List of theatres in Bristol
Introduction The Cooper's Hall in King Street is the main entrance to the Theatre Royal, home of the Bristol Old Vic.The Alma Tavern, which houses a pub theatre in CliftonThis is a '''list of theatres''' in Bristol, England. Listed spaces have been primarily used for theatre in the past or are in current use. Many other spaces in the city have hosted plays.Early theatrical performances were associated with religious feasts such as Christmas and St Katherine's Day. Schoolboys from St Bartholomew's Hospital are recorded as having performed plays, probably classical drama, in the 16th century. Touring companies such as the Queen's Men, the Admiral's Men and the Lord Chamberlain's Men performed frequently at the guildhall during the 1580s and the 1590s. In the early 17th century, two private playhouses were opened, the Wine Street Playhouse and Redcliffe Hall. Drama historian Mark Pilkington considers this "a situation unique in the provinces." During the period of the Commonwealth (1642–1659) drama was suppressed and playhouses throughout England were closed. In the late 17th century a playhouse was erected in Tucker Street near Bristol Bridge, but there were complaints by clergy and residents and the theatre was closed in 1704 and converted into a Presbyterian meeting house.In 1729, a new theatre was opened at Jacob's Well by an actor named John Hippisley, who had created the character of Peachum in the premiere of Gay's Beggar's Opera. Lying outside the then city limits, the theatre was safe from the magistrates and it remained in business until, in 1766, the Theatre Royal was opened in King Street. The Theatre Royal has remained in business almost continuously ever since and is claimed to be Britain's oldest working theatre. The New Theatre Royal, later renamed as the Prince's Theatre, was opened in 1867 on Park Row, with a larger stage and auditorium than the King Street premises. In the last decades of the 19th century and the early 20th century a number of music halls were opened but most became cinemas by the mid-20th century. Most Prominent of these is the Bristol Hippodrome, which opened in 1912, and which regularly hosts opera, West End Musicals, dance and variety.Since the 1970s a number of arts centres and small venues have opened with regular visiting companies and amateur productions. Although funding cuts have led to the closure of venues such as the Albany Centre and the Hope Centre, other venues such as the Alma Tavern Theatre and the Tobacco Factory Theatre have taken their place.
List NameAddressOpenedSeatsUseNotes1532 Performing Arts CentreElton Road, Clifton2016245theatre, musicals, lecturesbased on the campus of Bristol Grammar School Albany Centre  Shaftesbury Avenue, Montpelier  1982  200  theatre, comedy, dance  now an artist led cooperative, used as a rehearsal space Alhambra Theatre    1870  ? ? music hall  also known as the Forester's Music Hall, demolished 1900 Alma Tavern Theatre  Alma Vale Road, Clifton  1997  50  pub theatre  an intimate studio theatre, home to Schoolhouse Productions (the in-house company since 2017), and also hosting touring companies such as Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Red Rope, Hecate Theatre, Awkward Productions, and many more. Arnolfini  Narrow Quay  1975  209  theatre, live art, dance, film  arts centre, with adjacent galley spaces and bookshop Bedminster Hippodrome  East Street, Bedminster  1911  ? ? music hall, theatre  converted into a cinema in 1915 Bierkeller Theatre  All Saints Street  2012  200  theatre, comedy  receiving house, former nightclub Closed 2018.Brewery Theatre  North Street, Bedminster  2009  90  theatre, comedy  programmed by the Tobacco Factory Theatre Bristol Hippodrome  St Augustines Parade  1912  1,981  theatre, musicals, comedy, concerts, opera  receiving house operated by Ambassador Theatre Group Broadweir Theatre/Vaudeville Theatre/Gem Electric  Broadweir  ? ? ? ? music hall  later a boxing club, damaged in the Bristol Blitz, 1941 Canterbury Music Hall  Maryport Street  1855  ? ? music hall  converted into dining rooms in 1863 Circus of Varieties  Park Row  c. 1890  ? ? music hall  later a rolling skating rink, cinema and aircraft factory, destroyed in the Bristol Blitz, 1941 Cube Microplex  Kings Square  1969  108  burlesque, performance art, film  formerly the Arts Centre, Kings Square Empire Theatre  Old Market  1893  1,433  music hall, theatre  converted into a cinema in 1931, demolished in the 1960s Hen and Chicken  North Street, Bedminster  1988  150  theatre, comedy  has hosted Bristol Old Vic and Show of Strength Theatre Company in the past Hope Centre  Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells  1980  220  theatre, dance, comedy, concerts  closed as an arts centre in 2005, but still hosting the Hotwells PantomimeJacobs Well Theatre  Jacobs Wells Road  1729  ? ? theatre  closed 1779 Kuumba  Hepburn Road, St Pauls  1980  130  theatre, comedy, concerts  Afro-Caribbean arts centre, receiving venue L Shed  Princes Wharf  1998  600  theatre, conferences  part of the M Shed museum, has hosted Bristol Old Vic and Head, Hearts and Two Fingers productions Little Theatre  Colston Street  1923  300  theatre  turned into a bar for the Colston Hall in 1980; has since been re-purposed as a music venue (the Lantern) but is now closed during the redevelopment of the Colston Hall complex. New Vic  King Street  1972  150  theatre, comedy  studio theatre of the Bristol Old Vic; closed and demolished 2016 to make way for a new foyer building Park Street Music Hall  Park Street, Clifton  c. 1840  ? ? music hall  demolished ? ? People's Palace/New Palace/Gaumont  Baldwin Street  1892  3,000  music hall, theatre  later a cinema (1912), nightclub since 1974 Prince's Theatre  Park Row  1867  2,154  theatre, music hall  destroyed in the Bristol Blitz, 1941 QEH Theatre  Jacobs Well Road, Clifton  1990  202  theatre, comedy, concerts  owned and operated by QEH School Redcliffe Hall  Redcliffe Hill  c. 1610  ? ? theatre  mentioned in the will of Sarah Barker, 1637 Redgrave Theatre  Perceval Road, Clifton  1965  320  theatre, comedy, concerts  owned and operated by Clifton College St Monica Home Theatre  Cote Lane, Westbury-on-Trym  1925  c. 1,000  theatre  located in a nursing home, still occasionally used for performances Theatre Royal  King Street  1776  500  theatre, comedy, concerts, opera  main house of the Bristol Old Vic The Thekla  The Grove  1982  150  theatre, comedy and music in the 1980s  now a nightclub Tivoli Theatre  Broadmead  1870  300  music hall  demolished in 1952 Tobacco Factory Theatre  North Street, Bedminster  1998  240  theatre, comedy  former factory housed, hosting visiting companies with in-house productions Tucker Street Theatre  Tucker Street  c. 1680  ? ? theatre  converted into a presbyterian meeting room c.1704 Wardrobe Theatre West Street, Old Market 2015  100  pub theatre  in a space at the Old Market Assembly since 2015.Previously at the White Bear on St Michael's Hill. Weston Studio  King Street 2018  188  theatre  new studio theatre of the Bristol Old Vic, located in barrel vaults of Coopers' Hall. Named for sponsors the Garfield Weston Foundation.Wickham Theatre  Park Row  1964  100  theatre  home of University of Bristol Drama DepartmentWine Street Playhouse  Wine Street  1604  ? ? theatre  built by Nicholas Woolfe, closed 1625 Winston Theatre  Queens Road, Clifton  1965  204  theatre  University of Bristol Union drama space
See also *Culture in Bristol*List of theatres in the United Kingdom
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