As Ripon Theatre Festival prepares for its fourth year, director Katie Scott reveals how a bold vision of collaboration has transformed the cathedral city into one of Yorkshire's most exciting cultural destinations.

Katie Scott arrives at Oliver's Pantry armed with statistics that would make any arts administrator weep with joy.

"4,048 free event attendances, 5,820 total attendances last year," she reels off with the infectious enthusiasm that has become synonymous with Ripon Theatre Festival. But it's clear from our conversation over coffee that numbers, impressive as they are, tell only part of the story of this remarkable cultural success.

Scott and her team have transformed what began as one man's vision into something far more ambitious: a festival that has become three festivals in one, breathing new life into every corner of this historic Yorkshire city.

"We are almost three festivals in one," Scott explains, her eyes lighting up as she describes the evolution. "We have the ticketed series of events, which was Ian Holloway's original vision, and then there are the family activities, including the popular family day in the Spa Gardens – almost like a children's theatre festival within the overarching festival. And then we have the street theatre on Saturday, which is another whole model entirely."

It's this multifaceted approach that has seen the festival grow from strength to strength, with over 256 community performers and 71 professionals taking part last year. But Scott's real passion lies in the collaborative spirit that defines everything the festival does.

"We are always looking for productions and performances where theatre is the catalyst to bring different groups together," she tells me. "We work with venues, community groups, performers and artists, but the way we try to work with venues isn't just about hiring a space and plonking a show down there. We ensure that we offer productions that are in tune with what they want to do."

This philosophy of collaboration rather than imposition has created some of the festival's most successful partnerships. Take the relationship with Ripon Museums Trust, which Scott describes as "really healthy from the start". What began as a single project in 2022 has blossomed into something extraordinary. "Out of that came costume guides who have established themselves as a small theatre group. Each year they get more confident and ambitious, and this year there is one show that uses all three museums."

The result is Peelers, Poachers and Paupers, a gripping tale of Victorian Yorkshire that takes audiences on a journey through the workhouse, prison and police, and courtroom museums, following the true story of the Sinkler brothers – gamekeepers turned poachers who paid the ultimate price.

Scott's approach extends to every venue partnership, from working with Dementia Forward to complement their existing programmes, to innovative use of Ripon’s 15th-century Leper Chapel, where this year's RTF Storyteller in Residence, Peter Chand, will perform Mangoes on the Beach about the caste system in 1937 British India, complete with authentic refreshments from local Indian tearoom Realitea.

"It's about us bringing the theatre to them in a way that enhances what other organisations do and complements the space they use," Scott explains, and this philosophy has clearly struck a chord with the community.

The festival's accessibility work is particularly close to Scott's heart. She's managed to keep ticketed events affordable whilst taking performances directly to those who might otherwise miss out. "We take dance groups and puppet shows into care homes where people who are bedridden or cannot come along can still join in," she says. "And we're holding our first primary school event at Holy Trinity Church where local schools will be able to join in without resorting to exorbitant transport costs."

Community engagement reaches spectacular heights with projects like last year's Brollies in the Bandstand, created in partnership with Evolve College and with Jennyruth Workshops and Ripon Walled Garden, both charities supporting adults with learning disabilities. This year's collaboration focuses on hats, with a community artist working alongside the group on a visual arts project.

Scott laughs as she recalls how the festival's street theatre element evolved. "I never really thought I would be programming street theatre on the Market Square – it wasn't what I originally set out to do. But if you ask most people what Ripon Theatre Festival is, they'll answer with something like, 'Is that the fire juggler we saw on the Market Square last year?'"

This organic growth reflects Scott's belief that "small is beautiful". Rather than pursuing large-scale productions with "trucks and rigging", she champions intimate connections where "families will bump into a performer or see a performance in fairly intimate surroundings, whether that be Spa Gardens, Minster Gardens, or the Arts Hub."

The programming for the upcoming festival showcases this intimate approach perfectly. Scott's enthusiasm is infectious as she describes highlights including The Beloved Son, a rollercoaster emotional journey about a Dutch Catholic priest performed by Andrew Harrison; Pirate Princess, featuring acrobat Gemma Bond using a four-metre pole as her crow's nest ("pole dancing for families", Scott cheerfully describes it); and her personal favourite, Third Class – A Titanic Story, Russell Lucas's powerful one-man show about Edward Dorking, openly gay and sent to America by his family to 'right' himself, charting his journey of survival and his campaigning for third-class passengers.

The festival's grassroots, volunteer-led approach remains central to Scott's vision, though she's ambitious about future fundraising. "We want to continue to deepen those community links and bring in a few more high-profile performers," she says.

What emerges from our conversation is a picture of a festival that has achieved something remarkable: it has made theatre integral to Ripon's identity whilst maintaining the collaborative spirit that makes it so special. Scott's bold programming, taking theatre out of traditional spaces and into the heart of the community, isn't just paying dividends – it's creating a cultural revolution that other cities would do well to emulate.

As we finish our coffee, surrounded by the gentle buzz of Oliver's Pantry – itself a festival venue in the past – it's clear that Scott has achieved something her predecessor Ian Holloway would be proud of: a festival that doesn't just happen in Ripon but has become part of Ripon itself.

Ripon Theatre Festival runs from 1st July until 6th July. For more information and to book tickets click here