108-646: Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol . The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London . It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School , which became a financially independent organisation in the 1990s. Bristol Old Vic runs a Young Company for those aged 7–25. The Theatre Royal, the oldest continually-operating theatre in
216-452: A hipped roof with a part- balustraded parapet . Above the door is a bust of David Garrick , which was made in 1831 by Lucius Gahagan . The Beauford Square side of the building, originally designed by George Dance the Younger , is of five bays with pilasters carrying a frieze of comic and tragic muses. The central door was the main entrance for the pit and galleries. The east front, now
324-592: A certain familiar sort, and of realising the vision of Toby Robertson". Robertson was in effect fired as artistic director in 1980 while he was abroad with the company in China , Timothy West replacing him. The following season, West's first as Robertson's successor, saw Macbeth with Peter O'Toole , The Merchant of Venice with West as Shylock, and a gala performance presented to the Queen Mother to celebrate her eightieth birthday. On 22 December 1980, four days after
432-649: A major UK tour. Simon Godwin 's production of Brian Friel 's Faith Healer is playing in the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival . Other recent touring productions include the Bristol Old Vic/ Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory co-production of Uncle Vanya . Bristol Old Vic's Ferment artist development strand also sees work developed at the theatre touring across the UK and internationally. The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946,
540-578: A merger" between the Vic and Prospect. In September Toby Robertson, director of Prospect, was asked to take artistic control of the Old Vic, and Christopher Richards, general manager of the Old Vic, became general manager of Prospect. One major problem, though, was the terms of Prospect's funding by the Arts Council of Great Britain : this was on the basis of it being a touring company, and the council – already funding
648-539: A new Arts Council funding package, and in 2003 the appointment of joint artistic directors David Farr and Simon Reade. They briefly branded the organisation the "new bristol old vic". In 2005, Reade became the sole artistic director. Artistic highlights during these times included the production of A. C. H. Smith's Up The Feeder, Down the Mouth and Back Again during Andy Hay's tenure, and some well-received Shakespeare productions under David Farr and Simon Reade. In July 2007,
756-550: A new RECITAL strand is introduced which brings some of the most important names in classical music including internationally renowned tenor Ian Bostridge , leading mezzo-soprano Christine Rice , acclaimed lyric soprano Sophie Bevan and master pianist Julius Drake . In 2005 another new theatre was opened behind the Theatre Royal, The Egg , which provides professional theatre productions for children and their families, alongside workshops and youth theatre productions. It includes
864-517: A new custom-built dance and movement studio in the School's back garden was named the Slade/Reynolds Studio . The School provides comprehensive training courses for theatre, radio, film, and television professionals and its graduates are to be found in key positions as actors, directors, set designers, costumer designers, lighting designers and stage and company managers throughout the world. Among
972-472: A new foyer with bar and box office, which makes a feature of the previously hidden theatre walls. The Coopers' Hall was adapted to house new performance and event spaces, including a studio theatre in the barrel vaults in its basement. The Bristol Old Vic has a long history of taking productions on tour both within the United Kingdom and overseas. Production which have toured include Hamlet , Arms and
1080-558: A new production of Sophie Treadwell's Machinal from director Richard Jones. OPERA follows with Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw directed by rising star Isabelle Kettle. Kim Brandstup's Minotaur returns in a DANCE double bill with a brand new work featuring ballet stars Matthew Ball, Alina Cojocaru, Kristen McNally and Tommy Franzen. The season continues with a yet to be announced new project conceived and directed by Deborah Warner. Finally,
1188-463: A play by a professional playwright. The Youth groups continued to produce plays with new members auditioning each September until the mid 1980s. The Old Vic was significantly restored under the ownership of Toronto department-store entrepreneur 'Honest Ed' Mirvish in 1985. In 1987, his son David Mirvish installed Jonathan Miller as artistic director of the Old Vic and the theatre enjoyed several critical successes – including an Olivier Award for
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#17328524202391296-519: A production of the musical Candide , but suffered three straight years of financial loss. In 1990, Mirvish terminated Miller's contract over budgetary issues, earning much negative criticism in the British press. In 1997, Mirvish appointed Sir Peter Hall as artistic director and, again, enjoyed critical acclaim with such productions as The Master Builder with Alan Bates and Waiting for Godot with Ben Kingsley , but continuing financial loss. Within
1404-537: A second consecutive nomination for the 2013 awards. In Autumn 2013, the Ustinov presented The Spanish Golden Age Season , three new translations of rarely seen plays. These included the tragedy Punishment without Revenge , and the romantic comedies Don Gil of the Green Breeches and A Lady of Little Sense , which ran in repertory with a cast of ten actors in all three plays between September and December 2013. It
1512-619: A separate second auditorium. Other spaces redeveloped as performance areas included the Paint Shop and the rehearsal room. The Theatre Royal re-opened in September 2012, with Wild Oats . A further round of redevelopment was undertaken between June 2016 and September 2018. The street side of the 1970s Peter Moro building, containing the Studio theatre (originally the New Vic), was demolished and replaced by
1620-522: A series of changes in ownership and management. These coincided with a Puritan revival and a fall in Bath's popularity; reductions in receipts were compounded by rising payments for actors from London. As a result, the theatre underwent financial crises and fell into a period of decline. Fortunes began to improve when James Henry Chute , who was the manager of the Bath Assembly Rooms and the son-in-law of
1728-909: A theatre and a public appeal was mounted to preserve its use, and as a result a new Trust was established to buy the building. The Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) leased the building from the Trust and in 1946 CEMA's successor, the Arts Council , arranged for a company from the London Old Vic to staff it, thus forming the Bristol Old Vic. Early members of the company included Peter O'Toole (making his first appearance in Major Barbara in 1956), John Neville , Timothy West , Barbara Leigh-Hunt and Dorothy Tutin . The first artistic director
1836-544: A year of the appointment, Mirvish terminated Hall's contract – again to much negative comment in the press – and put the Old Vic up for sale. In 1998, the building was bought by a new charitable trust, the Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000 . In 2000, the production company Criterion Productions was renamed Old Vic Productions plc , although relatively few of its productions are at the Old Vic theatre. In 2003, actor Kevin Spacey
1944-655: Is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama , an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the University of the West of England . The School began life in October 1946, only eight months after the founding of its parent Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company, in a room above a fruit merchant's warehouse in the Rackhay near
2052-569: Is situated on King Street , a few yards from the Floating Harbour . From 1972 until 2016, the public entrance was through the Coopers' Hall, the earliest surviving building on the site. The Coopers' Hall was built in 1744 for the Coopers' Company, the guild of coopers in Bristol, by architect William Halfpenny . It has a "debased Palladian " façade with four Corinthian columns. It only remained in
2160-579: Is the crucible of many of the performing arts companies and theatres in London today. It was the name of a repertory company that was based at the theatre and formed (along with the Chichester Festival Theatre ) the core of the National Theatre of Great Britain on its formation in 1963, under Laurence Olivier . The National Theatre remained at the Old Vic until new premises were constructed on
2268-551: The Colston Hall at Christmas 2011. The plan was for a flexible theatre complex, where up to ten areas are available for performance. Tom Morris has cited as inspiration the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. The main auditorium gained an optional thrust stage , and an increase in seating to 540. The Side Stage area was redeveloped, with additional capacity of 250, creating the option of
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#17328524202392376-620: The Haymarket Theatre in London. In March 1979, the dilapidated theatre was purchased by a trust headed by Jeremy Fry for £155,000. The following year, an appeal was launched to raise money for renovations, including the complete rebuilding of the stage, installation of a steel grid to hold stage lighting and scenery and a higher fly system , to allow major touring companies, including the Royal National Theatre under Peter Hall , to be booked to perform. The total projected cost
2484-654: The Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play at the 2016 Awards Ceremony. In January 2020, theatre and opera director Deborah Warner , was appointed Artistic Director of the Ustinov Studio. Her inaugural season in 2022 included highly successful productions of Shakespeare's The Tempest ; Benjamin Britten's Phaedra ; Purcell's Dido and Aeneas ; Kim Brandstrup's new dance piece Minotaur and Dickie Beau 's inventive Showmanism . 2023 sees an equally exciting and eclectic line up of productions. The season begins with THEATRE and
2592-507: The Royal National Theatre and formerly artistic director at Battersea Arts Centre , had been appointed as artistic director. Emma Stenning , who had previously worked with Tom Morris at BAC, became executive director. In October 2010, there was a merger of the Old Vic and the Theatre Royal Bristol Trust, into a combined charity to be chaired by Laura Marshall, the managing director of Icon Films . A fundraising campaign for
2700-557: The Royal Victoria Palace . It was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 and formally named the Royal Victoria Hall , although by that time it was already known as the "Old Vic". In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian Baylis , assumed management and began a series of Shakespeare productions in 1914. The building was damaged in 1940 during air raids and it became a Grade II* listed building in 1951 after it reopened. The Old Vic
2808-516: The South Bank , opening in 1976. The Old Vic then became the home of Prospect Theatre Company , at that time a highly successful touring company which staged such acclaimed productions as Derek Jacobi 's Hamlet . However, with the withdrawal of funding for the company by the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1980 for breaching its touring obligations, Prospect disbanded in 1981. The theatre underwent complete refurbishment in 1985. In 2003, Kevin Spacey
2916-646: The Surrey Theatre in Bermondsey ), and John Thomas Serres , then the marine painter to the King. Serres managed to secure the formal patronage of Princess Charlotte and her husband Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg , and named the theatre the Royal Coburg Theatre. The theatre was a "minor" theatre (as opposed to one of the two patent theatres ) and was thus technically forbidden to show serious drama. Nevertheless, when
3024-610: The Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audience of around 900. The Theatre Royal was built to replace the Old Orchard Street Theatre , funded by a Tontine and elaborately decorated. The architect was George Dance the Younger , with John Palmer carrying out much of the work. It opened with a performance of Shakespeare 's Richard III and hosted performances by many leading actors of
3132-550: The Young Vic , London amongst others. Co-productions have taken Bristol Old Vic plays to most of Britain's major theatres. Bristol Old Vic has co-produced with companies such as Kneehigh Theatre , the Royal National Theatre , West Yorkshire Playhouse and other regional theatres and companies across the UK. Tom Morris ’ production of Swallows and Amazons transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End followed by
3240-458: The ballerina Anna Pavlova and Mrs. Patrick Campbell , the theatre was rarely very profitable. During World War II Donald Wolfit , Irene Vanbrugh , John Gielgud and Sybil Thorndike appeared, with shows including Noël Coward 's Private Lives and Blithe Spirit , a performance by Ballet Rambert and light entertainment such as Charley's Aunt , but audiences declined. In 1979 the theatre
3348-490: The seating capacity and providing up to ten flexible performance spaces. Besides the main Theatre Royal auditorium, the complex includes the Studio theatre and the Side Stage, Paint Shop and Basement performance areas. Whilst the theatre was closed, the company continued to present work in the Studio and Basement spaces, as well as at other sites around Bristol. The Theatre Royal re-opened in 2012 with Wild Oats . The theatre
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3456-521: The "Old Vic" its later billing as "Queen Victoria's Own Theayter". In 1841, David Osbaldiston took over as lessee, and was succeeded on his death in 1850 by his lover and the theatre's leading lady, Eliza Vincent , until her death in 1856. Under their management, the theatre remained devoted to melodrama. In 1858, sixteen people were crushed to death inside the theatre after mass panic caused while an actor's clothing caught fire. In 1867, Joseph Arnold Cave took over as lessee. In 1871 he transferred
3564-610: The 1920s there were appearances by the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and Mrs. Patrick Campbell . During the Great Depression of the 1930s the theatre was not profitable and closed completely for six months. In 1938 the lease was taken over by Reg Maddox, whose family were involved with the theatre for the next 40 years. During World War II the theatre fared better, with appearances by prominent actors including Donald Wolfit , Irene Vanbrugh , John Gielgud and Sybil Thorndike . In
3672-525: The Artistic Director. Michael devised the Five Year plan during his tenure. The plan was to produce Shakespeare's First Folio in five years, starting the plan with Hamlet, starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom as Hamlet and Ophelia respectively, and ending the plan with Hamlet, starring John Neville and Judi Dench in the leading roles. Michael remained at the Old Vic company until 1962. In 1963,
3780-598: The Bristol Old Vic offered to two graduating actors from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School . The inaugural winners were Emily May Smith and Isaac Stanmore . Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit producing theatre in Waterloo, London , England. It was established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre , and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre . In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as
3888-589: The English-speaking world, was built between 1764 and 1766 on King Street in Bristol . The Coopers' Hall, built 1743–44, was incorporated as the theatre's foyer during 1970–72. Together, they are designated a Grade I listed building by Historic England . Daniel Day-Lewis called it "the most beautiful theatre in England." In 2012, the theatre complex completed the first phase of a £19 million refurbishment, increasing
3996-600: The George Inn Courtyard as part of the Southwark Shakespeare Festival the same year and was the company's debut production at the Old Vic Theatre itself. In the autumn of 1977 a new round of auditions took place and the existing group expanded into two. One group concentrated on a famous scripted play whilst the other would devise a play through improvisation from which the material was scripted into
4104-687: The London Borough of Southwark . The group was founded by Tom Vaughan of the Old Vic Theatre, Raymond Rivers of Morley College and Barry Anderson of the Southbank Education Institute. The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the enterprise's main funding body. During the early spring term of 1977 auditions consisting of improvisational scenes run by the Youth Theatre's first professional directors Lucy Parker and Frederick Proud took place and around 40 applicants were chosen to form
4212-701: The Man and A Man for All Seasons to Ceylon and Pakistan in 1962–63; Hamlet and Measure for Measure to America, Holland and Belgium in 1966–67 and Man and Superman to the June Schauspielhaus Festival in Zurich, 1958. The company has also made frequent visits to the Edinburgh Festival and productions have toured to the Theatre Royal Bath , Oxford Playhouse , Royal Court Theatre , London and
4320-628: The National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company in London – could not accept a case for another theatre company in the capital and repeatedly refused requests to fund any London seasons staged by Prospect. Therefore, any London-based productions would have to succeed financially without Arts Council support. Prospect's first season at the Old Vic recouped its costs but left no surplus to fund future productions. Further stagings by visiting companies were box office failures and stretched
4428-520: The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play ) was the winner of the Best New Play ;— Theatre Awards UK 2012 and nominated for three Tony Awards . The Ustinov Studio was also nominated for the prestigious Empty Space ... Peter Brook Award 2012. The Daily Telegraph ' s Dominic Cavendish praised the venue as a "constantly bubbling fount of marvels" at the awards ceremony. The Ustinov also received
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4536-439: The Old Vic company was dissolved and the new National Theatre Company , under the artistic direction of Sir Laurence Olivier , was based at the Old Vic until its own building was opened on the South Bank near Waterloo Bridge in 1976. In July 1974 the Old Vic presented a rock concert for the first time. National Theatre director Peter Hall arranged for the progressive folk-rock band Gryphon to première Midnight Mushrumps ,
4644-533: The Post-War years, receipts suffered as audiences dwindled in the face of competition from cinema and television. Unsuccessful proposals were made for a trust to run the theatre in 1968, and in the 1970s, shares in the owning company were bought by the property developer Charles Ware, who sold to Charles Clarke, a solicitor from Bristol. Clarke was responsible for a redecoration of the building, but as profits were still small, in 1976 he sold it to Louis I. Michaels, who ran
4752-475: The Studio) was built in place of the old entrance, and the Coopers' Hall provided the theatre with the grand façade and foyer area it had previously lacked. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bristol Old Vic productions were well received both locally and on tour, but by the late 1980s faced significant underfunding. A revival under the leadership of Andrew (Andy) Hay brought an increase in audience numbers; there followed
4860-538: The Theatre Royal's own production of The Rivals , Richard Brinsley Sheridan 's classic Restoration comedy, set in and around 18th-century Bath. In 2011, the theatre won a British Construction Industry Award Conservation Award. The theatre itself is said to be haunted by several ghosts including the Grey Lady, who was an actress centuries ago. She has been seen watching productions in the Grey Lady Box, and she leaves
4968-513: The Theatre School frequently played in these crowd scenes and fights.) The School continued in these premises until 1954 when royalties from the musical, Salad Days by Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds were given to the School towards the purchase and conversion of two large adjoining Victorian villas in Clifton, which remain their base today. In 1995, that donation was formally recognised when
5076-407: The Victoria Theatre during the years 1940 to 1943. In 1944, the company was re-established in London with Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier as its stars, performing mainly at the New Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre) until the Old Vic was ready to reopen in 1950. In 1946, an offshoot of the company was established in Bristol as the Bristol Old Vic . In 1953, Michael Benthall became
5184-487: The actors on stage and the spectators surrounding them on three sides. The site chosen was Rackhay Yard, a roughly rectangular empty site behind a row of medieval houses and to one side of the Coopers' Hall. Two (and possibly three) new passageways built through the ground floor of the houses fronting King Street gave access to Rackhay Yard and the "New Theatre" inside it. Fifty numbered silver tickets were issued to shareholders, granting them unlimited free access to shows at
5292-409: The backstage & technical facilities, the foyer, bar and auditorium. The Ustinov Studio re-opened in February 2008, with their own production of Breakfast With Mugabe , starring Joseph Marcell , Miles Anderson and Nicholas Bailey . In 2011, Laurence Boswell was appointed the first Artistic Director of the Ustinov Studio. In the 2012 American Season at the Ustinov Studio, Sarah Ruhl 's In
5400-456: The board of trustees took the controversial decision to close the theatre for refurbishment. Many members of the theatre profession feared for the future of the Old Vic. Following several public meetings in the winter of 2007/2008, a newly formed board of trustees appointed Dick Penny , the director of the Watershed Media Centre as executive chairman. In February 2009, the company announced that Tom Morris , at that time an associate director at
5508-533: The building's efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint by some 30%. The design was by architects of the Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios, and the construction firm Midas was contracted to complete the building work. A successful campaign, led by writer and novelist Bel Mooney , who had been instrumental in previous fund-raising campaigns for the Theatre Royal Bath, saw almost a third of the money raised through donations and sponsorship, enabling work to begin away from public areas in March 2010. The theatre's Main House
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#17328524202395616-409: The child actors Master Betty and Clara Fisher , with adult leads from prominent actors on the London stage including Dorothea Jordan , William Macready and Edmund Kean . In addition to Shakespeare and other serious drama, the productions included opera and comedy with Joseph Grimaldi playing the clown in a pantomime of Mother Goose in November 1815. Between the 1810s and 1850s there were
5724-421: The company of actors led by Frank Benson . In 1914 the theatre impresario Arthur Carlton, from Worcester , took over the lease. As he was responsible for 14 theatres around the country at the time, he appointed Mrs D. Valantine Munro as the local manager. Performances were maintained during World War I , and in 1916 Sarah Bernhardt portrayed a wounded male French soldier in Du Théâtre au Champ d'Honneur . In
5832-411: The company out of the theatre for the first half of 1979, leaving the theatre to sink further into debt. The company returned in July with Jacobi's Hamlet (toured afterwards to Denmark, Australia and China, the first English theatre company to tour that country), followed by Romeo and Juliet , and The Government Inspector with Ian Richardson . The following season, however, proved controversial:
5940-407: The company. By the middle of the summer in 1977 the 'Old Vic Youth Theatre’ had performed two plays for the paying public. First was ‘The Kitchen’ by Arnold Wesker which also incorporated improvised scenes alongside the actual script and was staged in the Emma Cons Hall at Morley College. The Youth Theatre's second production, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by William Shakespeare was first performed at
6048-463: The council-owned Little Theatre (now the Lantern Hall, part of Bristol Beacon ) from then until 1980. A new theatre complex, designed by Peter Moro , was completed in 1972. The 1903 entrance building was demolished, as were a number of surrounding buildings and, more controversially, the stage area of the 1766 theatre. A new stage and fly tower were built along with technical facilities and offices. The 150-seat New Vic studio theatre (later known as
6156-466: The culture at work. Additionally, a Guardians Network has been formed to bring together the group of organisations from all sectors (not just the arts) who have implemented the principles of a Guardian Programme. Since 2015, Matthew Warchus has been Artistic Director of The Old Vic. His debut season opened in September 2015 with Warchus's production of a new play about education, Future Conditional by Tamsin Oglesby. He also has directed productions at
6264-479: The current Theatre Royal main entrance and the former Bluecoat School was made into a pedestrian-friendly shared space area for pedestrians, cyclists and cars. In 1997, a studio theatre was built at the rear of the building on Monmouth Street, called the Ustinov Studio , named after the actor Peter Ustinov . The front of the building is decorated with a bronze winged figure which was designed by his son, Igor Ustinov, entitled Hopefully . The 150-seat auditorium
6372-431: The death of the last member, the scheme was wound up. Shares, which cost £200, were rapidly purchased, with the Prince Regent, who later became George IV , and his brother Prince Frederick among the subscribers. A similar scheme had previously been used for the construction of the Bath Assembly Rooms . The exterior of the building, with arches, pilasters , garlands and ornaments, which is visible from Beauford Square,
6480-403: The distinctive scent of jasmine. She has purportedly been seen and scented in recent years. The theatre, along with the neighbouring Garrick's Head public house, is a Grade II* listed building and is considered a prime example of Georgian architecture . The oldest part of the building is the former Garrick's Head on St John's Close. The three storey five bay building, with a basement, has
6588-403: The face of poor box office returns achieved by productions staged by other visiting companies; against this, Prospect staged a highly successful season which opened in May 1977, including Hamlet with Derek Jacobi , Antony and Cleopatra with Alec McCowen and Dorothy Tutin ; and Saint Joan with Eileen Atkins . In July the Governors of the Old Vic announced "a marriage that was all but
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#17328524202396696-440: The fantasia inspired by Hall's own 1974 Old Vic production of The Tempest starring John Gielgud for which Gryphon had supplied the music. For two years prior to the departure of the National Theatre Company , Toby Robertson , director of the Prospect Theatre Company , sustained a campaign that the Old Vic should make Prospect its resident company. For the Old Vic, Robertson's overtures proved increasingly hard to resist in
6804-412: The gala performance, the Arts Council withdrew its funding from the company, sealing its inevitable demise. The company gave a final season at the Old Vic in 1981, staging The Merchant of Venice , then gave a final tour of Europe, giving its last performance in Rome on 14 June before disbanding. The 'Old Vic Youth Theatre’ was an acting company for young people between the ages of 12 and 20 mainly from
6912-399: The gas lights, which were installed in 1827, the paintings were moved by William Blathwayt to Dyrham Park . The opening night was on 12 October 1805 was a production of Richard III , with an unknown actor in the lead. Though not a success, the theatre soon established a good reputation and thrived under the management of William Wyatt Dimond . Early performances included appearances by
7020-432: The hands of the Coopers until 1785, subsequently becoming a public assembly room, a wine warehouse, a Baptist chapel and eventually a fruit and vegetable warehouse. The theatre was built between 1764 and 1766. The design of the auditorium has traditionally been taken to have been based, with some variations, on that of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. Although Bristol architect Thomas Paty supervised construction,
7128-419: The lease to Romaine Delatorre, who raised funds for the theatre to be rebuilt in the style of the Alhambra Music Hall . Jethro Thomas Robinson was engaged as the architect. In September 1871 the old theatre closed, and the new building opened as the Royal Victoria Palace in December of the same year, with Cave staying on as manager. By 1873, however, Cave had left and Delatorre's venture failed. In 1880, under
7236-419: The main entrance which opens onto Sawclose, was altered from a plain six-bay entrance by the addition of the round-arched foyer hiding four of the original bays. The 900-seat auditorium has tiers of ornate plasterwork, with red and gilt decoration, and a trompe-l'œil ceiling and glittering chandelier. It has three galleries in a horseshoe plan, supported by cast iron pillars. In 2017 the Sawclose area between
7344-419: The most notable of the many distinguished actors on the School's list of alumni are the Academy Award winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy Irons . See Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School . To coincide with their re-opening in 2012, the theatre launched an award called the Patron's Prize, which was later renamed the Peter O’Toole prize following the actor's death. The award is a six-month contract at
7452-548: The new entrance on Sawclose, quickly followed. The present main entrance to the Theatre Royal, in Sawclose, was built in 1720 by Thomas Greenway, and was previously at Beau Nash 's house. Pevsner criticizes the mouldings of window-frames, frieze and volutes of the door-hood brackets as "characteristically overdone", and mentions Wood citing its "profuse ornament" which was typical of a mason rather than an architect. Chute remained as manager and employed Charles Kean and Ellen Terry to play in A Midsummer Night's Dream on
7560-453: The opening night, 3 March 1863. Initially the reopened theatre struggled to become profitable despite appearances by Henry Irving among others. In 1885 William Lewis took over as the lessee and was followed, in 1892, by his son Egbert Lewis. They redecorated the theatre in 1892 and attracted larger regular audiences to performances of melodrama and comedy while starting to put on Gilbert and Sullivan operas and other attractions. In 1902
7668-421: The owner Mrs Macready, took over as the manager of the theatre and once again audiences began to rise. On 18 April 1862 a major fire destroyed the interior of the building including the stage, scenery, wardrobe and library, leaving just the exterior walls still standing. A new company was formed to rebuild the theatre and a competition held for designs. The winner was C.J. Phipps and rebuilding, which included
7776-584: The ownership of Emma Cons (for whose memory there are plaques outside and inside the theatre) it became the Royal Victoria Hall and Coffee Tavern and was run on "strict temperance lines"; by this time it was already known as the "Old Vic". The "penny lectures" given in the hall led to the foundation of Morley College . An endowment from the estate of Samuel Morley led to the creation of the Morley Memorial College for Working Men and Women on
7884-449: The position in September 2026 after 11 years. On 24 October 2017, The Old Vic announced its bicentenary season. The theatre celebrated its 200th birthday on 11 May 2018 with a free performance of Joe Penhall 's Mood Music , featuring Ben Chaplin . Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath , England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building , it has been described by
7992-480: The premises, which were shared; lectures were given back stage, and in the theatre dressing rooms. The adult education college moved to its own premises nearby in the 1920s. On 24 November 1923, the theatre participated in a pioneering radio event, when the first set of the opera La Traviata was broadcast live by the BBC , using transmitters in London, Manchester and Glasgow, via a specially installed relay transmitter on
8100-684: The proposed programming, including the double bill of The Padlock and Miss in Her Teens , to mark the bicentenary of David Garrick 's death, and a revival of What the Butler Saw , were deemed by the Arts Council unsuitable for touring repertory. An internal report by Prospect now questioned "whether Prospect can any longer satisfy the triple task of filling the Vic, of satisfying the Arts Council Director of Touring's requirements for product of
8208-538: The proprietors were not able to obtain a Royal Licence, productions were announced as "a concert with a specimen of rhetorick" to evade the restrictions imposed on theatres by the Licensing Act 1737 . This ruse was soon abandoned, but a production in the neighbouring Coopers' Hall in 1773 did fall foul of this law. Legal concerns were alleviated when the Royal Letters Patent were eventually granted in 1778, and
8316-617: The re-building of the then-derelict Sadler's Wells Theatre, and established a ballet company under the direction of Dame Ninette de Valois . For a few years the drama and ballet companies rotated between the two theatres, with the ballet becoming permanently based at Sadler's Wells in 1935. Baylis died in November 1937. The Old Vic was damaged badly during the Blitz , and the war-depleted company spent all its time touring, based in Burnley , Lancashire at
8424-512: The repertoire were "sensational and violent" melodramas demonstrating the evils of drink, "churned out by the house dramatist", confirmed teetotaller Douglas Jerrold . When Davidge left to take over the Surrey Theatre in 1833, the theatre was bought by Daniel Egerton and William Abbot , who tried to capitalise on the abolition of the legal distinction between patent and minor theatres, enacted in Parliament earlier that year. On 1 July 1833,
8532-545: The roof of the adjacent Royal Victoria Tavern. With Emma Cons's death in 1912 the theatre passed to her niece Lilian Baylis , who emphasised the Shakespearean repertoire. The first radio broadcasts from the theatre were made as early as October 1923, by the British Broadcasting Company . The Old Vic Company was established in 1929, led by Sir John Gielgud . Between 1925 and 1931, Lilian Baylis championed
8640-408: The shifting nature of popular entertainment, saw the theatre struggle up to the time it was taken over by the Old Vic in 1943. Historic documents from the history of the Theatre Royal and Bristol Old Vic can be found at Bristol Archives and University of Bristol Theatre Collection . In 1942, the lease owners put the building up for sale. The sale was perceived as a possible loss of the building as
8748-495: The stage door of the Theatre Royal. (The yard of the derelict St Nicholas School adjacent to the warehouse was still used by the company for rehearsals of crowd scenes and stage fights as late as the early 1960s, notably for John Hale's productions of Romeo and Juliet starring the Canadian actor Paul Massie and Annette Crosbie , a former student of the School, and Rostand 's Cyrano de Bergerac with Peter Wyngarde . Students from
8856-485: The stalls and royal circle levels, complete refurbishment of the bars and the creation of The Jeremy Fry Bar, in the former cellars of The Garrick's Head pub, and redecoration of the auditorium. Technical improvements included the rebuilding of the Main House stage, and an extensive rewiring and lighting programme around the entire building, with new fire alarm systems, air-conditioning and lighting, all designed to improve
8964-495: The theatre became a patent theatre and took up the name "Theatre Royal". At this time the theatre also started opening for the winter season, and a joint company was established to perform at both the Bath Theatre Royal and in Bristol, featuring performers such as Sarah Siddons , whose ghost, according to legend, haunts the Bristol theatre. The auditorium was rebuilt with a new sloping ceiling and gallery in 1800. From 1819
9072-455: The theatre closed for nine months to enable extensive building work to be carried out in accordance with the terms of the Royal Charter. This involved a new staircase, the installation of electric lighting, a new fire curtain and hot water radiators throughout the auditorium. In 1905, on the anniversary of the opening of the Theatre Royal, numerous William Shakespeare 's plays were performed by
9180-516: The theatre during his tenure as artistic director. In the wake of the scandal, The Old Vic released a statement apologising for "not creating an environment or culture where people felt able to speak freely", and announced a "commitment to a new way forward". In 2018, the Old Vic announced that it had established the Guardians Programme, a group of trained staff who offer a confidential outlet for colleagues to share concerns about behaviour or
9288-414: The theatre passed to George Bolwell Davidge in 1824 he succeeded in bringing legendary actor Edmund Kean south of the river to play six Shakespeare plays in six nights. The theatre's role in bringing high art to the masses was confirmed when Kean addressed the audience during his curtain call saying "I have never acted to such a set of ignorant, unmitigated brutes as I see before me." More popular staples in
9396-525: The theatre such as the world premiere of the musical Groundhog Day by Tim Minchin and Danny Rubin , Present Laughter by Noël Coward and from the Christmas 2017 season directed Jack Thorne 's new version of A Christmas Carol which has returned to the theatre every Christmas season since raising £1.5million for food poverty and deprivation-focused charities. He announced his resignation in May 2024, leaving
9504-535: The theatre was built to designs by James Saunders, David Garrick 's carpenter at Drury Lane. Saunders had provided drawings for the theatre in Richmond, Surrey, built in 1765. A long section (1790, at Harvard University Theatre Collection) and a survey plan (1842, at the Local Studies Library) of the Richmond theatre show close similarities with the Bristol theatre in the proportions and in the relationship between
9612-532: The theatre was managed by William M'Cready the elder , with little success, and then, following his death in 1834 by his widow, the actress Sarah M'Cready. Following her death in 1853 the M'Creadys' son-in-law James Chute took over. However, he became overcommitted, running the Bath Theatre Royal, the Theatre Royal Bristol and the new Prince's Theatre , opened in 1867. In 1881 the lease on the theatre
9720-491: The theatre was renamed the Royal Victoria Theatre, under the "protection and patronage" of Victoria, Duchess of Kent , mother to Princess Victoria , the 14-year-old heir presumptive to the British throne. The duchess and the princess visited only once, on 28 November of that year, but enjoyed the performance, of light opera and dance, in the "pretty...clean and comfortable" theatre. The single visit scarcely justified
9828-464: The theatre's finances to breaking point. Yet Prospect continued to draw audiences to the Old Vic where other companies failed. In December 1978, the governors of the Old Vic agreed to a five-year contract with Prospect, announcing to the press on 23 April that henceforth they would be styled "Prospect Productions Ltd., trading as the Old Vic Company". Unfortunately Prospect's touring commitments kept
9936-417: The theatre, in return for each of them donating £50 to fund its construction. Two special golden tickets were issued to cabinet maker Edward Crump and his wife Ann Crump, for "the great trouble and expense" they had gone to to convince the landowners to allow the construction of the theatre. The theatre opened on 30 May 1766 with a performance which including a prologue and epilogue given by David Garrick. As
10044-488: The time including Dorothea Jordan , William Macready and Edmund Kean . A major fire in 1862 destroyed the interior of the building and was quickly followed by a rebuilding programme by Charles J. Phipps , which included the construction of the current entrance. Further redecoration was undertaken in 1892; more extensive building work, including a new staircase and the installation of electric lighting, followed in 1902. Despite performances by casts including Sarah Bernhardt ,
10152-511: The use of a Tontine , an investment plan named after the Neapolitan banker Lorenzo de Tonti , who is credited with inventing it in France in 1653. It combined features of a group annuity and a lottery . Each subscriber paid an agreed sum into the fund, and thereafter received an annuity. As members died, their shares devolved to the other participants, and so the value of each annuity increased. On
10260-407: The work, loans were negotiated with the Bristol & West and Lombard North Central with guarantees from local councils. The theatre reopened on 30 November 1982 with a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream , featuring a cast from the National Theatre led by Paul Scofield . The event was attended by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon . In October 2009, the '2010 Refurbishment Appeal'
10368-553: The £19 million planned refurbishment was assisted by appearances from, among others, Richard Briers , Stephanie Cole , Judi Dench , Prunella Scales , Timothy West and Patrick Stewart . £5.3 million was provided by the Arts Council. During the closure the company staged productions in the Studio theatre, the Basement and in other locations around Bristol, including Sally Cookson 's adaptation of Treasure Island on King Street in summer 2011 and Melly Still's revival of Coram Boy at
10476-625: Was Hugh Hunt. An early triumph for the Bristol Old Vic occurred when the 1954 première production of Salad Days transferred to the West End and became the longest-running musical on the London stage at that time. The Arts Council remained involved until 1963 when their role was taken over by the City Council. In the same year, the London Old Vic was disbanded and the Bristol company became fully independent. The Bristol Old Vic also put plays on in
10584-409: Was appointed artistic director, which received considerable media attention. Spacey served as artistic director until 2015; two years after he stepped down, he was accused (but later found not liable) of sexually harassing and assaulting several people. In 2015, Matthew Warchus succeeded Spacey as artistic director. The theatre was founded in 1818 by James King and Daniel Dunn (formerly managers of
10692-512: Was appointed as new artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre Company. Spacey said he wanted to inject new life into the British theatre industry, and bring British and American theatrical talent to the stage. Spacey served as artistic director until 2015. In November 2017, amid a series of rape and sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey , 20 people contacted the Old Vic with claims that he had sexually harassed or assaulted them at
10800-527: Was bought by a trust and, following public donations, it underwent refurbishment, with the rebuilding of the stage and the installation of a new taller fly tower for scenery and lighting. In 1997 a new 120-seat theatre, known as the Ustinov Studio , was opened. Further restoration work to the main auditorium was needed in 2010. In 2005 a children's theatre known as The Egg was opened. The complex also includes bars and The Garrick's Head pub . The theatre
10908-448: Was closed in July 2010, to allow the work on the foyer, bars and auditorium to be completed. The official re-opening took place on Wednesday, 8 September 2010, just ten and a half months after the original campaign was launched, with the building work being completed on schedule. The ceremonial re-opening was performed on-stage by actors Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles , who were starring in
11016-413: Was designed by George Dance the Younger who also designed the decorative sections of the interior. The main fabric of the building was by John Palmer , who supervised the construction. The ceiling was decorated with panels from Fonthill Splendens , a mile from Fonthill Abbey , which were painted by Andrea Casali and donated to the theatre by Paul Cobb Methuen . Because of the potential damage from
11124-401: Was erected in 1805, replacing the Old Orchard Street Theatre which had obtained a royal patent in 1768 enabling the use of the title 'Theatre Royal', the first to achieve this outside London. The Orchard Street site became a church and is now a Freemason's Hall. The new theatre was first proposed in 1802 at several sites in Bath until the current site was chosen in 1804; funding was raised by
11232-559: Was later transferred to the Arcola Theatre . In Summer 2014, the Ustinov Studio presented a new comedy, ' Bad Jews ', and in November of the same year, a black comedy by Florian Zeller , ' The Father ' starring Kenneth Cranham . Both of these plays have gone on to huge national and international success in following two years, running almost continuously on several tours and West End transfers, culminating in Kenneth Cranham winning
11340-513: Was launched by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall , Royal Patron of the Theatre Royal Bath, to raise money for a programme of work to preserve the 200-year-old building, while ensuring that it remained suitable for 21st-century audiences. The £3million refurbishment, the most extensive programme of work since the theatre had been saved from virtual collapse by Fry almost 30 years before, included an expanded foyer, improved lift and disabled access to
11448-407: Was originally a space for the youth theatre and small-scale touring productions, but the Ustinov programme soon expanded to encompass classical concerts, stand-up comedy (including high-profile acts such as Bill Bailey , Stewart Lee and Lucy Porter ) and in-house productions. To accommodate the technical needs of these productions, a refurbishment was planned to take place throughout 2007, improving
11556-408: Was taken up by popular actor George Melville, who invested heavily in it, carrying out heavy refurbishment. Despite the popularity of his pantomime performances, he struggled to make a profit and gave up the lease in 1893. Failures to invest in the decaying fabric of the building in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, legal battles between the proprietors and the managers, as well as
11664-470: Was £3.5 million, of which £1.8 million was seen as being essential to reopening the theatre. Money and donations in kind were received from the city council, Arts Council England , Bath Preservation Trust , Leche Trust, Historic buildings council , Manifold Trust , South-West Stonecleaning and Restoration Company and many individuals. Work on the building started to designs by Dowton and Hurst. However, as insufficient funds had been raised by 1982 to complete
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