Theatres in Bristol did not need a Renaissance; the creativity and appetite for theatre in the region has meant that rude health, if not quite taken for granted, was something tender nurturing could look to in confidence. Nevertheless rebirths have come along against the grain of cultural short rations from local governments ignorant of the part ‘culture’ plays in the economy whilst looking for easy and relatively uncontested cuts.  ‘Bright Sparks’, ‘High Flyers’, ‘Creatives’, call ‘em what you will, those members of our society able to generate wealth and regenerate communities, seek out places that not only offer the necessary financial and business/creative environment, but also provide the broader cultural atmosphere that makes one want to live in an area and is available to enrich the lives of all. Not long ago we had the relocation of the Wardrobe Theatre as part of a new eating/ drinking/ nightlife complex, The Old Market Assembly, in the vanguard of the regeneration of a run-down part of Bristol. A few weeks ago the mighty Bristol Old Vic threw open its doors to the community with a bold new foyer/restaurant development (and groundbreaking programme of work) and now The Tobacco Factory, one of Europe’s leading ‘Venue’ theatres (for want of a better term) can once again style itself in the plural with the opening of the brand new, Spielman Theatre, a new studio theatre to complement the ‘main house’.

The new studio is named after the Spielman Charitable Trust who, along with former mayor, George Ferguson, were the principle donors to the project, which in total came to some £1.5 million. Mr Ferguson made a gift of the lease to the theatre space – equivalent to some £750K. Other generous donors including the Arts Council showed their commitment to and belief in the project with varying contributions.

The new eighty-four seat theatre will allow a wider diversity of plays and entertainments to be both produced ‘in house’ or received from touring companies. Artistic director, Mike Tweddle is keen to establish working relationships with other theatres having similar programmes of work, such as the Soho Theatre. The current show in the main house, Beautiful Thing is in association with The Dukes Lancaster. He tells me that the studio will allow him to put on slightly riskier ventures that financial constraints prevent him from producing in the main space. The theatre needs to (and does) run at 80%+ capacity in order to survive.

The Spielman Trust is particularly interested in supporting artistic ventures that are linked to youth and educational projects – something that fits in well with the TFT remit to develop and expand interest in and accessibility to theatre and other performing arts. Future plans include regular ‘Ferment’ style orgies of creativity where – particularly local – practitioners can have their projects explored in a professional environment with a view to developing material into full-blown productions. So the message goes out, ‘Come on Bristol get involved!’.  Will Mike be directing stuff in the new space? ‘I can’t wait to get my hands on it,’ is the enthusiastic reply. For the time being though his thoughts are on A Midsummer Night’s Dream which he will be directing in February after the Christmas show, The Borrowers, which has already been extended by a week owing to the unprecedented pre-show booking.

The Tobacco Factory seems set to go from strength to strength, showing that, far from being a ‘vanity project’, cultural activity with all its ramifications is a vital part of the life of a city and its communities.

Graham Wyles   25^th October 2018