Andy Scrivens

Head of Scenic Construction


Biography

I started working in theatre at the tender age of sixteen with Tim Streader at the Bristol Old Vic as a YTS electrician.

After eighteen months the course came to an end and I worked for four years as a Flyman also at the Bristol Old Vic.  The Master carpenter at the time then asked if I would like to train to be a carpenter with him. I took this opportunity and for the next nine years worked building all the BOV’s sets. I spent the next twelve years working as a freelancer for various set building companies on theatre, TV, film, conference and exhibition sets, travelling all over the UK and Europe installing sets we had prefabricated in the workshop. After this time, I returned to Bristol and the Bristol Old Vic and spent the next seven years building all of their sets and taking them to venues in both the UK and North America, initially as a freelancer and then full time as a Master Carpenter.

I am thrilled to be working as a tutor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and looking forward to passing on all the accumulated knowledge from my mentors to the next generation of theatre technicians.

One of my favourite parts about BOVTS is that it feels ‘homegrown’. From the set to the costume, lighting, acting and sound, every single aspect of a theatre production or film is down to the students. The location of Clifton is so serene and the School being so small everyone knows each other and it feels so personal and special. Violet Morris, BA Professional Acting Student