into the enchanting world of Elizabethan elegance and rhythm in our Shakespearean Dance Workshop! We’ll be taking inspiration from Shakespearean texts themselves and learning some of the most popular dances from the Tudor period in this workshop as part of the York International Shakespeare Festival.
Our reader will set the scene with the relevant quotes and then our expert teacher, Lottie Adcock, will lead you through the dances accompanied by period music. Learn the Scotch Jig, a Cinquepace and the high Lavolt amongst others in this 3 hour workshop.
- York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium, Lord Mayors Walk, York YO31 7EX
- Sun 27 Apr
- 2pm
- From £13.20
- Tickets
Alas! Poor Yorick
If the Two Ronnies were cast as the Gravediggers in Shakespeare’s Hamlet re-written by Samuel Beckett you might have something like Ridiculusmus’s “Alas! Poor Yorick”.
The legendary independent theatre double act of Jon Haynes and John Gorick pull out every trick in their theatrical playbook to create a fresh take on Shakespeare’s much-loved clowns, re-enacting all the preceding acts of the original and meticulously staging the famous graveyard scene in all its 420 year-old glory. Flipping the Shakespearean original tragedy into an existential clown piece, Ridiculusmus cast aside chaos and mistaken murders to unearth a beautiful and oddly moving meditation on work, faith and existence, with the prevaricating protagonist offered in a refreshingly contemporary light.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York YO31 7PB
- Tue 29 Apr
- 7:30pm
- £15
- Tickets
Introduction to the International Graphic Shakespeare Competition
For the last ten years the biennial international Graphic Shakespeare Competition has been bringing together exciting new illustrators and artists from all over the world.
Join us for an informal event, hosted by Ryuta Minami and Ronan Paterson, who will introduce the exhibition, which is on display at the York Explore Central Library from 11th April.
Originally conceived by Yukari Yoshihara, a Japanese Manga specialist and Shakespeare enthusiast, the GSC has honoured artists from Japan, America, Canada, the UK, India, the Philippines and much of Europe. This exhibition features a selection of winners from the last ten years, together in one place for the first time.
- York Explore, Library Square, Museum St, York YO1 7DS
- Wed 30 Apr
- 5pm
- Free
- More info
Shakespeare’s Speakeasy
Can a group of strangers successfully stage a Shakespearean play in a day? Shakespeare’s Speakeasy is the place for you to find out.
Taking an irreverent and entertaining view of the Bard’s work, this one night only production promises you an hilarious take on one of Bill’s best known plays. Five actors are given a script with their lines and cues and must learn it over the course of a month without ever meeting each other! On the day of performance the actors meet for the first time and rehearse for six hours before staging a 100% not all serious play from the canon.
But which play will it be? Well, like all good Speakeasys, that’s a secret. The only way to find out is to come inside.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York YO31 7PB
- Fri 2 May
- 7:30pm
- £16.50
- Tickets
Festival Wrap Party
Join us to celebrate YISF 2025! Our final night of revelry featuring Shakespearean stand-up comedy and a quiz.
Hosted by comedian, Adam Perrott (BBC New Comedy Awards 2024), delivering his brand-new stand-up set “Gags You Like It,” written for this year’s festival. Adam will be joined on stage by special guests acting out Shakespeare snippets as part of a live themed quiz. Grab a stoup of wine and mark another amazing year with the watchers, performers and makers of this year’s festival.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York YO31 7PB
- Sat 3 May
- 8:30pm
- £5
- Tickets