Pilot Theatre, Slung Low & York Theatre Royal to Partner for BLOOD + CHOCOLATE, 3-20 Oct.

Three of the region's most dynamic theatre companies, Pilot Theatre , Slung Low and York Theatre Royal team up for the first time to take audiences on an epic journey through the streets of York as they present the ambitious and visually exciting promenade production Blood + Chocolate from the 3-20 October.

The large scale professional and community production will tell the inspiring stories of the workers and owners of York's chocolate factories during the First World War alongside those of the young men involved in the terrible conflict.

During the Christmas of 1914 the Lord Mayor of York sent out a chocolate tin, designed and made at the Rowntree's factory, to every soldier from York who fought at the front.

As news came of the young men who would never return home the women of the city stepped into the jobs at the factories and the landscape of the city changed forever as its people struggled to reconcile beliefs of conscientious objection against family loyalties.

Bringing the modern city of York alive the production will give audiences a unique experience as they follow the story through the city's streets as well as listen in via headphones to the characters' intimate conversations.

Directed by Slung Low's Artistic Director Alan Lane and written by Olivier Award winning playwright Mike Kenny, author of The Railway Children and the York Mystery Plays 2012, Blood + Chocolate will feature a cast of 200, made up of professional and community actors from the city and the region.

Besides its large cast, Blood + Chocolate will also feature up to 600 further community volunteers across all departments including costume making, stage management, a full choir, and photographers who will be documenting the process from beginning to end.

Blood + Chocolate will be performed in the City of York from 3 to 20 October 2013. For more information and to book tickets, priced £18, concessions available, please call York Theatre Royal Box Office on 01904 623568 or visit www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk