Theatre / Bristol old vic
Bristol Old Vic opens new front doors
After months of being hidden behind hoardings, the Bristol Old Vic is opening its new front of house to the public on Monday.
At 8am, actor Simon Callow will read David Garrick’s prologue from the theatre’s opening night in 1766 and former Bristol City poet Miles Chambers will read the poem he performed as part of the theatre’s 250th celebrations.
Both works make up part of the shutters on the new £26m building on King Street, through which the auditorium can be seen from the street in the first time in its history.
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Bristol Old Vic’s new front door – photo by Jon Craig
The full-height timber and glass-fronted foyer acts like a covered public square, with the theatre’s internal layout completely transformed.
Coopers’ Hall is now available for private hire, a new studio theatre has been created in the old barrel vaults, and there are mezzanine galleries, winding staircases and viewing platforms.
The history of the oldest continuously-running theatre in the English-speaking world is also being opened up to the public for the first time when a new heritage exhibition, alongside tours and workshops, opens in November.
The dramatic redevelopment has been undertaken by leading theatre and Stirling prize-winning architects Haworth Tompkins – photo by Phillip Vile
Bristol Old Vic artistic director Tom Morris said: “We are inviting the amazing people of Bristol to become part of an exciting new era for the theatre.
“When it was first built in 1766, the theatre was a space where people from every walk of life would congregate to be inspired and entertained.
“Over 250 years, as fashions changed and the theatre became increasingly hidden from public view, Bristol Old Vic may sometimes have seemed to only belong to the privileged few.
“With this transformation, we are returning the theatre to its origins as a place for all and a new welcoming space where everyone can feel at home.”
This major project is the second stage of a ten-year £26m programme to completely overhaul and safeguard the future of the future – photo by Phillip Vile
The new front of house space includes mezzanine galleries, winding staircases and viewing platforms – photo by Phillip Vile
Main photo by Evoke Pictures
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