York Opera House have announced that they are temporarily closing, in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In response to the Prime Minister’s recent statement, advising the UK public to avoid unnecessary social contact, including in theatres, we regret to inform you that shows in all Ambassador Theatre Group UK venues are temporarily suspended with immediate effect.

We understand that this decision comes as a disappointment, and a massive inconvenience for those of you already on the way to a venue this evening, but ultimately we all want the same thing: the health and safety of our communities, and we believe this is the correct decision to make.

Given the current ambiguity and lack of clarity as to how long our theatres may be closed for, we hope to provide you with an update within the next 48 hours regarding the exchange of tickets. We will be consulting with industry bodies including the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre and the government over the immediate future.

For now, we would like to thank you for your understanding and patience, and to recognise the incredible efforts and support of producers, artists, partners and customers over this difficult period.”

Mark Cornell
Group CEO, Ambassador Theatre Group

“Customers should be getting emails through on a weekly basis – so anyone who was attending a show this week should be receiving an email.

We are following government guidance which is currently ambiguous. It is unclear how long theatres are to remain closed. We will reopen them once the government and medical authorities confirm that there is no risk to our audiences, performers and staff.

We are working hard with our producers and performers to understand how this will play out, so we can’t confirm that at this time. We will try wherever possible to re-programme shows that have been suspended. We fully appreciate that this may be frustrating, but please bear with us – as you can imagine, these are extraordinary circumstances. We will update our website and social media with the latest information as soon as possible.”