The curtain goes up later this month on a grand summer party at the renowned Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. It marks the seventieth year since it moved into premises overlooking Clifton Downs.
The school, an independent organisation, is also celebrating its eightieth anniversary since it was founded by the actor and theatre director Sir Laurence Olivier in 1946. Special events will be staged throughout the year.
The school’s early years were spent in a cramped room above a wholesale fruit merchant’s warehouse in Queen Charlotte Street, opposite the stage door of the Theatre Royal. It was affectionately known as the ‘fruit school’ due to its closeness to the fruit and vegetable markets that then surrounded the theatre.
It was in 1956 that a piece of theatrical serendipity meant that the school could move into its present home – two rambling Victorian villas in Downside Road.
The cost of purchase and converting the buildings into a drama school was £12,000, of which £7,000 came from a highly successful Theatre Royal production of the locally written musical Salad Days.
After its premiere in Bristol, Salad Days was transferred to London’s West End and later moved on to Broadway.
Since those days the theatre school has played a major part in the careers of some of Britain’s best known stars of stage and screen including Olivia Colman, Jeremy Irons, Stephanie Cole, Daniel Day-Lewis, the late Jane Lapotaire and Amanda Redman. Besides actors the school has also trained many designers, theatre directors, prop makers and stage managers
“To see the school turn 80 is so special to the team and me. The fact that the school is still going strong after this many decades gives me hope for the future of theatre and shows the enthusiasm and need for drama school training. I’m glad we are cemented as part of Clifton’s history and hope we can welcome some of its residents to our 80th anniversary celebrations” said Rob Langley-Swain, the school’s head of marketing and development.
The summer party on June 27 will include tours of the school, entertainment, and an archives exhibition.
A highlight of the 80th year celebrations will be a school production of Romeo and Juliet. It will be directed in the autumn at The Tobacco Factory Theatres by Sir Gregory Doran, an ‘old boy’ of the school and a former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Maurice Fells