about us...

 

Our Vision

To delight, surprise and inspire the people of Bristol with excellent live theatre in an environment of creativity, welcome and adventure

Our Story

Our story begins with 50 merchants, lawyers and politicians joining together in 1764 to fund the construction of a new theatre in the city. For £50 each, a significant sum in those days, these philanthropists received a silver token promising the bearer the "sight of every performance", a promise we still honour today.

Designed by the Bristol architect Thomas Paty, the theatre was the first in Britain to do away with the traditional rectangular auditorium shape and adopt the ‘horseshoe' shape now seen across the world. Apart from sloping the star-studded ceiling in 1800 to accommodate the new gallery tier, the auditorium has remained largely unchanged for well over 200 years.

In 1946 the London Old Vic formed a regional offshoot based at the Bristol Theatre Royal - hence our present name. The name is also given to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (opened by Laurence Olivier at the same time). Although we are now independent entities, the School and Theatre continue a close association with students often rehearsing and performing in our spaces.

In the 1970s, Bristol Old Vic underwent a massive redevelopment, incorporating the magnificent Coopers' Hall on King Street as our foyer space and adding a 150 seat studio theatre. Coopers' Hall now forms the oldest part of the complex of buildings, dating from 1744 and provides the grand façade the theatre always lacked.

Currently under the leadership of Tom Morris and Emma Stenning, Bristol Old Vic is once again producing work of national significance. Our creative vision is threefold:
- To welcome world class creative talent to make work in our building
- To develop the creative talent based in the region
- To ensure that everyone living in the city has the opportunity to engage with our work