0:00:02 > 0:00:06It's a time of dramatic change at the York Theatre Royal.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10For over 270 years, they've been treading the boards here.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15Soon, the curtain will be going up on a multi-million pound redevelopment.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19It will be a race against time with everyone trying to complete
0:00:19 > 0:00:22the auditorium, ready for the opening of their famous pantomime.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Purse-proud, greedy, drunken blaggard!
0:00:26 > 0:00:29And, while the theatre's dark, they'll also be mounting
0:00:29 > 0:00:33an ambitious community play at the National Railway Museum.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36We are building a 1,000-seat theatre as well as opening
0:00:36 > 0:00:38a show at exactly the same time.
0:00:38 > 0:00:44And it's not just any show, involving a company of over 600 volunteers.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47It makes it a really crazy idea that we even thought
0:00:47 > 0:00:49we should or could do it!
0:00:49 > 0:00:51What could possibly go wrong?
0:01:03 > 0:01:04It's mid-March
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and York Theatre Royal is offering its audience a rare chance to
0:01:08 > 0:01:13climb on stage themselves ahead of a multi-million pound redevelopment.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Well, it's the open day before we shut down for the renovation
0:01:16 > 0:01:17of the whole building.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20So we've opened the doors so the community can come in
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and have a look at the building before it changes.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24So it's a nice moment in time,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27just to capture what it was like before the next time
0:01:27 > 0:01:31they get to see it, which will be in its new guise and garb.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37It's just a fantastic place to have in the city.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39I'm looking forward to seeing the new theatre
0:01:39 > 0:01:41but the old theatre has lots of memories for me.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43It's like going home, really.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I don't know. It's just got something about it
0:01:45 > 0:01:46that I like. I love it.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55People have been coming here since they were children and now,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58in their 60s and 70s, recognise what this space means to them.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07I've spent my whole life coming here.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10I came with my mother when I was a little girl,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14my mother came with her mother when she was a child,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I brought my mother here until the last day before she died.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21We came here, to the panto.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25So to me, it's a really, really special place.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27And her seat is A13.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33- You used to like coming with Grandma here, didn't you?- It was so funny.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37I mean, here we are, bringing the next generation along.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42She came the day after she was born. We came into the theatre.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45We'd booked tickets already to come to the panto
0:02:45 > 0:02:48and we brought her straight in, so there was all of the
0:02:48 > 0:02:53generations here - me, Isabella, Elizabeth, Caitlin and my mum.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55We were all here. It's lovely.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07They'll be spending just over £5 million on the refurbishment,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11installing a new stage and state-of-the-art facilities
0:03:11 > 0:03:16and giving the weary front of house a long overdue face-lift.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17It needs investment.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20It needs investment in its bricks and mortar to make sure that
0:03:20 > 0:03:22York Theatre Royal,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26which has been in existence since 1744,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30basically on the same site, continues to thrive into the future.
0:03:30 > 0:03:31It needs investment.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43So we've either got alphabetical sign-in or under-16s...
0:03:43 > 0:03:44While the theatre's dark,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48they're mounting a community play involving over 200 actors.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53It'll be performed just down the road at the National Railway Museum.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56These community shows have become a tradition in York where,
0:03:56 > 0:03:57for generations,
0:03:57 > 0:04:02amateur actors from the city have taken part in the Mystery Plays.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04It'll be a huge ambitious event and,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08with just ten weeks to go before the opening night, the cast are
0:04:08 > 0:04:12gathering at the Guildhall to hear the words for the very first time.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15In Fog And Falling Snow - the first read-through.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Written by local playwrights Mike Kenny and Bridget Foreman,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22it's a story with its roots deep in the city.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27It is about the boom and bust of the steam industry during the 1840s
0:04:27 > 0:04:29and a chap called George Hudson...
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Stephenson enters, straddling the Rocket, triumphant.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35..and it's about him and all of the people affected by this boom
0:04:35 > 0:04:37and bust of the steam industry during that time.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Invest in the railways. Give us your money.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Mr George Hudson will ensure it's well spent.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He was known as the Railway King and, for ten years...
0:04:51 > 0:04:55I mean, he owned the majority of railways in the country.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58From a working-class farmer Yorkshire lad,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02he had one of the wealthiest lifestyles in London,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05he dined with Albert and Victoria, he was a Member of Parliament.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09And about ten years into his, you know, reign as the Railway King,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14everybody found out that all of his accounts were in his head.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Nobody had audited a thing.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Things said about me were utter falsehoods!
0:05:18 > 0:05:21The challenging leading role of the Railway King will be the only
0:05:21 > 0:05:24part played by a professional actor.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27He'll be cast later but tonight, the producer, Liam,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29is reading the part of George Hudson.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Through the actions of others!
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Even if he was what we might describe today as a crook,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38he was a great entrepreneur.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40He was described as the world's first capitalist,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42for better or worse, but, you know,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45his legacy is something we would not be without in this country.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47We would not choose not to have it.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51For a while, I had my hands on most of the railways in Britain,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- and that was most of the railways in the world.- Let's face it, George.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- Those hands were not entirely clean. - It wasn't just me.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59'He was vilified.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02'I mean, he ended up in York Jail with nothing,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04'but he was instrumental in making sure
0:06:04 > 0:06:06'the railways came through York.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:10A bloated, vulgar, insolent,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14purse-proud, greedy, drunken blaggard!
0:06:14 > 0:06:15When the railway bubble burst,
0:06:15 > 0:06:20the country lost something like 50% of its GDP. It was huge.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23People were committing suicide, people were absolutely ruined.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25It was massive.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Well done!
0:06:26 > 0:06:28APPLAUSE
0:06:32 > 0:06:33I don't know about other writers
0:06:33 > 0:06:39but I always find the first read-through the scariest,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42even more scary than the first night, really, when you hear it.
0:06:42 > 0:06:48And actually, I think I'm ready for a pint now! A great sense of relief!
0:06:48 > 0:06:50I thought it read pretty well, actually.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It was really exciting to hear it for the first time.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56It was a bit scary in front of so many people to actually read
0:06:56 > 0:06:57it through.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01But the clincher, for me, is its professional infrastructure,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04so all the direction and all the design and everything,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08all the support, is professional and, indeed, George Hudson,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10the leading role, will be played by a professional actor,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13and he will set the bar for the rest of us.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Back at the theatre, the builders are bringing the house down.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24They're up against a very tight deadline with the project due
0:07:24 > 0:07:28to finish in time for the opening of the Christmas pantomime.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34They've allowed time in the schedule for archaeological exploration.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35And it's just as well.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41You only have to put a spade in the ground in York
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and you'll discover layers and layers of history.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48York Archaeological Trust are already making finds among the dirt
0:07:48 > 0:07:50and dust that lay under the stage.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55We had a number of cigarette packets dating from sort of the 1920s
0:07:55 > 0:08:00through to round about the 1940s, 1950s
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and, yeah, lots of sequins as well.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08But there are older, if less glamorous,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12discoveries to be made, too, in what's becoming a rare opportunity.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15A site like this is exciting, very exciting for us,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19because finding a block of archaeology like this
0:08:19 > 0:08:23that's never been disturbed is quite rare because
0:08:23 > 0:08:28the buildings on St Leonard's Place and around the theatre,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31most of them were built in the 18th and 19th century
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and, so, a lot of them have very, very big cellars.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36So they tend to cause a lot of disturbance.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39They've removed a lot of... Especially the medieval archaeology.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41And really, it is very much
0:08:41 > 0:08:44the presence of the stage that has left this intact.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48So what we're looking at here, really, are, I think,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52the late 13th-century remains of a wall,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and then the very top part that you see that's brick
0:08:55 > 0:09:00we think is probably one of the 19th-century theatre stage floors.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02A more significant find, though,
0:09:02 > 0:09:07and subsequent delays could put the lucrative pantomime in jeopardy.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09There are certain things which just
0:09:09 > 0:09:11remain outside our control,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14things like whether there's asbestos there or whether
0:09:14 > 0:09:18there's Richard III's brother under the floor or whoever it may be.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20There may well be some things that just, you know,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23will get in the way of our progress through the project.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30In Fog And Falling Snow is calling on the time of hundreds
0:09:30 > 0:09:32of backstage helpers.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34In a disused shop in the centre of York,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37some of those volunteers are using skill
0:09:37 > 0:09:42and patience to turn cast-offs into authentic Victorian costumes.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44They've got their work cut out.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49And if it doesn't come from the costume store or
0:09:49 > 0:09:52they can't afford to hire it in, then they'll make it.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57We've got roughly 223 cast members.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Some of them need one or two costumes as well
0:09:59 > 0:10:03so they've got quite a task on their hands, really.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06It's a lot of donated things from my volunteers,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10anything that could be modified or altered to make it look period
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and make it look appropriate for the show.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Nice to be part of something.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I think, like a lot of people in York,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21we got involved because of the Mystery Plays, which have been
0:10:21 > 0:10:26done in staged versions since the Festival of Britain,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29and also the Wagon Plays done by the guilds round the city.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32And it's almost a subculture in York.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35You become involved with the community that's putting
0:10:35 > 0:10:36these things on.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41We're very lucky to have a theatre like this
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and I would be really sad if it went.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46And obviously, with cuts and things,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50the arts are the things that are going to go, so by us
0:10:50 > 0:10:51all pulling together, hopefully,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54we'll help to keep the theatre going.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57In a lot of ways, the arts see themselves as, often,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59a kind of add-on to people's lives.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02We see our future as being as important as anything else.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04I wouldn't go so far as as important as the NHS
0:11:04 > 0:11:07but as important as anything else that gives your life
0:11:07 > 0:11:10meaning and makes it well worth living.
0:11:12 > 0:11:1620 years ago, about 50% of the theatre's income
0:11:16 > 0:11:19came from the Arts Council and Government grants.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Today, that figure's nearer 20%.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26It means they need a head for business as well as the arts
0:11:26 > 0:11:28and the requirement to generate income is
0:11:28 > 0:11:31one of the drivers of this new refurbishment.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34The theatre is already very good at doing theatre.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The performances here are first-class, they always have been.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39What we're currently doing here is more, shall we say,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42surgeon's knife than butcher's cleaver but, actually,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45what we're doing to the architecture is about making modifications
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and interventions that begin to make the building work.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51We're going to be glazing in the colonnade.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59This has always been a covered space since Victorian times
0:11:59 > 0:12:00and in Georgian times,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03it was a walk-through to a garden that sat in this location.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08The obligation of the foyer is to prepare you for the magic
0:12:08 > 0:12:10that happens within the auditorium.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13This space can then become more dedicated as a proper
0:12:13 > 0:12:15restaurant and food offer.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19So this will improve its commercial viability.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22What we're trying to do is make them more resilient, make them more
0:12:22 > 0:12:24sustainable, financially, long-term.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Some of the company are seasoned veterans
0:12:32 > 0:12:34of previous community productions.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Others are taking the plunge for the first time.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38The theatre welcomes anyone
0:12:38 > 0:12:41who's willing to commit to a long schedule of rehearsals
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and ready to rise to the challenge.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48The majority of the people in the group are non-dancers
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and a lot of whom this is their first experience of movement,
0:12:52 > 0:12:58so yes, you know, it's a challenge but we've done...
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Yeah, they've done really, really well.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04So you go turn, beat, Mrs Hudson! And a big smile.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Did you see what that looks like? So turn, beat...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- CAST:- Mrs Hudson!
0:13:11 > 0:13:13And a big smile.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17It's as important that we can bring out those that are finding it
0:13:17 > 0:13:20harder to the same level of those who are already kind of,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22you know, streets ahead.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24And that's part of the joy of it, really, isn't it?
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Cos you're getting people, you know, from so many different
0:13:26 > 0:13:29sort of levels of experience coming together and working together.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34Now panic and mayhem! And move! And move it! Keep it moving!
0:13:34 > 0:13:38I've got no money! I can't pay you!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41OK! OK! Thank you.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44The youngest person we've got in the cast at the moment is six years old.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47THEY SCREAM
0:13:47 > 0:13:50'The oldest person, who's in the choir, is 92 years old.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54'We will have people who are unemployed working alongside
0:13:54 > 0:13:57'chief executives, nurses working alongside builders, you know.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59'It is people from all walks of life.'
0:13:59 > 0:14:01CLAPPING
0:14:08 > 0:14:09Back at the theatre,
0:14:09 > 0:14:14the archaeologists have made an exciting discovery.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Slap bang in the middle of the stalls, they've unearthed
0:14:17 > 0:14:22the foundations of one of Europe's largest medieval hospitals.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25We always knew we were on the site of St Leonard's Hospital
0:14:25 > 0:14:26but we'd been led to believe
0:14:26 > 0:14:30that the Victorians would have demolished all the foundations
0:14:30 > 0:14:32when building this current configuration of the theatre.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36And for the city of York, it's an untapped site.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39We've never before had the opportunity to piece together
0:14:39 > 0:14:42the hospital foundations in this way so it's a big surprise.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45And it doesn't end there.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Historians have long believed that a Royal Mint had once been situated
0:14:49 > 0:14:53in this area of York but there'd never been any real evidence.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Until now.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59One of the things we have found are these little things,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01which we think are for metalworking.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05To find any tangible evidence that relates to the
0:15:05 > 0:15:09processes inside the building is really special.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13The archaeologists want to dig deeper, of course.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15That'll mean major delays to the building work
0:15:15 > 0:15:20and goodbye to any hope of opening for the theatre's ever popular panto.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24What we've decided is to delay our opening.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27So we've taken the decision now to move the pantomime to the
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Signal Box Theatre at the National Railway Museum.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The theatre are hoping that the loyal panto audience will follow them
0:15:33 > 0:15:38to the museum. The cast of In Fog And Falling Snow are already there.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Tonight, they are coming to grips with the logistics of simultaneously
0:15:41 > 0:15:45performing scenes spread across the museum's enormous halls.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Come on. There's a lot of straggling going on here.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51We're looking at some of the journeys that take place
0:15:51 > 0:15:54between the six scenes of the first half of the play,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56which are all set in the museum.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58So we'll have six groups of audience which will
0:15:58 > 0:16:00move between each of the scenes.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08So we have end of a scene, you all go wild.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09APPLAUSE
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Deborah, who is our stage manager, will be timing lots of things!
0:16:14 > 0:16:16That takes, you know, a minute to get everybody from there to there.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20And those at the rear, just encourage everybody to move.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22We have to take into account people who all move at slightly
0:16:22 > 0:16:27different paces, so yeah, sort of logistics night tonight.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29OK, that's great. So you now watch a fantastic scene.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33It's got fights in it, drug dealing, all sorts.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36APPLAUSE
0:16:36 > 0:16:40And as the applause dies, off we go. Thank you very much.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47And we're all here, Debs. That's fine. Anna?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Anna, you're proving to be one of the slowest! Now, come on!
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Don't fall asleep. I said don't fall...
0:16:55 > 0:16:58HE LAUGHS
0:16:58 > 0:17:02The end of that scene happens and applause!
0:17:02 > 0:17:05THEY CLAP
0:17:08 > 0:17:14A lot of what we are keen to happen for people is how people see
0:17:14 > 0:17:16the museum.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It's a very different way to experience what exists in here.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22And also, you know, all those layers of history that
0:17:22 > 0:17:26sit inside this building which is part of the celebration of it.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29The National Railway Museum
0:17:29 > 0:17:33and the Theatre Royal are building on a strong relationship.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35It started with the production of The Railway Children,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38which went on to international success.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43And both organisations are looking forward to future projects together.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44Complete excitement.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48I mean, it's a fantastic opportunity to be working with a theatre company
0:17:48 > 0:17:51on such a large scale theatrical collaboration.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55The last thing I'm going to say is, there's no slowing down at the end.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58It stays vibrant the whole way through, OK?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01An interesting element, doing Fog And Falling Snow
0:18:01 > 0:18:03is the story of George Hudson.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07His history isn't told in anywhere near the same scale as other figures
0:18:07 > 0:18:10such as George Stephenson, who also features in the play.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12So the George Stephenson statue
0:18:12 > 0:18:15is a dominant thing inside the great hall.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Currently, George Hudson's bust sits within the warehouse,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22so in one way, bringing this play to the museum
0:18:22 > 0:18:24enables us to rectify that situation.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Now, this is more like it, eh, Stephenson?
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Not got a statue yet,
0:18:29 > 0:18:34but I'm having my picture painted as the new Lord Mayor of York!
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Professional actor George Costigan has joined the company.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39We'll get a bit of a shift on, time being money,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42and us living in the age of speed.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43This theatre is more of a family
0:18:43 > 0:18:45than any other theatre I've ever been in,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and it feels like coming home when I come to work here.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50This picture's going up in Mansion House!
0:18:50 > 0:18:53It'll smack them in the eye as they walk through the door.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55They'll not miss that. I'll get copies made.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57I'm more panicked than they are.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59They all know it'll all come together. I don't!
0:18:59 > 0:19:04Sir Francis, may I introduce you to my good lady wife, Elizabeth?
0:19:04 > 0:19:08My daughter, Anne, and my brother-in-law
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and business partner, Richard Nicholson.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13I'm leaning all over them, going, "You sure?"
0:19:13 > 0:19:16And they go, "Yeah, yeah, don't worry. It'll happen."
0:19:16 > 0:19:17It is amazing to work with George,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20and he's very giving as an actor.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23You know, he doesn't patronise at all. He's very supportive.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27But, you know, I do sometimes look at him
0:19:27 > 0:19:29and, instead of just George who I'm doing a scene with,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I go, "Oh, my God! It's George off the telly!
0:19:32 > 0:19:35"And he's, like, a real, proper actor!"
0:19:35 > 0:19:39We will be at the top of the tallest of trees.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43He's a wonderful, playful, fabulous actor.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45He's always searching and unpicking,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48so he's a really exciting force to have in the room.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51And the day will come, you will see,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55when we will welcome Her Majesty herself, Queen Victoria,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59to dine with us at our table in York.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03She will be borne to our table on one of our trains on our tracks,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and everyone will be invited to bear witness.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09All those kind of traditional lines
0:20:09 > 0:20:11between who you think of as professional,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13who you think of as community or amateur,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16those have been blurred, and we have really built something
0:20:16 > 0:20:18very distinctive in York that we're really proud of.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21The production qualities are really high,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24and the outcome is incredibly impressive, but actually,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28we use the resources of being able to have over 200 actors,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30which you can never achieve in a solely professional theatre.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- Give me back my papers!- Sod off! - Pause...
0:20:33 > 0:20:36In the carriage, this is the only thing that's happening in the world.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38If you're having a conversation in there,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40you're right in the line of sight.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42I'm thinking, "Why are we bothering?"
0:20:42 > 0:20:44You've got to be focused out this way.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46This is the event that's taking place.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50These men are terribly uncouth, but they're exciting. OK? Carry on.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54The Signal Box Theatre,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57in a tent straddling one of the museum's railway lines,
0:20:57 > 0:20:58is slowly taking shape.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03There aren't many theatres where you'll find the artistic director
0:21:03 > 0:21:07carting timber, or the chief executive helping paint the foyer.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13It's just ten days until the curtain goes up here...
0:21:13 > 0:21:15If it's finished, of course.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19We are building a 1,000-seat theatre as well as opening a show
0:21:19 > 0:21:21at exactly the same time.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24It makes it a really, erm, crazy idea
0:21:24 > 0:21:28that we even thought we should or could do it!
0:21:28 > 0:21:31But we'll get there. That's what we always do.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Dress rehearsals have already started,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39even though they're still making the costumes.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42It's a mammoth task.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Strangely, the men are more complicated than the women,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46because they have trousers, shirt,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49waistcoat, cravats, braces,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51caps, hats, top hats, frock coats.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54So they seem to have an awful lot more bits and pieces.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55And you've got to find that
0:21:55 > 0:21:58for every single person that's in the cast.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04The rehearsals are finally over, and at last,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07the show is opening to audiences.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10It's been a great journey, and the reason it's flown past
0:22:10 > 0:22:11is because we've all enjoyed it so much.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15There'll be a few tears tonight, and it won't just be the teenage girls.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Over the months, the company has become very close,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23and they're still buzzing with the excitement of performance.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The show is tested in front of friends
0:22:26 > 0:22:30and, then, In Fog And Falling Snow opens with a two-week run.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Just enjoy it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Your enjoyment, your energy, your enthusiasm, all of that
0:22:37 > 0:22:39is what gives everybody a real sense
0:22:39 > 0:22:42of the event and the occasion that we're a part of,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44which is huge and will be beautiful.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47The choir sounds fantastic, you all look amazing,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49you perform brilliantly.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51The set's stunning, the lighting's great.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It can't go wrong, it really can't.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- Right? - LAUGHTER
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- Shush!- Oh, damn it!
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I might say "Macbeth" in a minute.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- LAUGHTER AND CHEERS - On you go.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06As the audience gathers,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10outside the museum, Ian Giles, playing George Stephenson,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14prepares to make the sort of entrance few actors could dream of.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18- Here I go! - DRAMATIC MUSIC
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Welcome to the National Railway Museum!
0:24:01 > 0:24:05This magnificent hall celebrates the story of the railways
0:24:05 > 0:24:09and the beautiful locomotives which travelled on them.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I give you the Rocket.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17The real start of it all.
0:24:17 > 0:24:2112 miles in 53 minutes. Think of that!
0:24:21 > 0:24:26This was the dawn of the age of the railway.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29And from this humble beginning
0:24:29 > 0:24:34sprang a network which spread over the entire world.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39The audiences seem to enjoy the novelty and ambition
0:24:39 > 0:24:43of the first act, set amongst the museum's incredible collection.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46It's an intriguing taster for what will follow
0:24:46 > 0:24:49in the specially constructed theatre.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Even by the interval, it's getting rave reviews.
0:24:52 > 0:24:53It was fantastic.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Totally different, new, exciting, yeah. Really good.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58To be sitting in amongst all those gorgeous,
0:24:58 > 0:25:03huge machines from the Victorian age - fabulous.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I think it's wonderful, because it brings the people into what can
0:25:07 > 0:25:09sometimes be a static display
0:25:09 > 0:25:11of large, metallic objects, if you like.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And the people bring out the stories,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16and that's what it's really all about.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20CHEERING
0:25:30 > 0:25:34People love theatre. That's the great thing about the word amateur -
0:25:34 > 0:25:35someone who does something
0:25:35 > 0:25:38because they love it, not because they're paid to do it,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and that's what I think is the great strength of a company like this.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43How am I going to drive without you?
0:25:43 > 0:25:44They'll give you another boiler.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Oh, aye, they'll give me another boiler,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49but not one who calls out the signals and watches the tracks.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Think about it!
0:25:51 > 0:25:54It's thick as a bog out there. And it's freezing.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57It'll be snowing by dinner time. There'll be men with two good eyes
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- praying they don't have to drive today.- You'll be all right, Da!
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I'll be out there, on the blood, not seeing six feet down the line.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06There's a real culture in London
0:26:06 > 0:26:09of thinking that the talent is all there, and it's not.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10The talent is all over the country,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13'and shows like this really give people a chance
0:26:13 > 0:26:15'to show what you can do and what you can achieve.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18'I'm not sure a show like this could have been done in London.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19'That's how good it is.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:27And that passion for theatre runs high with everybody here.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30The National Theatre, and I'm going to try not to compare how much money
0:26:30 > 0:26:33the National Theatre gets with how much the theatre in York gets,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35that money should be distributed,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and the National Theatre should be in the nation,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39not parked on the South Bank for the convenience
0:26:39 > 0:26:41of the well-off and well-to-do in London.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It should be in Doncaster...
0:26:44 > 0:26:46for instance.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Society has the politics of the farmyard, George.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50Bonkers.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54You could probably run a season at York Theatre Royal
0:26:54 > 0:26:57on what the National spend on costumes and wigs in a year.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- They're not like us down there. - They are when they're drunk!
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Time for a few parties, I'm thinking. Cheers!
0:27:04 > 0:27:06APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:27:06 > 0:27:10And suddenly, the show is just a memory,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13with the cast taking the final curtain call
0:27:13 > 0:27:15on their very last night as a company.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22THEY SING
0:27:24 > 0:27:27You can hear them all having so much fun. They're so happy!
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I've learned so much from this. I really, really have.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32It's been...great.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Oh, it was brilliant. It was absolutely amazing.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Elated. I think there's a real sense of elation
0:27:36 > 0:27:39about what can be achieved when you put your minds to it,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42as a group of people, what you can actually achieve.
0:27:43 > 0:27:4411 weeks later,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and the date the theatre was originally scheduled for completion.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53The curtain's now due to go up at the York Theatre Royal early next year.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The latest scene change in the theatre's slow,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58but dramatic evolution.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04It's exciting on one hand. It's also...
0:28:05 > 0:28:07It's tinged with a kind of melancholia,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11because it's about a building that myself
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and a lot of the team have spent many happy years in,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16knowing it and understanding it on its terms.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18I think what we're doing is respectful.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22I think it's the right thing to do, and I think the energy
0:28:22 > 0:28:26and the enthusiasm for the new building will be a great thing
0:28:26 > 0:28:29for us to trade on over the next two years,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31so that people really get the opportunity
0:28:31 > 0:28:34to take ownership of this theatre once again as theirs.