Bristol Old Vic to host second Family Day in February full of tours, storytelling, craft activities and more!
30 Jan 2020
Following the success of last year’s Family Day in October, it’s back! Bigger and better than ever. On Saturday 15 Feb Bristol Old Vic’s Heritage Team are inviting Bristol families to an “Open House”, to explore the theatre’s thousands of stories at their own pace.
Join famous faces from the theatre’s past at a special reunion party on one of the Family Character Tours, taking curious kiddies to all the nooks and crannies of the Theatre, with characters popping up around every corner to share their stories of fame, fortune and the occasional elephant encounter! The tours are approximately 45 minutes long and suitable for ages 7+.
There is also the return of the hugely popular interactive Storytelling Session suitable for ages 18 months – 5 years, taking very young children on a magical adventure through the theatre’s past.
At the same time, our front of space will be full of craft activities throughout the day. Families can just drop in to become Bristol Old Vic’s newest costume designer and create a paper doll or mask, taking over 250 years of amazing costume design at Bristol Old Vic as inspiration.
And for children who like to keep on the move, families are also invited to try Bristol Old Vic’s Activity Trail and explore the space as a family, discovering hidden secrets, answering questions and completing game quests on the way.
If you like your family days a little more high-tech, Bristol Old Vic’s immersive augmented reality experience A Window to the Past is now available to download from the App store for the first time.* Developed by Limbic Cinema and Zubr VR, A Window to the Past enables visitors to witness first-hand how the building itself has transformed over time, jumping through a “time portal” into the 1760s through to the 1970s. Families are invited to borrow iPads from the Box Office or use their own iPads to explore this digital world.
*currently restricted to iPads only.
Visitors can also immortalise their trip to the past by taking a unique selfie using our brand new A Window to the Past Instagram story filters, developed by Zubr. Share your selfie and tag @bristololdvic1766 on Instagram for a chance to win up to 4 free places on one of our in-depth behind the scenes Theatre Tours.
Family Heritage Assistant, Harriet Wilson said: "The heritage team are so excited to welcome families from across the city back to Bristol Old Vic this February Half Term. Our theatre is overflowing with over 250 years of amazing stories ready for families to uncover through drama, storytelling, crafts and more. This building belongs to everybody so what better way to inspire the next generation to be creative and have fun?"
Listings Information:
Family Day
Sun 15 Feb
10.30am – 3pm
Bristol Old Vic
Unticketed
Family Character Tours (approx 45min duration)
12pm and 2pm
Bristol Old Vic
£6 | £4
For ages 7+
Storytelling Sessions
10.30am and 3pm
Bristol Old Vic
Unticketed
For ages 18 months-5yr
Activity Trail
All day (10.30am – 3pm)
Bristol Old Vic
Unticketed
For all ages
Craft Activities
All day (10.30am - 3pm)
Foyer, Bristol Old Vic
For all ages
Window to the Past
All day (10.30am - 3pm)
Foyer, Bristol Old Vic
For ages 8+
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.