Bristol Old Vic Theatre School presents its 16th annual Directors’ Festival

The esteemed Bristol Old Vic Theatre School stages an annual Directors’ Festival to showcase the work of its graduating MA Drama Directing cohort, alongside work from acting, production and design students.

It has firmly established itself as an influential event that celebrates emerging talent within Bristol’s thriving fringe theatre landscape, as well as the artistic leaders of tomorrow – the deputy artistic director at the RSC, Young Company director at Bristol Old Vic and associate director of Patrick Marber’s acclaimed Leopoldstadt among them.

Recent graduates have directed at National Theatre, The Watermill Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Northern Stage, Gate Theatre at Tobacco Factory Theatres, as well as across the TV and film industries.

Rehearsals for Jumpers for Goalposts, Bristol Director’s Festival – photo: Rachel Holman

The 2022 iteration of the Directors’ Festival takes place between May 5-14, with four double bills of work set to take place at the Wardrobe Theatre.

Each of the plays was under the sole charge of one of the eight graduating directors, representing a new and vital sense of autonomy to their role at the helm of a production.

Collaboration, however, is also key to the success of any show. The directors work closely with students from the MA Performance Design, MfA Voice Studies, BA Acting, BA Costume and BA Production Arts in helping to realise their vision, and also involve themselves with marketing.

Rehearsals for The City, Bristol Directors’ Festival 2022 – photo: Rachel Holman

For head of directing at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Nik Partridge, the annual directors’ showcase event is the culmination of an exhilarating year of work. “We believe in directors as change-makers within the industry and the students are no exception to that,” he says.

“We are very proud to be a part of supporting and sharing this work with a Bristol audience and even more excited to see what this talented and unique group go on to do.”

Bristol24/7 sets out the eclectic programme for this year’s Directors’ Festival below:

Hamlet/Picnic at Hanging Rock – May 5 (7.30pm) & May 7 (7.30pm) 

• Hamlet by William Shakespeare, directed by Yuxuan Liu and designed by Fiona McKeon – Shakespeare’s great tale of revenge and madness entwined with physical theatre and song.
• Picnic at Hanging Rock, adapted by Tom Wright, directed by Lowri Mathias and designed by Matthew Cassar – an eerie exploration into the century-old Australian mystery.

Rehearsals for Picnic at Hanging Rock, Bristol Directors’ Festival 2022 – photo: Rachel Holman

Stockholm/The City – May 6 (7.30pm) & May 7 (2.30pm)

• Stockholm by Bryony Lavery, directed by Sofia Gallucci and designed by Georgina Vasey – an intense and lyrical voyage into one hell of a love story.
• The City by Martin Crimp, directed by Aaron Finnegan, designed by Fiona McKeon – Chris and Clair live in the City. Jenny lives next door. When she comes over to complain about the noise their children keep making, things take a surreal turn.

Stockholm, Bristol Directors’ Festival 2022 – photo: Edward J Felton

Bull/How My Light Is Spent – May 12 (7.30pm) & May 14 (7.30pm)

• Bull by Mike Bartlett, directed by Ben Nash and designed by Hazel McIntosh – grab a ringside seat for a play where office politics meets playground bullying tactics. Is it a case of nature or nurture?
• How My Light Is Spent by Alan Harris, directed by Tobias Millard, designed by Olivia Jamieson – an entertaining tale of phone-sex, doughnuts, and turning invisible which celebrates hope, altruism, and the collision of lonely-hearts sparking light into the darkness.

Rehearsals for How My Light Is Spent, Bristol Directors’ Festival – photo: Rachel Holman

Jumpers for Goalposts/Girl in the Machine – May 13 (7.30pm) & May 14 (2.30pm)

• Jumpers for Goalposts by Tom Wells, directed by Becks Granger, designed by Robbie McDonnell – following the journey of Hull’s LGBT pub league team, Barely Athletic, this heart-warming comedy focuses on the five members as they try and claw their way to victory – and deal with their own lives off the pitch.
• Girl in the Machine by Stef Smith, directed by Ellie Jay Stevens, designed by Hugo Dodsworth – set in the near future, Girl in the Machine is a gripping and current exploration into technology and its role in our society. How will Polly and Owen’s relationship change when they allow new technology to creep in?

Girl in the Machine, Bristol Directors’ Festival 2022 – photo: Edward J Felton

Bristol Directors Festival’ 2022 is at The Wardrobe Theatre from May 5-7, and 12-14 at 7.30pm, with some 2.30pm matinee shows. Tickets are available per double bill, or for the whole festival, from www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

Main photo: Edward J Felton

Read more: Behind the scenes: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Romeo & Juliet

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