A beautiful setting for the NSDF and the buzz is fantastic. It's a great opportunity to meet everybody who will be somebody in the theatre of tomorrow while learning from those who think they are somebody in the theatre of today (Mike Bradwell)
Scarborough, Britain's first seaside resort has been welcoming visitors for over 360 years and has been the home of NSDF since 1990 thanks to the initial support of Sir Alan Ayckbourn and his internationally acclaimed Stephen Joseph Theatre. The NSDF is now also supported by Hull University Scarborough Campus, The Scarborough Spa Complex and Scarborough College.
Scarborough, Britain’s first seaside resort has been welcoming visitors for over 360 years and has been the home of NSDF since 1990 thanks to the initial support of Sir Alan Ayckbourn and his internationally acclaimed Stephen Joseph Theatre, who have just hosted NSDF's 53rd festival.
Scarborough is divided into two bays - North Bay and South Bay - by the Castle Headland. The North Bay contains holiday chalets and fun parks while the South Bay is where the Harbour and amusement arcades are located.
The NSDF is now massively supported by Hull University Scarborough Campus who provide venues for student performances, workshop spaces and the NSDF Scarborough office. Each year students from the University run the Local Organisation team, without which the festival wouldn’t happen.
NSDF’s other partner is The Scarborough Spa Complex, which is the NSDF’s festival centre. The festival Information Room is based here where you can visit to get any help or information about the festival sign up for Workshops, visit the Trade Fair, internet café and the NSDF Script Library. Two performance venues, the Ocean Room and the Spa Theatre, are located at The Spa, as well as and the Vitadome which is the home of Noises Off, the festival magazine. The Spa also hosts The Festival Bar and the Grand Hall where the evening entertainments take place and the opening ceremony and at NSDF08 hosted the performance of Tangle by Unlimited.
Scarborough has cafes, restaurants and takeaways to suit most purse strings. For great fish and chips try the Fish Pan on the seafront (opposite the lifeboat station) and then wander a few doors down to the Harbour Bar for any whippy ice cream that your heart desires!
For great pub food make sure you visit the Cask (Corner of Grosvenor Crescent by valley bridge.) They offer a special priced food menu for all participants at NSDF – just show your festival pass when ordering to take advantage of the offer. Or why not try Tricolo’s (Eastborough) for a tasty Italian.
For a bite in the wee small hours there’s a 24 hr Tesco opposite the Yorkshire Coast College (by valley bridge) or try Flames takeaway on Ramshill Road.
Underneath the Cask pub, is the NSDF after hour’s venue, Sigma where you can carry on partying after the festival evening entertainments have finished at the Spa.
A taxi in Scarborough is about £3.50. Taxis with meters will usually cost more than a taxi you order by phone.
ABC tel: 01723 377 771
Betty’s tel: 01723 500 190
There are branches of all the major banks in the town centre:
Barclays - St Nicholas Street
Halifax – 92 Westborough
HSBC – 33 St. Nicholas Street
Lloyds TSB – 1 St Nicholas Street
Natwest – 3 Westborough
Pharmacies
Boots (Westborough)
Robert Heaps Pharmacy (15 Ramshill Rd) 01723 360 039
Emergency Numbers
Scarborough Hospital 01723 368 111
Accident & Emergency 01723 342 145
Coastguard 01723 372 323
