BRISTOL OLD VIC'S YOUNG COMPANY CITY DAY TAKEOVER
7 May 2025
On Sunday, 4 May, we celebrated the final performance day of this year's Young Company City project, which has been running weekly sessions across Bristol since January.
Young Company City is a project which involves Bristol Old Vic practitioners delivering free weekly drama sessions to schools and community groups across Bristol. Young Company City aims to reach young people who have never been to Bristol Old Vic before or engaged in theatre or drama.
The BOV Engagement workshop team has been working with young people aged 10 to 25 in various settings to build confidence, creativity, and collaborative skills. This year's theme was to create a piece of theatre inspired by the concept of home, connected to the themes of our recent shows: Romeo and Juliet and A Good House.
The performance pieces were diverse and imaginative, featuring a battle between rap and pop fans, social media confusion, and a prank day. Over 100 young people participated in a day filled with tours, workshops, and performances in front of friends and family.
We extend a huge thank you to our partners: Briarwood School, Cotham School, City Academy, Merchants Academy, Felix Road Adventure Playground, the City of Bristol College, and Docklands Youth Club.
The work you are doing is so important. It is more than just a weekly drama session. You are giving access and a sense of belonging to learning-disabled young adults and building their cultural capital in a way that will help them in their futures.
Roxanne Butler, Bristol City College
Young Company City has enabled us to get students who would not usually select drama to take part in an ongoing creative project during the school day. The flexibility and creativity of BOV has enabled students to learn and grow and they get a huge confidence boost from taking part.
Ross Geoghan, Cotham School
Young Company City is a hugely important part of our programme. It allows us to meet people where they are and run sessions in their community and slowly build a bridge between their area and the theatre by inviting them in to see shows and eventually perform on our stages. The performance day is so special and really celebrates the work of the young people, our partners and workshop teams in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Lucy Hunt, Engagement Director, Bristol Old Vic
Young Company City is such a joyful project to be a part of. Over the past 12 weeks, it’s been a real privilege to watch these young people grow – not just as performers, but in their confidence, focus, and ability to work as part of a team.. At the start, some of the group were so quiet I barely heard their voices in the room, so to watch them all on the Bristol Old Vic main stage, projecting their lines with confidence and clarity, was both moving and deeply inspiring. I have enjoyed every second of working with this brilliant group, and to see their friends and family cheer them on from the audience made the experience all the more special.
Paige Stevens, Trainee BOVYC Director and YCC Leader
It was amazing to see her on stage – she was so brilliant! I was so proud I could’ve burst. I didn’t know she was a performer, but she looked so at home on the stage. Now I just want to see her do it again and again.
Grandparent of one of the Young People involved with YCC
Young Company City has been running since 2021, when Bristol Old Vic and Bristol City Council worked together to reach young people across Bristol and to explore how they felt about their city as part of the Belonging Strategy. For subsequent years, the themes have been taken from the Bristol Old Vic Programme and have included bringing the groups of young people to see productions as inspiration before creating their own pieces of theatre.
For more information and how to get involved, email engagement@bristoldvic.org.uk
