Applications now open for Bristol Open Stage 2020
20 Jan 2020
Show the world what you're made of!
On Monday 20 Jan, applications open for Bristol Old Vic’s annual Bristol Open Stage, inviting people from across Bristol and the West Country to perform at Bristol Old Vic and show the world what they’ve got!
This year Bristol Open Stage forms a key part of Bristol Old Vic’s Year of Artists, which is committed to celebrating the creative spark in us all. So if you’ve been dying to polish off your magic tricks, dust off your dancing shoes or exercise your vocal chords, come and celebrate it all with us. Everyone is welcome.
Born out of the theatre’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2016, Bristol Open Stage is open to absolutely anyone with the burning desire to perform on our historic stage. There is no audition and you don’t need to have any experience. It’s free to audiences and celebrates the huge variety of creativity our region has to offer.
The event will take place on the Bank Holiday Monday 25 May in the week of the theatre’s 254th birthday (30th May, 1766). Applications are open to anyone and previous years have seen over 300 people raise the roof on Bristol Old Vic – from choirs to circus performers, jazz musicians to spoken word artists, Bollywood dancers to mimes: the stage is yours!
Hattie De Santis, Engagement Producer at Bristol Old Vic said: “Open Stage is one of Bristol Old Vic’s treasures. The building buzzes with creativity, excitement and anticipation as Bristol’s brilliant artists share their stories on our beautiful stage. Whether you’ve been on stage before, or it’s your first time treading the boards – everyone is welcome. We cannot wait to see what the city will bring in 2020.”
The deadline for applications is Mon 30 Mar. Applicants should make note of any technical requirements they may have and be able to describe what they’d like to share in 100 words. The application form is available here: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/bristol-open-stage-2020
Everyone is welcome, but the slots available for performances at Bristol Open Stage are limited. Whilst we would be pleased to welcome back artists who have taken part in previous years, we will try to give priority to artists who haven’t participated in the event before.
Bristol Open Stage performances take place across three showcases at 12noon, 3pm and 6pm and are free for everyone to watch. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and will be available through the Box Office at tickets@bristololdvic.org.uk or 0117 987 7877.
Bristol Old Vic is the longest continuously running theatre in the UK, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2016. The historic playhouse aims to inspire audiences with its own original productions, both at home and on tour, whilst nurturing the next generation of artists, whether that be through their 350-strong Young Company, their many outreach and education projects or their trailblazing artist development programme, Bristol Ferment.
They use their funding to support experiment and innovation, to allow access to their programme for people who would not otherwise encounter it, or be able to afford it, and to keep their extraordinary heritage alive and animated.
On 24 Sep 2018, Bristol Old Vic completed its 2-year multi-million pound redevelopment project, which transformed its front of house space into a warm and welcoming public building for all of Bristol to enjoy, created a new studio theatre and opened up its unique theatrical heritage to the public for the first time.