The continuing survival of Bristol Old Vic was never going to be
a simple process. Since the announcement was made on 10th May to close
the theatre for an 18-month refurbishment, questions have been raised
about the fabric of the building, the possible success of an appeal
to refurbish, the artistic policy and our relationship with the Arts
Council.
The harsh truth is that Bristol Old Vic has been living on borrowed
time for several years, largely due to the limitations of our beautiful
but flawed Georgian auditorium and its 450 usable seats. Two main
problems came to light over recent months: the building was in desperate
need of refurbishment, especially the extremely uncomfortable seating,
and, although largely critically successful, the shows were not reaching
box office targets.
Our understanding of the state of the building became clearer in
the week leading up to the announcement of closure and the Board were
briefed on the 4th May on the presence of asbestos, poor electrical
wiring and poor plumbing. While these issues presented no immediate
concerns for the remainder of the season, this detailed information
as to the actual state of a public space and the potential future
dangers to Bristol Old Vic’s workforce, meant that we had now
reached a point where to delay would have been irresponsible. On its
own these problems could have been addressed - work could have been
carried out to a basic level of repair and the autumn season could
have continued. However, the decline of Bristol Old Vic’s box
office, following overspends on some productions brought our finances
to the brink of failure, where trustees could not be confident that
the planned programme for autumn/winter 2007/2008 would be affordable
or successful at generating necessary sales.
The continued collapse in ticket sales for the spring/summer season
confirmed our fear that the work on stage needed to be reviewed. The
trustees, working closely with the Arts Council, saw the need to review
the work of Bristol Old Vic. At no point in this process did Arts
Council England force the board to close Bristol Old Vic nor does
it have the power to do so. We continue to have a close and supportive
relationship with the Arts Council and long may it continue.
A lot of comment has been made regarding our autumn season and the
high calibre of productions due to take place at that time. The quality
of that artistic programme was never in doubt. However, given the
declining box office over the last season and its cumulative effect,
the extremely high box office targets needed for the autumn season
to work financially was too great a risk. It was therefore considered
to be a more prudent business decision to close on 1st August, leaving
the organisation in a financially viable position to plan for the
future.
On the question of the appeal, of course this is going to be tough
in the current economic climate. Nevertheless, the fantastic news
of the Linbury Trust’s contribution of £1 million towards
the appeal, instantly doubling the contributions already raised from
Trusts and the private sector, gives confidence that the target can
be reached. Alongside a funding pledge of £2 million from the
Arts Council and £1 million from Bristol City Council, this
brings the total to £5 million at which point a significant
amount of work can be committed to. However, we still have to raise
an additional £2 million through the public sector to reach
our £7 million target.
Where to go from here? This decision now allows a full and wide-ranging
strategy review to be produced in consultation with BOV supporters,
Arts Council England and Bristol City Council, theatre practitioners
and the Bristol community, to ensure a relevant, vibrant and successful
theatre for the future – for Bristol and the nation at large.
There is no doubt that Bristol Old Vic does have a future, that it
has a place in the theatre community both locally and nationally and
that this future will be all the brighter for having access to a premises
worthy of its rich history and heritage.
