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20th December 2023
This spring, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School take to the city’s stages with four productions pulsing with power, passion and peril. Featuring striking adaptations of two Shakespeare classics – Twelfth Night and Julius Caesar – along with Lucy Prebble’s acclaimed A Very Expensive Poison and Nina Raine’s timely NHS drama Tiger Country, the season crackles with urgency and imagination.
Audiences will be transported from the fraught political arenas of ancient Rome to the romantic intrigue of 1600s Europe, the chilling halls of Soviet Russia, and the make-or-break pressures within a strained London hospital. Don’t miss Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s 2024 spring season as they breathe life into old favourites and bring new stories to Bristol’s stages.
A Very Expensive Poison
17 – 24 Feb, Circomedia (St Paul’s Church)
Written by Luke Harding | Adapted by Lucy Prebble
Directed by Aaron Parsons | Designed by Jess Brown and Millie Richmond
His name was Alexander Litvinenko. A former Russian intelligence officer turned vocal Putin critic, granted asylum in Britain – but his outspoken opposition would prove fatal. Seen profoundly through the eyes of Litvinenko’s grieving wife Marina, award-winning playwright Lucy Prebble untangles the events of a shocking assassination on British soil, based on Luke Harding’s gripping novel.
The students of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School are thrilled to return to the evocative setting of St Paul’s Church, hot off the heels of their galvanising 2022 production of Emilia. Join us this March and be prepared to delve into a scandalous spy drama that will leave you questioning where fact ends and fiction begins. Suitable for ages 14+.
Tickets from £11, available at circomedia.com.
Twelfth Night
29 Feb – 2 Mar, Malcolm X Community Centre
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Geoffrey Brumlik | Designed by Holly Coulson and Sophie Land
Love and disguise intertwine for comedic chaos in Twelfth Night. With graceful period design, director Geoffrey Brumlik transports Shakespeare’s famous romantic comedy to 1600s Europe – where affairs of the heart prove potent…but perilous.
When shipwrecked Viola assumes the guise of a man in the court of lovelorn Duke Orsino, delightful deception runs amok. The Countess Olivia’s devoted pursuit of the disguised Viola soon entangles all our players in a maze of mistaken identities and passion. Experience Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s take on this classic and beloved farce about the masks we wear for unrequited love. Suitable for ages 11+.
Tickets from £12, available at bristololdvic.org.uk.
Julius Caesar
7 – 9 Mar, Malcolm X Community Centre
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tanuja Amarasuriya | Designed by Holly Coulson and Ally Williams
In a realm where political power lies in errant hands, what cost comes with the struggle for change? Bristol Old Vic Theatre School tackles these timeless questions in Shakespeare’s chilling tragedy, Julius Caesar.
Through intimate staging that draws the audience into the heart of the action, this production examines whether violence can ever serve noble ends. As competing factions wrestle fiercely for the soul of Rome, director Tanuja Amarasuriya explores the brutal chaos that results when hasty leaders lose their sight on the greater good. Suitable for ages 11+.
Tickets from £12, available at bristololdvic.org.uk.
Tiger Country
9 – 16 Mar, Tobacco Factory Theatres
Written by Nina Raine
Directed by Nico Rao Pimparé | Designed by Annabel Edkins and Sarah Tring
This March, take a peek at life inside a London hospital at Christmastime. Exhausted A&E staff power through gruelling shifts to care for patients and battle management, while finding little time for festive cheer.
Nina Raine’s wry yet compassionate Tiger Country spotlights the hectic days and nights of unsung NHS heroes. In an era of perpetual healthcare crises, this timely play serves as an entertaining yet moving portrait of embattled frontline workers soldiering on no matter the season. Suitable for ages 14+
Tickets from £13, available at tobaccofactorytheatres.com from 11 Jan 2024.
