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- Dates Thu 21 May 2026 - Sat 13 Jun 2026
- Location The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol, BS1 4ED
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School are proud to present their Summer Festival at Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio again, returning for another four week run of fantastic theatrical performances featuring graduating 3rd year Professional Acting students.
Each play in the Festival will be directed by one of the School’s MA Drama Directing students and Designed by one of the School’s MA Performance Design students. With costumes made by the BA Costume students and the stage management, lighting, sound, scenic construction and prop-making is all delivered by the School’s BA Production Arts students.
This cross-course collaboration is at the heart of training at the World-famous Theatre school which is about to celebrate its 80th anniversary.
The eight plays in the Summer Festival have been carefully selected by Emma Callander, the Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, to help showcase the creative excellence of all students involved. Whether you choose to join us for one of the double-bills or treat yourself to all four – you are sure to be entertained and enthralled by the talent on display.
Four Play & Meat - 21st to 23rd May
A double-bill presented as part of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Summer Festival.
Four Play by Jake Brunger
Directed by Isabella Forshaw
Designed by Mette Rutter
A sharp, millennial “rom-com” that explores the messiness of modern monogamy as a long-term couple considers inviting a third person into their bed to “fix” their sex life, only to find their relationship and their friendships spiraling into comic chaos.
“A smart comedy of gay manners which gradually digs a bit deeper to explore the ethics of deceit and concealment… The clash between the bright jokes and the exposed vulnerabilities of the characters is beautifully imagined.” The Guardian
Meat by Gillian Greer
Directed by Alys MacGregor
Designed by Lydia Durnall
A provocative and intensely claustrophobic drama that reunites two former lovers in a restaurant kitchen to confront their conflicting memories of a single, life-altering night, questioning the murky boundaries of consent and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
“Greer’s play is a gripping, uncomfortable sit that refuses to offer easy answers… it captures the agonizing ‘grey area’ of a past encounter where one person remembers a romance and the other remembers a crime.” The Guardian
The Étienne Sisters & dirty butterfly - 28th to 30th May
A double-bill presented as part of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Summer Festival.
The Étienne Sisters by Ché Walker
Directed by Elena Wolfson
Designed by Alexandra Hall
A play with songs, which tracks the journey of three sisters coming to terms with their mother’s death. Working through grief, sisterhood and the long-lasting impact of generational trauma. Cleverly using music to explore emotion and relationships.
“Thrilling… Walker’s richly plotted story may be swift, but it weaves a colourful tapestry around the lives and aspirations of its three protagonists.” The Stage
dirty butterfly by debbie tucker green
Directed by Micha Mirto
Designed by Liv Jackson
A visceral, haunting exploration of voyeurism and complicity, following three neighbors in a terraced house who are inextricably linked by the sounds of domestic violence bleeding through their paper-thin walls.
“Its subject of domestic abuse… is a painful one, but also the elliptical, poetic style in which it is written demands that we read between the lines to work out the characters’ inner lives.” The Stage
King Troll & The Crocodile - 4th to 6th June
A double-bill presented as part of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Summer Festival.
King Troll by Sonali Bhattacharyya
Directed by Cleo Nester
Designed by Andrea Kilgour
A folkloric thriller examining the complex narratives and emotions surrounding the asylum system.
“Nerves jangle from the first moment, and never get a chance to calm during this cracking show that nudges activist drama into atavistic horror.” The Guardian
The Crocodile by Tom Basden
Directed by Inge-Vera Lipsius
Designed by Mima Jupp
A play exploring the crossovers in human and animalistic behaviour – based on a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky and written for the Manchester International Festival 2015.
“Tom Basden turns Dostoevsky’s allegory of capitalist inhumanity into a sharp satire on political celebrity in the Twitter age… by turns absurd, charming, and subtly sinister.” The Times
Island Town & Blackthorn - 11th to 13th June
A double-bill presented as part of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Summer Festival.
Island Town by Simon Longman
Directed by Cara Crozier-Cole
Designed by Rosa Nasr-Butler
A funny life-affirming coming of age story which follows teenagers Kate, Sam and Pete drink, chat, and dream of leaving their unnamed, dead-end British town.
“A moving three-hander about the claustrophobia and hopelessness of broken small-town life… Longman takes a potentially bleak subject and fills it with unexpected shards of humour.” The Stage
Blackthorn by Charley Miles
Directed by Bradley Lomond
Designed by Mickey Dimitrova
Blackthorn is a lyrical, decade-spanning drama that explores the shifting relationship between the only two children born into a small North Yorkshire village as they struggle to reconcile their shared past with a rapidly changing rural landscape.
“A heartbreakingly honest look at the cost of progress… It asks what happens to a community when its heart is ripped out to make way for commuters and ‘second-homers’.” The Yorkshire Post