What's On Thu 12 – Sat 14 Nov
Inside the theatre that has been open since 1766, and what’s on there this week
Bristol Old Vic has been staging plays on King Street since 1766. This week its Georgian auditorium hosts Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo’s First World War story.
Walk down cobbled King Street and you pass a theatre that first opened its doors in 1766. Bristol Old Vic describes itself as the English-speaking world’s oldest continuously working theatre. Its Georgian auditorium is still where audiences sit tonight, more than 250 years later.
This week: Private Peaceful
From Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 November, the main theatre stages Private Peaceful, adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s novel and directed by Simon Reade. The book follows Tommo Peaceful, a young soldier in the First World War, and the brother he grew up with in the Devon countryside.
The production comes from The Production Garden, in association with Exeter Northcott. It runs for 1 hour 20 minutes with no interval. The theatre recommends it for ages 9 and up, so it works for families and school groups as well as adults.
There are five performances:
- Thursday 12 November, 7pm
- Friday 13 November, 2pm and 7pm
- Saturday 14 November, 2pm and 7pm
Tickets start at £13 for the Friday matinee, including a £1 booking fee. Members of Club BOV, the theatre’s scheme for 16 to 30-year-olds, can get £5 tickets for the Thursday evening show. Groups of eight or more save 15%. Be aware that the show contains haze, smoke and loud sound effects, including gunshots and explosions.
The building
The theatre has changed a great deal since 1766, but the heart of it is still the Georgian auditorium. When it was restored in 2012, a tarred gutter was found to be a thunder run, an 18th-century way of making the sound of thunder over the audience.
In 2018 the theatre finished a two-year redevelopment of its front of house. As part of it, Coopers’ Hall, the Grade I listed building that forms the theatre’s frontage on King Street, was returned to its Georgian layout.
Why it matters to Bristol
In 1946 the newly formed Bristol Old Vic Company became the first publicly funded theatre outside London. That same year it set up Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to train actors for its company and for the country. The school has trained generations of actors since.
Go behind the scenes
If you want to see more than the stage, the theatre runs guided tours. Theatre Tours run from 14 November to 19 December and take in the Georgian auditorium, the working paint shop, the Weston Studio and Coopers’ Hall. The Thunder Run Experience runs from 13 November 2026 to 6 March 2027. Check the theatre’s website for times and prices.
Map
Sources
Last checked 8 November 2026. Details change, so check the official link before you go.