A Tea Party for Patricia Routledge

On December 3rd, we had the pleasure of holding a small celebration in Patricia Routledge’s honour and officially renaming Studio 5 as The Routledge Studio.

The party was attended by a small group, including Trustee of the Patricia Routledge Foundation Matthew Simms, recipients of bursaries provided by Dame Patricia, as well as staff and students. It was a wonderful afternoon for us all to come together to remember Patricia, her Bristol Old Vic Theatre School journey, and her dedication and kindness to future generations of theatre professionals.

Our lovely new sign was created by some of our talented BA Production Arts students, and it’s wonderful to have this new piece of our history to look back on for years to come. The celebration also gave us the chance to display our treasured archive photobook, including photos of Patricia as we begin looking ahead to our 80th anniversary in 2026.

We are deeply grateful for Dame Patricia Routledge’s enthusiasm, faith and dedication to our School. She loved it dearly and thought of it so fondly, and we will miss her greatly.

For decades, Dame Patricia supported students training at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School through the Patricia Routledge Foundation. The Foundation has provided significant funding through bursaries that helped students afford their training. These bursaries have reached more than 30 graduates so far, and her philanthropic legacy will continue to live on through all those whose careers she helped set in motion.

We are so thankful for everything she brought to our School community, and her spirit will always remain a special part of our story. The name change to the Routledge studio, we hope, will inspire our future cohorts and inspire them to be their authentic selves.