Pilot Theatre is an Arts Council England funded Theatre Company based in York, England. It was founded in by students from Bretton Hall College in Wakefield. The company was based in Wakefield and Castleford before moving to York in 2001. History The company is now based at York Guildhall. It tours work in the UK and internationally. As of July 2016, the company's artistic direction is led by Esther Richardson. The previous artistic director, Marcus Romer, who has written, directed, and shaped the identity of the company since 1995, recently moved on to establish Arts Beacon. In 1998, Pilot Theatre embarked on their first mid-scale UK tour with their production of Lord of the Flies, which went on to win the company numerous awards and great critical acclaim. Since then the company has developed links with theatres around the country, in particular York Theatre Royal where they were residents. They were part of the EU Culture 2000 funded programme called Magic-Net along with twelve other countries across Europe and in 2009 they became the UK partner for the European project, Platform 11+, which engaged 13 theatres in 12 European countries to create new pieces of theatre for 11 to 15 year olds. This has opened the door for international touring and collaborations. In 2011 the company toured to Milan, Dresden and Argentina and in 2012 hosted companies from around the EU at a week-long event in York as well as visiting the Czech Republic. They produced the International Indian Film Academy Awards opening sequence for stage and TV in 2007 at Sheffield Arena. This was in partnership with their new collaborators Kit Monkman and Tom Wexler from KMA who are also based in York. Pilot Theatre has also advocated for using digital technologies within the arts. This has grown through their annual hosting of the Shift Happens conference, which explored new digital technologies and possible uses for them within the arts sector. In 2011 Pilot Theatre hosted the first ever TEDx York event in conjunction with Science City York. Working with online video experts Kinura, Pilot Theatre delivered the multi-channel livestream of the world-famous York Mystery Plays in August 2012 as part of their involvement in the BBC and Arts Council England funded project The Space. Their dedication and commitment to exploring new ways of engaging young people in the arts and new ways to use technology in the arts