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Old Vic Theatre, Bristol

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In Person: Theatre Royal, King Street, BRISTOL, BS1 4ED
Phone: 01179 877877
Online: Not yet available at this theatre. See who redeems online here.

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What's On Highlights

THE THUNDER RUN EXPERIENCE
From:13-08-2022
To:03-08-2024
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Ever wondered how eighteenth-century sound technicians conjured thunder above the heads of our very first audiences?

Witness the running of the oldest Thunder Run in the country as – just as they did 250 years ago – our technicians unleash the roar of thunder throughout the auditorium. A unique experience for theatre fanatics and thrill-seekers alike.

Spaces regularly included on The Thunder Run Experience:

The new Bristol Old Vic foyer
The Georgian Auditorium and Stage
The original theatre roof space and Thunder Run
Plus hear the Thunder Run in action!

THEATRE TOURS 2024
From:18-04-2024
To:03-08-2024
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Did you know that Bristol is home to the oldest continuously running theatre in the UK?

Step back centuries on The Theatre Tour of Bristol Old Vic. See the original workings of a building which has staged world-class productions since the 1700s.

Our expert tour guides will take you behind-the-scenes, answer your questions and bring the history of this famous theatre to life in vivid detail.

You’ll discover the key players and famous performers who have walked the boards and hear the dramatic stories of when the theatre’s doors were threatened to close for good.

Weaving past and present into a thrilling and informative experience, The Theatre Tour combines the myths, facts and Bristolian folklore that runs through Bristol Old Vic’s rich history.

Approximately 1 Hour

IAIN STIRLING: RELEVANT
From:01-05-2024
To:01-05-2024
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The BAFTA-winning comedian, ‘national sensation’ (Evening Standard) and ‘extremely funny’ (Daily Telegraph) IainStirling, is bringing his intuitive razor-sharp humour back on tour with a brand-new stand-up show for 2024.

As the iconic voice of Love Island, star and writer of sitcom Buffering on ITV, and with his own stand-up special, Failing Upwards, on Prime Video, Iain hits the road once more with a brand-new hour (of jokes) in his biggest tour to date! (It’s called RELEVANT if you’re interested).

ALL KILLA NO FILLA - LIVE! WITH KIRI PRITCHARD-MCLEAN & RACHEL FAIRBURN
From:02-05-2024
To:02-05-2024
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The smash-hit true crime comedy podcast heads out on its biggest tour yet!

To celebrate ten years of talking murder, oversharing, and rapidly veering off topic, Kiri & Rachel hit the road and head to some of their favourite venues in their favourite cities.

Two hilarious and outspoken stand-ups at the top of their game host a night of serial killer discussion, overdressing, and possible slander. Legends assemble!

Ages 16+

Approximately 2 Hours

MORGAN REES: TURNING THIRSTY
From:03-05-2024
To:03-05-2024
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Award-nominated online sensation Morgan Rees embarks on his first ever UK tour.

Hitting the milestone of his 30th birthday has made him develop a thirst… for life. He’s about to begin his first decade living truly authentically – and he can’t wait to get going.

A show about the unshackling of shame, embracing the power of Pride, and the trials and improvements that come with an experimental 20s. Or as he prefers to call them, the F**k Ups and Perk Ups. Also, there will most definitely be jokes about bumming.

Finalist: BBC New Comedy Award (2017) | Nominee: Chortle’s One to Watch (2020)

Ages 16+

Approximately 2 Hours

PIAF
From:03-05-2024
To:11-05-2024
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“Every damn fool thing in this life you pay for”

So pronounced Edith Piaf on her death bed in 1963, aged just 47. Personal tragedy and an addiction to morphine was the price she paid for extraordinary fame.

Piaf charts her rise from the Paris streets to become one of the most popular performers in the world and its highest paid star, featuring her greatest songs performed with a live band.

Ages 14+

Approximately 2 Hours

RUBY WAX: I'M NOT AS WELL AS I THOUGHT I WAS
From:04-05-2024
To:04-05-2024
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After a complete sell-out first run in 2023, Ruby Wax's rawest, darkest, funniest and most compelling stage show yet announces brand new dates for 2024, thanks to enormous demand.

“The original idea behind this show was based on the extreme journeys that I wanted to rake in order to find an antidote to living a frazzled life. Along the way I wanted to find meaning, peace, happiness – the stuff we’re all chasing. However, after some transcendent experiences, I ended up in a mental institution.

Obviously I didn't find what I was looking for.”

I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was is Ruby’s first tour show in four years followed her critically acclaimed, sell-out tour, How To Be Human.

Ages 14+

THE GLASS MENAGERIE
From:07-05-2024
To:11-05-2024
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Atri Banerjee’s acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical masterpiece, first seen at the Royal Exchange Theatre, returns starring Geraldine Somerville (Gosford Park) as Amanda.

Tom escapes a suffocating home life through cigarettes and long visits to the movies while his sister, Laura, withdraws into her records and collection of glass animals. But their mother, Amanda, harbours dreams for them far beyond their shabby apartment. When Tom brings home a potential suitor for Laura, Amanda seizes the opportunity to try and change their fortunes forever.

The Glass Menagerie is a poetic portrayal of a family on the brink of change. This intimate and intense memory play explores the complex web of love and loyalty that binds families together.

Ages 12+

Approximately 2 Hours 40 mins

THE DAN DAW SHOW
From:17-05-2024
To:18-05-2024
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A show about care, intimacy and resilience, about letting go and reclaiming yourself.

After having spent a lifetime being an inspiration to others, Dan is finally seizing the moment to inspire himself. Taking ownership of the beautiful mess that encompasses all that he is, Dan lets go of who he once was to make room for who he wants to be.

Dan is joined in an intimate evening of play by performer and collaborator Christopher Owen (Joe Moran, Scottish Dance Theatre) where Dan takes back the power by being dominated on his own terms.

Nominated for the 2021 National Dance Awards, the 2022 UK Theatre Achievement in Dance Award, and directed by Mark Maughan (The Claim, Petrification), The Dan Daw Show is a peep into the shiny and sweaty push pull of living with shame while bursting with pride.

Ages 18+

Approximately 1 Hour 25 mins

THE MAKING OF PINOCCHIO
From:24-05-2024
To:25-05-2024
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A true tale of love and transition told through the story of Pinocchio. Set in a fictional film studio, you are invited to go behind the scenes of Cade & MacAskill’s creative process and their relationship, and question what it takes to tell your truth.

Artists and lovers Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill have been creating The Making of Pinocchio since 2018, alongside and in response to Ivor’s gender transition.

In this “funny, clever and thoughtful two-hander, rich in playful imagery” (The Guardian) their tender and complex autobiographical experience meets the magical story of the lying puppet who wants to be a ‘real boy’.

TALAWA FIRSTS: A DOUBLE BILL
From:29-05-2024
To:01-06-2024
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This is the first time that Talawa has taken Talawa Firsts to key cities outside of London – encapsulating the vision of 2023’s festival, New Ideas; No Limits.

The two pieces use off-beat humour to tackle themes of extraction, temporality in people and places, (be)longing and the perils of late-stage capitalism.

Ages 12+

Approximately 2 Hours 30 mins

BIRTHDAY FAMILY DAY PARTY GAMES WORKSHOPS
From:30-05-2024
To:30-05-2024
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The party games you all know and love with a theatre twist. Join Bristol Old Vic’s skilled theatre practitioners to learn some theatre skills in a fun, party themed way.

Approximately 0 Hour 45 mins

A CHILD OF SCIENCE
From:05-06-2024
To:06-07-2024
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In 1978, Patrick Steptoe, Robert Edwards, and Jean Purdy changed the world as we know it – and most people don’t even know their names.

Bruntwood Prize-winning writer (Britannia Waves the Rules) Gareth Farr’s brilliant new play tells their pioneering story, and those of the army of women from all over the UK whose immense bravery helped them achieve the impossible – to create human life in vitro.

A Child of Science charts the incredible events that led to one of the most remarkable medical breakthroughs of our time: the birth of a baby girl and the creation of IVF, a procedure which has supported the birth of over 12 million babies worldwide over the last forty years.

Directed by the highly acclaimed West End director Matthew Dunster (Hangmen, 2:22 A Ghost Story, Shirley Valentine) and featuring the award-winning Tom Felton (Harry Potter), A Child of Science is about determination, dreams, hope, and courage. It’s a celebration of life.

MUSEUM OF AUSTERITY
From:12-06-2024
To:15-06-2024
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Witness the human stories of Austerity Britain in this arresting mixed reality installation.

In 2016, the UN found that “grave and systemic violations” of the rights of disabled people were taking place throughout the UK. Wearing a mixed reality headset, you will enter a striking, holographic gallery that lays bare the consequences when state safety nets fail.

Museum of Austerity is more than an exhibition; it’s a blend of theatre, history, and humanity.

It was nominated for Best Digital Innovation at the UK Theatre Awards, previewed at the London Film Festival in 2021 and won International Documentary Festival Amsterdam’s (IDFA) Best Immersive Production in 2021.

Co-produced by English Touring Theatre, the National Theatre Immersive Storytelling Studio and Trial & Error Studio, this powerful installation combines the skills of theatre/XR director Sacha Wares with the in-depth knowledge of John Pring, editor of Disability News Service.

Ages 18+

Approximately 0 Hour 45 mins

HIGH STEAKS
From:18-06-2024
To:22-06-2024
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Award-winning, queer performer, ELOINA, hangs two beef steaks from her labia, butchers them up & sizzles them on a grill. And... her mum is in the show.

Seamlessly melding performance art and comedy clowning, HIGH STEAKS discusses rising demands in young people for labiaplasty. Through live conversations with her mum and recorded interviews with labia-owners, HIGH STEAKS is a call for increased visibility of varied vulvas and a celebration of our vulvas in all their shapes and sizes.

HIGH STEAKS sold out VAULT Festival twice, making a transfer to the largest venue at the festival for the final weeks as a result of receiving 5-star reviews across the board. The show won the Summerhall Pick of VAULT Festival 2023 award, VAULT Show of the Week award and the Summerhall Lustrum Award after a completely sold-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2023.

The show has received three OFFIE nominations and was picked as part of the Top 5 Theatre Shows 2023 in The Guardian as well as 50 Unmissable Shows at Edinburgh Fringe, ToDoList and Top 3 Shows to See at VAULT Festival, Time Out.

Ages 18+. This show contains full frontal nudity

Approximately 1 Hour 10 mins

A CHILD OF SCIENCE STAGE TALK
From:26-06-2024
To:26-06-2024
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Join the Bruntwood prize-winning playwright Gareth Farr for this intimate Stage Talk about his new play, A Child of Science. Gareth will discuss the inspiration for the play, the societies changing attitudes towards fertility since the 1970s, his research into the incredible, often hidden people that developed the science behind IVF, and the army of women that helped them achieve the impossible. Further panellists to be announced.

Approximately 1 Hour

MILES JUPP: ON I BANG
From:30-06-2024
To:30-06-2024
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Since Miles’ last tour finished at The London Palladium in 2017, he’s been in The Full Monty on Disney Plus, The Durrells and Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? on ITV, as well as a heap of episodes of Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and Have I Got News For You. He’s made an award-winning radio series and he’s published a novel. But for Covid, he would have played a lead at the RSC. Hey ho. Nevertheless he’s done a play in the West End and played the Emperor of Austria and Europe in a Ridley Scott film.

Yet one sunny day in the middle of all this, he suddenly suffered a brain seizure. This led to the discovery of a tumour the size of a cherry tomato, and a rather pressing need to undergo major neurosurgery. Obviously, one doesn’t wish to make a big deal of it, but the experience has left him with a story to tell and a few things that he’d like to share with the room. So that’s exactly what he’s doing in his new show On I Bang – a tale about surprise, fear, luck, love and qualified medical practitioners.

Ages 16+

Approximately 2 Hours

SOFIE HAGEN: WILL I EVER HAVE SEX AGAIN?
From:09-07-2024
To:09-07-2024
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Sofie Hagen is bringing her brand new stand-up show and her brand new book on tour.

The book, out in May 2024, Will I Ever Have Sex Again? is a candid, hilarious and disarming attempt to explore our sexual landscape, through conversations with experts, therapists, sex workers, porn stars, comedians and public figures. Why are we not having the sex we want to have? Where is the sexual liberation we were promised? Part memoir, part exploration, Sofie attempts to figure out why she hasn't had sex in over 3,000 days – and why this frustration is so relatable to so many people.

The brand new stand-up and storytelling show, Banglord, is “a banger of a show” (Entertainment Now) about sexual frustration and world domination.

Come laugh at the stand-up, participate in the Q&A about Will I Ever Have Sex Again?, and get your book signed. A full evening of fun.

Approximately 1 Hour 35 mins

SOME DEMON
From:09-07-2024
To:13-07-2024
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Sam’s eighteen and her life’s about to start. Zoe’s forty-something and hers never did. They don’t have much in common. Just a love of 80s' new wave, and an illness that wants them dead.

Thrown together in an eating disorder unit, their most intimate secrets exposed, they form a complicated bond. When another patient turns the ward into chaos, they face questions that dictate their survival. Most of all: how to navigate an institution that keeps you safe inside but unable to cope outside?

RUSH: A JOYOUS JAMAICAN JOURNEY
From:12-07-2024
To:12-07-2024
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Get ready to dance!

RUSH: A Joyous Jamaican Journey tells the story of Reggae music from the arrival of the Windrush Generation, and how these stories, history and music have evolved through the decades to take the world by storm.

Written and narrated by comedian John Simmit, and featuring ska, rock steady, calypso, gospel, lovers rock, dancehall and Reggae, get ready to dance to the music of Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Lord Kitchener, Millie Small and many, many more – all played live by the JA Reggae Band.

RICHARD HERRING: CAN I HAVE MY BALL BACK?
From:13-07-2024
To:13-07-2024
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In 2021, Richard Herring went to his GP to find out why his right ball seemed to be growing bigger. It turned out that he had testicular cancer and one month later he was lying in hospital waiting to have his murderous gonad removed. Would he survive? (No spoilers!).

For a comedian who had done a whole show on male genitalia (Talking Cock) and written a book about toxic masculinity (The Problem With Men) this felt like some cruel trick of fate.

In his much-anticipated return to stand-up after six years, Richard talks bollocks and answers the question on everyone’s lips: Is a severed gonad in a jar a fitting prize to bring in for Taskmaster?

Approximately 2 Hours 10 mins

UNCANNY: I KNOW WHAT I SAW
From:16-07-2024
To:18-07-2024
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Due to PHENOMENAL demand, the sell-out hit show Uncanny: I Know What I Saw with Danny Robins is back in 2024!

In 2023 Danny asked the questions – do ghosts exists? And if not, why do we see them? 25,000 people at theatres across the country came to find out the answers, in the biggest live investigation into the paranormal. Ever.

You now have another chance to join Danny and his team of experts for this terrifying and thought-provoking evening, featuring chilling real-life stories of the supernatural experienced by ordinary people from ordinary places, brought to life on stage through thrilling theatrical invention in a mix of projection, sound and spellbinding storytelling.

As these stories of very modern hauntings are shared, Danny and the team will debate what they think actually happened in these strange encounters.

Whether you are #TeamBeliever or #TeamSceptic, a long-term Uncanny fan or just interested in the paranormal, you’re welcome to the show. All we ask is that you bring an open mind and prepare to hear some incredible stories and theories that may just change everything you think you know about the world.

Danny Robins is the creator of the hugely successful BBC Radio 4 podcasts and global hits, Uncanny, The Battersea Poltergeist and The Witch Farm, the BBC TV series Uncanny and the award-winning West End play 2:22 – A Ghost Story.

Ages 10+

Approximately 2 Hours 20 mins

DRAGONS AND MYTHICAL BEASTS
From:24-07-2024
To:27-07-2024
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Calling all brave heroes! Enter into a magical world of myths and legends in this fantastical show for all the family.

Unveil a myriad of dark secrets and come face to face with some of the most magnificent monsters and terrifying beasts ever to walk the earth. Discover the colossal Stone Troll, the mysterious Indrik and Japanese Baku; the Tooth Fairy (not as sweet as you’d think), an adorable Unicorn and majestic Griffin. Take your place among legendary heroes, just don’t wake the Dragon…

This award-winning show is back on tour Direct from the West End, from the creators of international smash hit Dinosaur World Live, who bring spectacular puppets to life.

Don't miss this spell-binding adventure, live on stage!

Ages 3+

KING ARTHUR - A LEGENDARY COMEDY
From:29-07-2024
To:03-08-2024
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Camelot is in trouble.

King Arthur knows that if he doesn’t turn things around, this civilisation will be forgotten, and be known as nothing more than a rather dull time in British history. But when three hapless squires approach him about changing that legacy… a legend is born.

Teaming up with one of UK theatre’s best comedy writers and directors, John Nicholson (Peepolykus), the award-winning Le Navet Bete (Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, Dracula: The Bloody Truth) are back with a brand-new laugh-out-loud show for the ages.

A comedy for the whole family, this hilarious retelling of the Arthurian legends will have audiences crying with laughter and become part of the legend themselves!

Ages 7+ - contains fake nudity

Approximately 2 Hours 10 mins

ANNA HIBISCUS' SONG
From:28-08-2024
To:31-08-2024
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“Today we offer you a story of happiness. Of self-discovery. Of song. And of dance!”

This is the story of a young girl named Anna Hibiscus. Anna lives in amazing Africa. Ibadan, Nigeria to be exact.

Anna Hibiscus is so filled with happiness that she feels like she might float away. And the more she talks to her family about it, the more her happiness grows! There’s only one thing to do... Sing!

Told through music, dance, puppetry and traditional African storytelling, this theatrical adaptation of Atinuke’s much loved children’s book will have you beaming from ear to ear.

Ages 3+

Approximately 1 Hour

KIRI PRITCHARD-MCLEAN: PEACOCK
From:01-09-2024
To:01-09-2024
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Star of Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You and QI, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, is back with a brand-new tour, her funniest and most personal to date.

Prepare for a joyous and uplifting show from a comedian known for making “powerhouse stand-up from the thorniest of subjects” (The Guardian).

Ages 15+

Approximately 2 Hours 5 mins

WONDER BOY
From:06-09-2024
To:21-09-2024
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Olivier Award-winner Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls) directs the critically-acclaimed Bristol Old Vic production of Wonder Boy by Ross Willis, a heart-warming and inspiring story about the power of communication.

Sonny is twelve. Living with a stammer, he’s finding his way in a world ruled by vicious vowels, confusing consonants, and let’s not forget the biggest beast of them all – small talk. Sonny’s only friend is Captain Chatter, a comic book hero of his own creation, but in the real world language is power and Sonny must find a way to be heard.

When cast in the school production of Hamlet by the Headteacher, he finds the real heroes are closer than he thinks. Packed with playful humour, dazzling visuals and thrilling original music this innovative production includes live creative captioning on stage throughout. Winner of the 2023 Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play.

Ages 12+

Approximately 1 Hour 30 mins

CAROL VORDERMAN LIVE: OUT OF ORDER
From:15-09-2024
To:15-09-2024
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Sharing stories about her unlikely pivot from daytime television’s queen of mental arithmetic to one of the country’s most fearless political activists, don’t miss this opportunity to see one of Britain’s most cherished broadcasters live on stage. In this rousing and interactive show, Carol demonstrates how much ‘an old bird with an iPhone’ can achieve and inspires us all to find our voices and speak out.

These events mark the publication of her brand-new book: Out Of Order: What’s Gone Wrong with Britain and One Woman’s Mission to Fix It and each ticket includes a hardback copy (RRP £22).

Ages 14+

Approximately 2 Hours

HOW I LEARNED TO SWIM
From:17-09-2024
To:21-09-2024
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Jamie can’t swim. Bit awkward when you’re 30. Fuelled by guilt and a need to mend her broken family, Jamie is taking on her biggest fear. The ocean.

With the help of a chipper swim instructor, a shady spiritual guide and one cathartic crab sandwich, she’s questioning, ‘How many lengths will wash away regret?’

Brilliantly witty, deeply heartfelt, this play explores what lies beneath the surface of Black people’s relationship to water.

Somebody Jones’ searing debut is “funny with fear, liberating with grief” (Fringe Review) and impossible to walk away from unchanged.

Ages 14+

Approximately 1 Hour

FERN BRADY: I GAVE YOU MILK TO DRINK
From:22-09-2024
To:22-09-2024
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Scotland’s queen of comedy Fern Brady (Taskmaster, Live At The Apollo, Roast Battle, Russell Howard, The Last Leg) is back on tour with a brand new show. What happens when you get everything you want and it’s not enough? This is a great show to come and see if you are a fan of the Scottish comedian Fern Brady. Fern is the author of Sunday Times best selling memoir STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER whose previous show POWER AND CHAOS was broadcast on BBC1.

Ages 16+

Approximately 1 Hour 40 mins

MY MOTHER'S FUNERAL: THE SHOW
From:24-09-2024
To:28-09-2024
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Abigail’s mum is dead. But it turns out she can’t afford her to be.

Did you know how expensive it is to die? It’s £4000 for the funeral. Extra for flowers. And even more if you want sausage rolls. Otherwise, she will get a council funeral and an unmarked grave.

Then, when a theatre suddenly pulls out of Abigail’s new project, she is asked to write about something else. Something more raw, from her ‘unique working class lens.’ Something that will make the audience feel really, really bad about themselves. Audiences like that, apparently.

Yep. To afford the funeral, she has to write about her mum.

With power and playfulness, Kelly Jones’ new play tackles the inequalities around death, and the cost of turning your loved ones into art.

Ages 14+

BULLRING TECHNO MAKEOUT JAMZ
From:15-10-2024
To:19-10-2024
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Trim? Fresh. Skin? Glowing. Vibes? Immaculate.

Nathaniel is a serious romantic who sees love as a fine art. He’s looking for the Mona Lisa to his da Vinci, and tonight is the night: his date with Destiny…’s Child.

Winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2022, Nathan Queeley-Dennis’ debut play is a love letter to Birmingham, exploring Black masculinity through Beyoncé lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship between a man and his barber. Directed by Dermot Daly.

From Ellie Keel Productions, winner The Stage Awards 2024: Producer of the Year, whose recent work includes the Olivier Award-nominated The Swell by Isley Lynn.

Ages 14+

SARAH KEYWORTH: MY EYES ARE UP HERE
From:20-10-2024
To:20-10-2024
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Sarah Keyworth embarks on a world tour with a brand new, joyous show about family, acceptance and a pair of big (well, not super big) losses.

It’s been a big year for Keys (aka Sarah Keyworth). Sure, they turned thirty, got diagnosed with ADHD and had top surgery, but perhaps the biggest adjustment is to the revelation that maybe their mum was right all along? Not about everything obviously, but they must concede that on teen drinking and being “forced” to go on holiday, Keyworth Sr probably had some solid points.

On their choice to have surgery, Keys feels lucky in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to the people they have around them. That said, it was a long road and there’s still conversations to be had about their gender identity and what this means in a world that seems increasingly hard on gender non-conforming people.

But as Sarah goes home for the first time post-surgery, to celebrate their mum’s own milestone birthday, it’s the conversations with their nearest and dearest that have them reflecting on their year and asking some big questions. What does acceptance look like? From whom does it matter? Is it OK to dance around your family kitchen with your new nipples out?

Ages: 16+

Approximately 1 Hour 40 mins

LARRY DEAN: DODGER
From:27-10-2024
To:27-10-2024
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Larry’s been spending a lot of time with his granny lately. He wants to tell you about it.

Join the thrice Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated, two-time star of Live At The Apollo for a hilarious new show about identity, heroes and the benefits of being a dafty.

As seen on Mock The Week, House Of Games, Fandan (Channel 4 Comedy Special) and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

Ages 16+

Approximately 1 Hour 40 mins

LITTLE MURMUR
From:30-10-2024
To:02-11-2024
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Watch bodies and words fly like flocks of birds, a murmuration, a little murmur...

Little Murmur is a new dance theatre show for everyone age 7+, families and schools, that features groundbreaking projection, an extraordinary soundscape and a blizzard of paper and confetti.

Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, Aakash Odedra found school very challenging: he spelt his name wrongly until he was 21 and it wasn’t until he “found the missing ‘A’” that he felt he belonged. Defined by his learning difficulties, not his abilities, dance became his mode of expression.

Combining visual design and technology with dance and humour, Little Murmur explores the warped and exaggerated realities of living in a world you struggle to process. Based on Aakash’s hugely moving show Murmur 2.0, this stunning visual treat is an honest and heart felt conversation about the trials and tribulations of living with dyslexia, facing challenges and overcoming the odds.

Ages 7+

Approximately 0 Hour 40 mins

IVO GRAHAM
From:03-11-2024
To:03-11-2024
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Fumbling a flute on Would I Lie To You, combusting over a Cork accent on BBC Radio 5 Live, scaring Diane from The Traitors with a T-shirt of her face. What (yoghurt and) banana skins await Ivo next? No ball games, no blind alleys, no backstage printers this year: just one of the best stand-ups of his generation back to prove he’s not just Taskmaster’s yardstick for failure but “on this form, as funny as anyone in town.” (Times).

Ages 14+

Approximately 1 Hour 40 mins

NEVER LET ME GO
From:06-11-2024
To:23-11-2024
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You were brought into this world for a purpose. And your futures — all of them — have been decided.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s international best-selling novel arrives on stage in this world premiere of Suzanne Heathcote’s gripping new adaptation.

What if you discovered your whole reason for being was not about your life but about making someone else’s possible? Your dreams, your desires, your love for another, all of them irrelevant in a world that values only what you give, without question or condition, to someone you’ve never met and will never know.

Memory and reality collide in this stunning new staging that challenges us to think about what it means to be human. What it means to have hope and heart — to love and to lose.

SHAPARAK KHORSANDI: SCATTERBRAIN
From:17-11-2024
To:17-11-2024
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Having reassessed her life through the prism of an ADHD diagnosis in last year's funny and moving memoir, one of Britain's most beloved and most scatterbrained stand-ups lets you back into her mind (warning: it's cluttered in there). Among other things, this show will be a love-letter to letter-writing, a trip back through her early years as a comic and woman-about-town, and a whirlwind tour of a chaotic, hilarious brain.

THE LITTLE MERMAID
From:05-12-2024
To:11-01-2025
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You don’t have to be big to make a big difference.

The Little Mermaid loves swimming, dancing and spending time with her friends. She might be different to the other sea creatures but they’re family and these waters are home.

So when the sea starts to get warmer – the kelp wilting, the coral fading – she realises she has to act. The mermaid vows to protect their home and it seems a caring young man trying to restore the coral reef is just the person to help. But how much is she willing to sacrifice to find answers on land? Can the Sea Witch really be trusted to help? And what oily monsters lurk in the deep?

Dive into a magical underwater Kingdom this Christmas with Bristol Old Vic’s bold and breathtaking re-imagining of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale about love, hope, and how no one is too small to change the world.

Full of joyous original songs, circus and dance, award-winning writer Sonali Bhattacharyya (The Jungle Book, Chichester Festival Theatre; Arabian Nights, Bristol Old Vic; Chasing Hares, Young Vic) and Bristol’s own Olivier-Award winning director Miranda Cromwell (Death of a Salesman, Young Vic/West End/Broadway) make a welcome return for the next extraordinary chapter in Bristol Old Vic’s series of festive family productions.

Ages 7+

LITTLE RED (& OTHER WINTER TALES)
From:06-12-2024
To:12-01-2025
+ More Info +

What big eyes you have… all the better to see, my dear.

A red coat moves swiftly through the snow-covered woods, an important gift to deliver.

A pair of red shoes dance their way past, spinning, leaping, unable to stop.

A flame flickers on Christmas eve, bringing warmth and magic each time a match is struck.

This Christmas, join Little Red in the deep dark woods for music, adventure and overcoming the monsters. A story of absent parents, dance-offs and finding the heart of Christmas.

Ages 3+

PLAY ON!
From:16-01-2025
To:25-01-2025
+ More Info +

What does it take for a woman to make it in a man’s world?

Meet Vy, a talented songwriter looking to make it big in the 1940s’ Harlem scene. She quickly learns from her uncle Jester that women will never be taken seriously in a man’s world. But, like many a strong hero, she refuses to accept defeat. Through her gender fluid cunning, she meets club owner The Duke and sensational nightclub singer Lady Liv and is swept up in a syncopated symphony of melodies, mistaken identities and romance. Who will come out on top?

Play On! is set in the jazz scene of New York’s Cotton Club. This stylish retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by Talawa’s Artistic Director Michael Buffong (A Kind of People, Royal Court; All My Sons, Talawa and Royal Exchange) fuses the thrilling music of Duke Ellington with street dance choreography. Prepare to be wowed by this musical spectacular that will have your toes tapping and hands clapping along with the timeless soundtrack.

ROMEO AND JULIET
From:12-03-2025
To:05-04-2025
+ More Info +

The original play, originally scored – with rap and R&B.

Everything that makes Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy so well loved is here. The rich, feuding families. The intense, forbidden passion. And the flash of violence that tears the young lovers apart, sending them spiralling towards tragedy...

But there’s an important plus one: rap.

This story shines with new, original elements of rap, soul and R&B. Think everyday English as well as the Elizabethan variety. And the poetry of rap rhythms as well as perfect pentameters.

Romeo + Juliet is a co-production with Bristol Old Vic, The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, and Hackney Empire. Directed by Corey Campbell, creative director of the Belgrade, the play springs from communities within Coventry, with music elements that reflect a collaboration with 'That’s a Rap’ company.

Ages 13+

JENNY ECLAIR: JOKES JOKES JOKES LIVE!
From:06-04-2025
To:06-04-2025
+ More Info +

In celebration of the release of her hilarious memoir of the same name, comedian, novelist, and professional show-off Jenny Eclair comes to venues nationwide with a brand-new autobiographical show.

From drama school, (mostly drinking cider and eating sausage rolls), sleeping with men who looked like they lived under a carpet, punk poetry, anorexia, bedsit misery, waitressing and not really having a clue about anything, to being the first woman to win the Perrier Award, becoming a mother, author, grumpy old woman, podcaster and nana!

Still gigging to sell-out crowds forty years later, Jenny invites you to look back at what she can remember before she forgets everything. Warning, punk poetry, animal impressions and baritone nursery rhyme singing may feature.

Ages 14+

Approximately 1 Hour 55 mins

To find out what else is happening at Old Vic Theatre, Bristol, visit their website here.
Transport

Bristol Temple Meads railway station is a 15 minute walk to Bristol Old Vic or there are regular buses and taxis from outside the station into the City Centre.

Bar

The Backstage Bar sits in the heart of our Theatre and opens 90 minutes prior to each performance.

Access Info

Several per season. For detailed access information please visit the theatre's access page: www.bristololdvic.org.uk/access.html

Bristol Old Vic is the longest continuously-running theatre in the UK and following a recent £12.5 million redevelopment project, is now one of the most modern and comfortable with state of the art rehearsal rooms, a dramatically extended forestage and precision-engineered sightlines giving audiences an even more intimate theatrical experience. Our mission is to create pioneering twenty-first century theatre in partnership with the people of our energetic city; inspired by the history and magical design of the most beautiful playhouse in the country. We are led by artists who see the world with distinctive clarity and whose ability to articulate what they see allows us to understand and engage with our world afresh, whether that be through our 350-strong Young Company, our many outreach and education projects or helping ascendant artists by nurturing the spark or seed of an idea into something fully-formed. We are publicly funded by Arts Council England and Bristol City Council, using that investment to support experiment and innovation, to allow access to our programme for people who would not otherwise encounter it or be able to afford it and to keep our extraordinary heritage alive and animated. We strive to be welcoming, professional and boundlessly curious; playful, ambitious and rigorous; resourceful, honest, and generous; collaborative, Bristolian and world class. Come and play.

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