WELCOME
It’s been brilliant to see the support of our new writing work in the last year. In February we welcomed over 5,000 people for Amy Jeptha’s new play A Good House – the first of two shows directed by Nancy this year. The second, Flora Wilson Brown’s The Beautiful Future Is Coming , is playing now. A powerful, humorous story about climate change, told through the experience of three women through history. Hope and humanity prevail in this must-see play.
The summer sparkles with a new musical How To Win Against History from the Olivier Award-winning producers of Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! , plus the boundary-breaking Last Rites from Bristol’s own Ad Infinitum. Autumn/Winter will also bring vibrant live theatre to delight you. Our dedication to new musicals continues with the welcome return of Starter for Ten and our festive treat Treasure Island: A New Musical Adventure We also present Noël Coward’s Private Lives and the hit comedies Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho and Yippee Ki Yay – based on the debatable Christmas film Die Hard !
As the darker months set in, Uncanny returns (extra performances recently released), along with Gurt Haunted and Ghost Stories by Candlelight . In the Studio, expect bold work like ha ha ha ha ha ha ha , My English Persian Kitchen (with live cooking!), and dance piece Departure . Family shows for the holidays include The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson and Antarctica by Little Bulb.
Kicking off 2026, Frantic Assembly celebrates 30 years with Lost Atoms by Anna Jordan, a story of transformative love.
We’ve just revised our Membership offer and introduced a free scheme for under 30s. Members get early notification of all our shows and get a range of benefits including feefree booking. Find out more on page 12-13
We look forward to seeing you on King Street soon.
Nancy Medina Artistic Director
Charlotte Geeves Executive Director
Photography Michael Wharley | Design Steph Pyne
MUST END 7 JUN THEATRE
“Delves deep into the human experience”
Broadway World
“A fresh and often very funny look at the impacts of climate change”
The Reviews Hub
The world is ending, sure. But what happens in between?
1856. New York. Eunice sits in what will become Central Park and wonders if her research into CO2 is telling her something is going horribly wrong.
2027. London. Claire falls in love as the heatwave breaks and the streets begin to flood.
2100. Svalbard. While an 86-day storm rages outside, Ana hears a baby crying in the seed vault.
Flora Wilson Brown’s The Beautiful Future Is Coming is a fast-paced, funny and wildly inventive look at 250 years of real and imagined history through the eyes of three couples.
Nancy Medina (A Good House; Choir Boy – Best Director, Black British Theatre Awards 2024) directs this powerful story about the climate crisis, and holding onto hope and humanity against all odds.
19 JUN –12 JUL
A riches-to-rags story in a hilarious, ripped-up musical.
Henry Cyril Paget was one of the world’s wealthiest men, until he lost it all by being too damn fabulous.
The 5th Marquis of Anglesey blew his family’s colossal fortune on diamond frocks, lilac-dyed poodles and putting on simply amazing plays – to which nobody came –causing a very Edwardian scandal. His fabulous flame burned brightly, briefly and extremely cross-dressingly until he died at just 29, after which his outraged family destroyed every record of him ever having had existed. Now Henry’s back to tell his regrettable cautionary tale, with nothing to his name but savage wit, banging belters and a metric tonne of sparkle.
How To Win Against History was the solid gold, diamantestudded hit of Edinburgh Fringe 2016. Now Bristol Old Vic and the Olivier Award-winning producers of Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder!, Fleabag and Baby Reindeer are bringing it back, bigger and more sparkly than ever.
15 – 19 JUL
THEATRE
“Tremendous”
The Guardian
“A
triumph…as real, raw and beautiful as it gets”
The Reviews Hub
“Utterly exceptional”
Everything Theatre
How do you say goodbye when words were never there?
Arjun’s father never learnt to sign, and now that he’s gone, Arjun must find his own way to honour him. In a world where ancient traditions meet modern reality, Arjun embarks on a deeply personal and visually mesmerising quest to create a farewell ritual for his father – one woven from memory, love, and loss.
Travel from the UK to India in Last Rites, a stunning fusion of visual storytelling, electrifying movement, and an immersive soundscape you can feel as well as hear. This is theatre like you’ve never experienced it before.
Created by internationally acclaimed theatre-makers Ramesh Meyyappan and George Mann, Ad Infinitum’s Last Rites redefines what theatre can be.
With no spoken words, this unforgettable performance speaks in movement, visuals, and rhythm. Featuring creative captions, Sign Language, and a deep, resonant soundtrack that can be felt or heard, Last Rites is truly for deaf, Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing audiences alike.
Photography Martha Hegarty | Photos Mihaela Bodlovic & Camilla Greenwell
WHAT’S ON IN THE STUDIO
19 JUN – 5 JUL THE WESTON
STUDIO
Lin, an astronaut, speeds towards a distant planet. He’s on a pioneering mission to create a new home for humankind.
His only human contact is an exchange of voice messages with his lover, Silas, back on Earth. But days for the astronaut will be decades for the lover left behind. A suspenseful, heartwrenching yet hopeful drama about saying what you mean, and saying goodbye.
Written by Timothy X Atack (winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting). Directed by Tanuja Amarasuriya (winner of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award).
“Tanuja Amarasuriya’s production brings out the play’s warmth and humour […] a sense of tenderness permeates the whole piece” The Stage on OUT OF SORTS
PRODUCED BY AMANDA FAWCETT IN A CO-PRODUCTION WITH BRISTOL OLD VIC
15 – 19 JUL THE WESTON STUDIO
‘If this town gave out a collective breath of exhaustion, buildings would shake across the whole of England’
Two best mates. One HUGE party. Luton pinned by austerity. An evening of noughties bangers and shots of shitty gin mixed with the chaos of violence. A night to remember!
Set over one chaotic night, two best friends chase the highs of youth against a backdrop of systemic neglect. A raw, real-time collision of friendship and survival and a powerful exploration of class and identity.
“Unfolds
like an urban epic” Fest Mag
CHALK LINE THEATRE PRESENT
23 – 27 SEP THE WESTON STUDIO
‘A civilization flourishes when men plant trees under which they themselves never sit.’ What you need to understand is, Ghana is home.’
As the afternoon sun hits London’s BBC Broadcasting House, photographer James Barnor encounters broadcaster Mike Eghan for the first time. Thrown together far from home, two rising Ghanaian creatives navigate their perception of identity, success, assimilation and home.
Inspired by real events, this joyful and poignant play fuses storytelling, music and dance; capturing a unique snapshot of the swinging sixties.
Winner of the Untapped Award 2024
Photo Guy J. Saunders
29 SEP – 4
The number one cult hit show of Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Part group therapy, part chaos ritual.
The blurb is: hahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahaha hihihi hahahahahahahaha hoho hahahhahahaha hehe hahahahahahahahahaha.
Julia Masli is an award-winning clown from Estonia. All she wants to do is solve people’s problems and eventually win the Nobel Prize. But this plan keeps going wrong as she continually wins prizes for comedy.
“The year’s most exciting, have-to-be-there comedy moment” The Guardian
IMPATIENT PRODUCTIONS PRESENT
6 – 11 OCT THE WESTON STUDIO
A high camp cocktail of comedy and cabaret, written & performed by Temi Wilkey.
A beautiful and supremely talented black actress is putting on an outrageously hilarious, autobiographical one-woman show to finally take up the space she’s been so routinely denied.
After a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 at Paines Plough’s Roundabout, and a sold-out run at Soho Theatre in Spring 2025, this cult phenomenon is coming to take Bristol by storm!
“Nothing short of a five-star triumph” Diva BOBBY HARDING AND TEMI WILKEY PRESENT
14 – 18 OCT THE WESTON STUDIO
What would you take if you were forced to leave home with no hope of returning?
This is the true story about one woman who loses everything. Remembering the tastes and aromas of her mother’s kitchen with live cooking on stage, she recreates the dishes of her childhood and homeland, building a new life and community around food.
Written by award-winning Hannah Khalil from the story by Atoosa Sepehr, this life-affirming new play chronicles one woman’s quest to start again. Directed by Chris White
“Utterly sensational” Quintessential Review
WHAT’S ON IN THE STUDIO
21 – 25 OCT THE WESTON STUDIO
Ghosts don’t always stay in the past.
The sell-out success returns with four brand new spooky stories from award-winning writers Florence Espeut-Nickless, Simon Longman, Anne Odeke and Rosa Torr. This year’s stories will draw you into the secretive corners of the East and West of England. Join us by the candles. Just don’t let the light go out.
“Chillingly modern horror stories,imaginatively written and performed with gothic flair”
The Stage
A HIGHTIDE AND PENTABUS CO-PRODUCTION, IN ASSOCIATION WITH HARLOW PLAYHOUSE
4 – 8 NOV THE WESTON STUDIO
Back by popular demand!
Most Haunted Live meets This Country in this partimprovised, part-devised, fully Bristolian comedy thriller. Following a sold-out run in 2024, join us again in this participatory, paranormal parody that will undoubtedly leave you pondering: Am I a true believer… or have I just had one too many ciders?
“One of the funniest staged shows I’ve ever seen”
Bristol 24/7
18 – 22 NOV THE WESTON STUDIO
An emotionally resonant music and dance performance exploring themes of death, nature, and the spirit.
Why do cultures all have long-established funeral traditions? What can we learn about death – and life – from these rituals? Movement artist Masumi Saito and composer/ musician An-Ting re-create a funeral ceremony based on their East Asian traditions and journey into an imagined supernatural realm beyond death.
BY MASUMI SAITO AND AN-TING
Photo Guy Wigmore
Photo Edward J Felton | Design Ella Calland
10 SEP – 11 OCT
THEATRE
“Feel-good Brit hit that’s surely bound for the West End”
The Telegraph
“Truly brilliant”
Broadway Baby
“Superlatives all round”
StageTalk Magazine
Fingers on buzzers! After a sell-out run in 2024, the bright, big-hearted new musical is back, with its joy, comedy and 80s nostalgia dialled up to 11.
What is eighteen-year-old Brian Jackson’s proudest achievement to date? His A-level results. His idol? Kate Bush. His lifelong dream? To compete on legendary TV quiz show University Challenge. It’s 1985 and, leaving Southend to start his first year at Bristol University, Brian soon discovers that falling in love and growing up take a lot more than general knowledge…
Adapted from the hilarious novel by bestselling author David Nicholls and the popular 2006 film, Starter for Ten is a coming-of-age comedy musical about love, belonging and the all-important difference between knowledge and wisdom.
Mel Giedroyc reprises her roles as Brian’s mum Irene and Bamber Gascoigne’s irresistible sidekick Julia Bland.
15 – 18 OCT THEATRE
We are 100! Maggie returns in her smash hit drag extravaganza to mark the centenary of her epic arrival on planet earth.
Following five sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, UK tours and a West End season, the Iron Lady is back and more fabulous than ever.
On the eve of the vote on Section 28, Maggie gets lost in Soho and accidentally becomes a cabaret superstar. Will she change her mind about the homophobic bill before it’s too late…?
A big gay odyssey about LGBT rights, the 80s and disco, created by Olivier Award winner Jon Brittain and Matt Tedford.
“Rollicking good laugh”
Attitude
JAMES SEABRIGHT PRESENTS
22 – 25 OCT THEATRE
The parody celebration of Die Hard.
Following UK and USA tours and two Edinburgh Fringe seasons, Richard Marsh’s acclaimed rhyming retelling of classic (festive?) film Die Hard is touring the UK and not to be missed.
When gunmen seize an LA skyscraper, off-duty policeman John McClane is the hostages’ only hope. This uplifting action romp (and unauthorised parody) celebrates the iconic 80s festive favourite while also telling the personal story of a life-long Die Hard fan. Essential viewing for Hans Gruber connoisseurs and newcomers alike.
“Epically entertaining”
The Times
JAMES SEABRIGHT PRESENTS
Love and chaos collide in Noël Coward’s timeless comedy.
Amanda and Elyot are charming, rich, utterly reckless –and divorced. When they meet unexpectedly on the first night of their honeymoons with new partners, in the balmy moonlight of the French Riviera, old flames re-ignite, and impulsive love takes hold. But they divorced for a reason, and their fiery romance soon spirals into a chaotic riot of passionate desire, slanging matches and outrageous battles.
Set against a backdrop of 1930s glamour, Noël Coward’s Private Lives is a sparkling comedy of manners – hilarious, stylish, and a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with razor-sharp wit, sizzling chemistry, and timeless sophistication.
Directed by 2024 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award-winner Tanuja Amarasuriya.
Artwork Steph Pyne
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Photo Camilla Greenwell
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• 24 hours priority booking on selected shows
£7.50 per month (auto-renew only) or £90 per year (£82 auto-renew)
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• 5% discount on tickets for Bristol Old Vic productions
• 5% discount on Ticket Subscriptions
• 48 hours priority booking on selected shows • 10% discount on tickets for Bristol Old Vic productions
No Transaction Fees when booking • 10% discount on Ticket Subscriptions
• 10% discount at our Café Bar
• Free guided tour on joining
10% discount at our Kitchen + Bar
• Credit for another performance if you’re unable to make a show
• Digital Membership card
SCAN TO JOIN Benefits Benefits
Free guided tour on joining
No fuss ticket refunds if you’re unable to make a performance
£5 per month (auto-renew only) or £60 per year (£52 auto-renew)
• 48 hours priority booking on selected shows
• No Transaction Fees when booking
•10% discount on tickets for Bristol Old Vic productions
• 50% discount on tickets for Stage Talks
£4.75 per month (auto-renew only) or £60 per year (£52 auto-renew)
£7.50 per month (auto-renew only) or £90 per year (£82 auto-renew)
• 10% discount on Ticket Subscriptions
• 10% discount at our Café Bar
• 24 hours priority booking on selected shows
No Transaction Fees when booking
5% discount on tickets for Bristol Old Vic productions
• Free guided tour on joining
• Digital Membership card
5% discount on Ticket Subscriptions
10% discount at our Kitchen + Bar
• No fuss ticket refunds if you’re unable to make a performance
Free guided tour on joining
Credit for another performance if you’re unable to make a show
Digital Membership card
FA MILY FUN FOR A LL AGES
4+
22 – 24 JUL THEATRE 3+
“The best kids’ magician in the world!” – David Blaine
Robots and magic and slapstick… oh my! Contagiously upbeat and full of heart, the ever-endearing Mario leads you through a romping explosion of energy and belly laughs punctuated with moments of heart and emotion that will catch you by surprise.
Fresh off a sold-out Off-Broadway run and recently featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, this is not just a kids’ show, this is an all-ages theatre experience.
“Instant and infectious chaos in the best possible way” one4review
PRODUCED BY KATIE ROSA MARCHESE AND CHRIS COX
25 – 27 JUL THEATRE
Winner of the 2024 Olivier Award for Best Family Entertainment, Dinosaur World Live returns!
Grab your compass and cross uncharted territories to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing (and remarkably life-like) dinosaurs. Book now before tickets become extinct!
“Great fun. Highly recommended for all ages” What’s Good To Do
NICOLL ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS
Photo Pamela Raith
28 OCT – 1 NOV THE WESTON STUDIO
Based on the original book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Rebecca Cobb.
When a little girl cuts out a string of paper dolls she takes them by the hand and together they go on a fantastical adventure whirling through their home and garden.
Ticky, Tacky, Jackie the Backie, Jim with two noses and Jo with the bow fly through time and tear across worlds of fun and excitement.
They face the Jurassic clutches of a toy dinosaur and the snapping jaws of the ovenglove crocodile, and then a very real boy with very real scissors threatens to snip their adventure short…
“A magical version of the best arts and crafts session you can imagine” WhatsOnStage
Illustration Rebecca Cobb
A LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE AND POLKA THEATRE CO-PRODUCTION
WEDNESDAYS 10.30–11.15AM
BRISTOL OLD VIC
AUTUMN TERM ON SALE SOON
A safe and fun space for adults to bring their children for a morning of song and dance.
Singing and dancing together provides opportunities to develop social skills while helping to lay the foundation for a lifelong love of music. Join your little one in movement games, hear them sing along to interactive songs and watch them share and grow with others in this safe and playful environment.
Our sessions are full of engaging and playful activities, including action songs, percussion play, silly songs, nursery rhymes, dancing games, rhythm games, and many more!
3+
LITTLE MUSICAL THEATRE
2-4
4 DEC –10 JAN THEATRE
Praise for Bristol Old Vic’s
The Little Mermaid, 2024:
“A superb family show”
The Telegraph
“It does everything an Xmas production should do and much more”
The Morning Star
Thrill-seeking teen Jim Hawkins is fed up with her humdrum life on land, and longs for adventure on the stormy seas…
When she discovers Billy Bones’ extraordinary and infamous map, heralding a daring mission to a faraway island with secret hidden treasures, it seems all her wishes have come true. From a Bristol tavern to the mighty ocean waves, join Hawkins as she gets into pirate-y peril aboard the magnificent Hispaniola!
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale is brought to life as a brand-new musical by West End hit writing duo Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary (The Great British Bake Off Musical; The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾) and will be directed by Paul Foster (Curtains; The Cabinet Minister, A Little Night Music).
Full of heart, joy, and showstopping musical numbers, what better reason to chart a course to Bristol Old Vic this Christmas? Yo Ho Ho!
Design Tony Stiles
5 DEC –10 JAN
THE WESTON STUDIO
“A magical 50 minutes dusted with snowflakes and exquisitely simple stagecraft”
The Guardian
“Perfectly pitched for young families”
Bristol 24/7 on Four Seasons
At the bottom of our planet, lies the South Pole: a magical, wind-whipped world of snow, ice and some of the most wondrous creatures on Earth including slip-sliding penguins, cheeky albatrosses and mysterious creatures of the deep.
In fact, only the bravest of explorers have ever set foot there. Could you be one of them?
This Christmas, our Studio is once again transformed into a wintry wonderland for our younger audiences to enjoy, as the incomparably brilliant Olivier Award-winning Little Bulb (Four Seasons, Hibernation, CBEEBIES The Nutcracker) whisk you away on unforgettable journey armed with songs, puppets and plenty of snowy surprises.
Design Louise Boulter
13 – 24 JAN THEATRE
“Frantic Assembly have been rewriting the rulebook for nearly three decades”
The Times
“Few companies have done more to make British Theatre get up on its feet and move about”
The Telegraph
Lost Atoms tells the story of a relationship: an extraordinary, transformative love.
Or is that only in hindsight? Perhaps it was just typical? Or toxic? Or doomed from the start? One thing’s for sure: It changed their lives. Two people plunge deep into their shared pasts and propel themselves into multiple imagined futures.
At times hilarious, at times devastating, Lost Atoms explores how memory impacts the way we look at love, and asks what makes a truly “successful” relationship?
Following sell-out tours of Othello and Metamorphosis, Frantic Assembly returns with a brand-new play for its 30th Anniversary year written by Anna Jordan (Succession, HBO; One Day, Netflix; Killing Eve, BBC; The Unreturning, Frantic Assembly) and directed by Frantic Assembly’s Artistic Director Scott Graham.
Image Design LUAP/Perou
Image Matt Crockett THROUGHOUT ’25 & ’26
THEATRE
The best in British stand-up, the hottest book tours, one-night-only musical treats and more.
Line-up currently includes:
Kerry Godliman: Bandwidth
Tim Key: L.A. Baby! Book Tour
Bristol Pride Comedy Night
Le Gateau Chocolat: Musicals Mayhem
Heli Laughs
George Lewis: The Best Thing You’ll Ever Do
Rosie Jones: I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying
Kieran Hodgson: Voice of America
Jen Brister: Reactive
Josie Long: Now is the Time of Monsters
Jessica Fostekew: Iconic Breath
More announced all the time. Check bristololdvic.org.uk for updates.
ACCESS & RESPECT
It’s our top priority that everyone feels welcome and comfortable when visiting Bristol Old Vic.
For general access information, including booking access tickets, disabled parking, gendered and gender-neutral washroom facilities, the lift, wheelchair spaces and more, please visit bristololdvic.org.uk/access. If you have any questions, please email access@bristololdvic.org.uk or call 0117 987 7877.
The Beautiful Future is Coming How To Win Against History
Rites (Creative Captioning)
The Beautiful Future is Coming How To Win Against History
Rites (BSL Integrated)
OUR RESPECT CHARTER
Bristol Old Vic is working to be an inclusive, anti-racist space where our team members and our city’s communities feel welcome and respected – a joyful place where everyone can belong. Please therefore continue to be respectful and kind when you visit Bristol Old Vic. Find out more at bristololdvic.org.uk/our-respect-charter.
More accessible performances to be announced soon. Check bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on for the latest.
All bookings are subject to a £2.25 transaction fee. Members, Ticket Subscribers and Schools benefit from fee-free booking.
THE MORE YOU SEE, THE MORE YOU SAVE
STUDIO SUBSCRIPTION
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TH EA TRE SUBSCRIPTION
• Pay just £126 for a balance of 6 tickets.
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• Potentially HUGE savings with flat £21 tickets!
*Subscriptions are valid for 12 months from purchase and can be used to book any offer applicable show within that timeframe (including those not yet on sale). Some exclusions apply (see website). Only valid on Standard tickets. Ticket Subscribers benefit from no transaction fees.
Everyone is invited to experience the joy of live theatre!
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Seats and prices are subject to availability and may vary as the show gets closer. Book early to get the best choice of seats and prices. To get the best choices first, and benefit from no transaction fees, join as a Member for as little as £5 per month. Find out more on pages 12-13.
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*Available on any seat and in any price band on Preview performances. Maximum 2 free tickets per person.
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Our work is only possible because of the generosity of our supporters. Thank you.
PRINCIPLE SUPPORT
PROGRAMME
SUPPORT
Together with The Mackintosh Foundation, Antonia Watson Foundation and Theatres Trust.
CORPORATE SUPPORT
Head to bristololdvic.org.uk/support-us for a full list of our supporters, and to find out about the many ways in which you can support our work and be more closely involved in the life of the theatre.