The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School was founded in 1946, shortly after the company; its original object to train potential actors from the West of England for amateur as well as professional work. It was the only training school directly linked to a professional company, and for its first ten years was housed in a single studio above a vegetable warehouse on the quayside close to the Theatre, opened by Laurence Olivier.
In 1956, thanks partly to the West End success of the Bristol Old Vic's production of Salad Days, and a generous grant from the Dulverton Trust, the present premises overlooking the Downs were purchased and converted. Over the years new facilities have been added: a large rehearsal studio, scenery workshops, a radio and television studio, and a dance studio.
It is an industry-led vocational training establishment, preparing Actors, Actresses, Stage Managers, Carpenters, Electricians, Sound Technicians, Costumiers, Designers, Property Makers, and Directors for careers in Theatre, Radio, Television, Film, Trade Presentations, Recording Studios, and other ever-increasing areas of employment.
Graduates include Patrick Stewart, Annette Crosbie, Patricia Routledge, Brian Blessed, Barbara Leigh Hunt, Gene Wilder, Jane Lapotaire, Simon Cadell, Tim Piggott-Smith, Jenny Seagrove, Greta Scacchi, Miranda Richardson, and two Best Actor winners Daniel Day Lewis and Jeremy Irons.
In 1989 the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Ltd was established as an independent trust, and bought the school premises from the Bristol Old Vic Trust. Despite this legal separation, there are still close links, and Theatre School productions are regularly staged in King Street.
Appearing this month in 1979
Title: Guys and Dolls Author: Damon Runyon