Spectacular theatre production: Tickets on sale now for this Christmas experience in Leeds like no other

Following a year of exceptional cultural experiences including The Awakening, Making A Stand, The WOW Barn, and events in all 33 wards of Leeds, Leeds will end its Year of Culture on a high with an original show in a unique venue.

Expect incredible stage sets, pyrotechnics and a thought-provoking narrative which will celebrate the culture of Leeds, all told via a shape-shifting narrator.

From the imaginations of co-directors Kully Thiarai and Alan Lane, the team whose opening show got LEEDS 2023 off to a dazzling start, The Gifting will be the unmissable final chapter of LEEDS 2023.

Tickets are on sale now, there are three shows per day and it runs from 26-31 December.

The show’s co-director and artistic director of Slung Low, Alan Lane, described it as: “A magical ceremony that celebrates the power that we all have to tell stories to shape the world we want to live in. A piece of hopeful magic in the dark days of winter.”

About The Gifting

In The Gifting you, the audience, will be taken on a journey of 12 stories across a number of stages. Each story is unique but connected, and is told via a narrator, who changes as the event unfolds.

With new music from RashDash and designs by artist Keith Khan, this 70 minute live show combines stage illusion, song and storytelling and takes place at the vast Versa Studios – offering a rare opportunity for audiences to enter Leeds’s newest movie studios, which have already been used for premium productions like the Marvel movies.

Before the show audience members will gather outside the studio in Holbeck, where there will be food and drink concessions. Each person will be given a headset and when the shutters to Versa Studio roll open, your journey will begin.

Ages and accessibility

The Gifting is an immersive production with headsets, in which the audience will walk through the studio from stage to stage. Due to the experience of the show it is advised for ages seven and up.

There will be BSL signed performances and fully accessible shows, using a stage from which to watch the production. Please see details on the website for the different options for signed and accessible shows, and feel free to contact the booking office with any other queries.

There are pyrotechnics but no strobes used in the production.

Ending the year of culture

The Gifting is co-produced by LEEDS 2023, Slung Low and the British Library and is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Arts Council England.

“In January the Poet Laureate started our year of culture by reminding all of us in Leeds that we had gold in our veins and diamonds for brains,” says co-director of The Gifting and CEO and Creative Director of LEEDS 2023 Kully Thiarai. “It was the start LEEDS 2023 needed. As we head towards the year’s end, we let our dreams grow and celebrate the power of the stories we make, the myths we harness and the imagination we unleash. Together, powerfully making and concluding a year like no other.”

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education at Leeds City Council said: “This past year has seen culture in Leeds come to the fore like never before, and it’s been truly inspiring to see our city and communities unite in celebration of all the things that make Leeds such a unique place.”

“This compelling final chapter of LEEDS 2023 will mark the end of a year of celebration. But is is the beginning of our efforts to build on the legacy of all that’s been achieved and ensure the enthusiasm for culture, as well as the many new friendships which have been forged during the past 12 months, continue to flourish all across the city for many years to come.”

Book tickets

Tickets are on sale now for the production. There are three performances per day between December 26 and December 31.