Orpheus and Eurydice: BOV's biggest community show
1 Aug 2023
Orpheus and Eurydice is nearly here! The largest community project we've ever undertaken.
A decade in development and a year in the making. It involves seven Bristol community groups and over 140 people of all ages, and backgrounds.
The show is made completely by non-professional actors and we wanted to introduce the brilliant companies to you ahead of their show beginning at the end of the month.
Joining in with groups like these can be lifechanging, life-enhancing or just plain fun!
Come and say hello..
Bristol Old Vic Young Company is one of the largest regional youth theatres in the UK, open to anyone aged 3-25.
It provides an ongoing programme of weekly sessions, theatre masterclasses, community projects and full scale performances to over 300 young people.
Resident at BOV, Young SixSix is an ensemble of young people from across the centre and north of Bristol that meets regularly at Bristol Old Vic to make and watch theatre. The aim of the project is to offer pathways into theatre for young people who may not have considered it before.
Formed in 2013, Bristol Old Vic Adult Company is a participatory theatre class for non-professional actors from Bristol. It runs termly at BOV and is open to all. The sessions had a strong focus on creating and devising, and explored various theatrical skills including improvisation, text-based stories, physical theatre, puppetry/object animation and character-building.
Oi Polloi is based at BOV and is a creative programme that works with adults with lived experience of homelessness, people who use drugs or alcohol, or feel socially isolated for other reasons. It is for adults who want to develop their creativity and confidence through creative play and ensemble theatre making.
The project started in 2019 out of Cardboard Citizen’s national programme Cardboard Camps. Now working in partnership with Bristol Drugs Project, the project provides a safe and supportive space for individuals to try out new skills and make work together.
(BOV, each Monday term-time)
Our community choir is led by Chloe Thurlow, a graduate of the 'Made in Bristol' scheme. Chloe is passionate about bringing music and theatre together and creating a sense of community through singing.
Their repertoire is a mixture of folk songs, noughties classics, and music from iconic Bristol Old Vic productions. Theres no fee and no audition process and we welcome beginners and experienced singers alike.
ACTA Company (based in Bedminster)
ACTA is a community theatre hub in Bedminster who work with people from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. ACTA COMPANY is for adults who have worked with ACTA through various programmes and who have the most theatre experience.
Meadows to Meaders (based in Southmead)
Meadows to Meaders (M2M) began in 2016 when Bristol Old Vic Engagement team worked with the group to create a soap opera based on the history of development of Southmead housing estate after WW2. The group have continued to develop the soap opera and are now working towards M2M:5!
