The hottest tickets for 2012 in York are now on sale. The York Mystery Plays make a return to the Museum Gardens in a spectacular outdoor production by Riding Lights Theatre Company, York Theatre Royal, and York Museums Trust from the 2 to 27 August 2012.

A purpose built theatre with covered seating will transform York Museum Gardens, allowing an audience of 1400 people to enjoy this epic event under the summer skies, with the beautiful St. Mary’s Abbey ruins as the backdrop to this story. The Mystery Plays have not been produced on this scale in the Museum Gardens since 1988.

Adapted by Mike Kenny, who also adapted The Railway Children for York Theatre Royal’s Olivier award-winning production, this will be a new interpretation of the medieval plays that have been embedded in the City’s cultural heritage since the middle of the fourteenth century. From Creation to the Last Judgement, these plays form one of the greatest stories ever told.

Taking place in the same year as the London 2012 Olympic Games, this international event will also be a major part of York’s 800th anniversary celebrations of its City Charter. It aims to bring thousands of visitors to the City, as well as involving over 1000 community members in the actual production, some of whom will be joined on stage by professional actors while others will play a key role in the backstage running of this huge event.

Paul Burbridge, Artistic Director of Riding Lights and co-director of the Mystery Plays said “We are the latest generation of York people to take up the baton of retelling these wonderful stories in a truly spectacular way for 2012. The York Mystery Plays have drawn people to the City since the tradition was revived in the 1950s and we are sure that this latest incarnation will be a compelling reason for people to visit the City in August next year.

Ticket prices range from £12 to £42 and can be bought by calling the Box Office on 01904 623568 or visiting www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. There is also a dedicated website for the York Mystery Plays www.yorkmysteryplays-2012.com which has more information about the plays and allows people to register interest in getting involved.