Not long ago, the Bristol Old Vic (The Theatre Royal Bristol) celebrated 250 years as a continuous working theatre – the oldest in the English speaking world.
The story of the theatre’s early life is a Romantic one of clandestine secrecy. When it ‘opened’ in 1766 theatre was under iron censorship, and it was something of an illegal venue, the entrance initially hidden behind a row of houses. Picture the early theatregoer, knocking on the door of several private homes, before one opened and led them out to a hidden backyard and through to the real theatre door!
As recompense, however, those who had donated money for the theatre’s construction got a special silver coin that granted them free ‘sight of every performance’.
During the 2012 refurbishment, some backstage graffiti was uncovered: the name E. J. Harwell 1859, under which he had etched the picture of a ship in full sail. When researched, this turned out to be the theatre’s carpenter who was also a ship’s carpenter. In those days, a ship’s crew often doubled as stage crew.
There are, of course, many stories in this theatre of stories – of ghosts – of crew, actors and audiences past.
