Theatre
Bristol
is closed
2005-2023
our closure
On 10th July 2023 the Board of Theatre Bristol announced its closure. Over 18 years the organisation has created change across the sector and has provided invaluable services to countless artists and freelance creatives through events, meetings and services like this website.
Although the organisation is now closed, the resources page of this website will remain open for the next 5 years (2023-2028) continuing to provide an open access, invaluable library for the community. This page will not be updated meaning that certain content may become out of date (i.e. if Arts Council England’s funding criteria changes).
The Board and Staff would like to thank all the amazing artists, freelancers, industry colleagues, partners and funders who have worked with us over the last 18 years – you made Theatre Bristol what it was, and we couldn’t have done it without you.
At the time of writing, we are working with the University of Bristol’s Theatre Collection to catalogue Theatre Bristol’s archive materials which will be made available at a future date.
A collection
of stories
By people that connected with Theatre Bristol over its 18 years’ underneath ‘our closure’ block and before ‘a brief history
Download the storiesa brief history: 2005-2023
Theatre Bristol is an independent organisation founded in 2005 which exists to improve live performance: to make it fairer, more equal and inclusive.
In 1998 Peter Boyden Associates were commissioned to write a report on the state of Regional Theatres in the UK which resulted in a £25 million investment from the Government. The majority of that investment went into regional theatres in the hope it would filter down and develop the sector. The Arts Council South West Area proposed something different; that a relatively small portion of the funding should go into the creation of locality based plans for the development of the theatre industry. They worked alongside local councils, established theatre organisations, and theatres, to produce eight “Locality Plans” for the South West. In these early years, a steering group made up of industry representatives, including Arts Council and the Local Authority, supported Theatre Bristol to establish.
In 2005/6 social media and technology revolutionised the way we communicated. The name, Theatre Bristol was Google inspired – a search query that could signpost anyone wondering about theatre in Bristol to all the things about theatre in Bristol. In 2006, with Phelim McDermott’s support, Open Space Technology became a central practice for Theatre Bristol, providing people with the conditions to discuss the challenges they faced and propose and enact the solutions themselves. Theatre Bristol’s groundbreaking website was launched which gave visibility and support to people’s practice for the first time, whoever they were.
In 2007 Arts Council England granted Theatre Bristol the funds to work with Bristol Old Vic, and the now more developed sector, to create a new plan ‘Bristol Live’. This report played a significant role in the development of the sector; Arts Council England committed to funding for Bristol Old Vic and, along with other commitments in the city, forming an incredibly strong and dynamic sector.
In 2009, the organisation was incorporated, and moved to having a combination of staff and external Directors on the Board. Later in 2012, Theatre Bristol saw significant changes as it became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation securing regular core funding including the employment of part time Artist Support Associates.
Between 2005–2023 Theatre Bristol facilitated important industry conversations, held critical conversations about the state of the sector, commissioned work, produced and collaborated, led on important sector research and developed art form strategies with a particular focus on Dance and its future in Bristol.
It also:
- It delivered business development consultancy
- It distributed seed funding and bursaries
- It offered bespoke COVID-19 support
- It delivered business development consultancy
- It gathered relevant intelligence used to inform its work and influence others
It prioritised supporting people who experience barriers to participating and working in the arts; giving them knowledge, networks, confidence, and connections that helped them create brilliant, distinctive work and reach people locally, nationally and internationally.
In 2022 Theatre Bristol was unsuccessful with their application to continue being a National Portfolio Organisation from 2023–2026. Along with this, Bristol City Council announced a significant delay on funding decisions for their Cultural Investment Programme until March 2024.
In June 2023 after a period of business scoping the Board of Directors made the decision that it was no longer tenable to continue and on the 10th of July 2023 announced the intention to close the organisation.
visit our
resources
A collection of free resources for artists and freelance creatives