Be part of the Beautiful Future | Call out for young people's voices to join exciting audio project
4 Apr 2025
Would you like to join hundreds of voices as part of an audio installation at Bristol Old Vic next month?
In May, The Beautiful Future is Coming by Flora Wilson Brown opens in a major new production at BOV. It's a fast-paced, funny and wildly inventive play looking at 250 years of real and imagined history of climate change, and holding onto hope and humanity against all odds.
Because this is a play about the future we want to see, we knew we had to have young people's voices represented...
📢 THE PROJECT:
THE BEAUTIFUL FUTURE | VOICES OF TOMORROW
We are creating a community project inviting young people across Bristol to record audio messages imagining the future they want to see.
These messages will be open for the public to listen to at the theatre throughout the play’s run.
The installation will be focused around a 5m tall living tree which will live in the foyer of Bristol Old Vic for the duration of the run as a visual reminder of hope in the future.
Alongside the production, The Beautiful Future: Voices of Tomorrow will showcase the hopes, dreams, and concerns of young people in Bristol, reflecting their visions for a greener, fairer world.
📢 HOW IT WORKS:
- Young people (aged 8–25) are invited to submit 30-120 second audio recordings answering: “What does a beautiful future look like to you?” You can send as a voice memo from your smartphone or any other way that you like*.
Maybe you want to read a letter to a child living in 2100? Maybe you’d like to write a poem or song about what you hope the world looks like in 50, 100 or maybe 1000 years’ time? It’s up to you!
What are the things you worry about today for our planet and what would you like to see change so that the future is a beautiful one?
- Submissions open throughout April 2025 – simply email your recording or voice memo to press@bristololdvic.org.uk
DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND AGE (just your first name is fine!)
You may also be in with a chance to read your message in person at the launch event on 15 May at Bristol Old Vic. - Selected messages will be curated into an immersive soundscape, available for audiences to listen to at Bristol Old Vic.
- A QR code & online playlist will allow people to engage with the project remotely.
* we can also accept alternative forms of entry for those with access requirements - please get in touch with press@bristololdvic.org.uk if you need any assistance.
Bristol is a city of change-makers, and our young people are already leading the way on climate action. This project is a way to celebrate their voices and bring them into the conversation in a creative, impactful way.
Nancy Medina, Artistic Director Bristol Old Vic
So often, conversations around climate change are dominated by fear and paralysis. But storytelling has the power to shift perspectives. This play—and the youth voices project—are about reclaiming optimism, giving people permission to imagine a better world.
Flora Wilson Brown, playwright
INSTALLATION DETAILS
📍 Venue: Bristol Old Vic 📅 Dates: 15May–7June 2025 🔊 Audio Installation: Open throughout the run of the show
