# List of theatres in Bristol

This is a list of theatres in Bristol, England. Listed spaces have been primarily used for theatre in the past or are in current use. Many other spaces in the city have hosted plays.
Early theatrical performances were associated with religious feasts such as Christmas and St Katherine's Day. Schoolboys from St Bartholomew's Hospital are recorded as having performed plays, probably classical drama, in the 16th century. Touring companies such as the Queen's Men, the Admiral's Men and the Lord Chamberlain's Men performed frequently at the guildhall during the 1580s and the 1590s. In the early 17th century, two private playhouses were opened, the Wine Street Playhouse and Redcliffe Hall. Drama historian Mark Pilkington considers this "a situation unique in the provinces." During the period of the Commonwealth (1642–1659) drama was suppressed and playhouses throughout England were closed. In the late 17th century a playhouse was erected in Tucker Street near Bristol Bridge, but there were complaints by clergy and residents and the theatre was closed in 1704 and converted into a Presbyterian meeting house.
In 1729, a new theatre was opened at Jacob's Well by an actor named John Hippisley, who had created the character of Peachum in the premiere of Gay's Beggar's Opera. Lying outside the then city limits, the theatre was safe from the magistrates and it remained in business until, in 1766, the Theatre Royal was opened in King Street. The Theatre Royal has remained in business almost continuously ever since and is claimed to be Britain's oldest working theatre. The New Theatre Royal, later renamed as the Prince's Theatre, was opened in 1867 on Park Row, with a larger stage and auditorium than the King Street premises. In the last decades of the 19th century and the early 20th century a number of music halls were opened but most became cinemas by the mid-20th century. Most Prominent of these is the Bristol Hippodrome, which opened in 1912, and which regularly hosts opera, West End Musicals, dance and variety.
Since the 1970s a number of arts centres and small venues have opened with regular visiting companies and amateur productions. Although funding cuts have led to the closure of venues such as the Albany Centre and the Hope Centre, other venues such as the Alma Tavern Theatre and the Tobacco Factory Theatre have taken their place.

## List

| Name | Address | Opened | Seats | Use | Notes |
| 1532 Performing Arts Centre | Elton Road, Clifton | 2016 | 245 | theatre, musicals, lectures | based on the campus of Bristol Grammar School |
| Albany Centre | Shaftesbury Avenue, Montpelier | 1982 | 200 | theatre, comedy, dance | now an artist led cooperative, used as a rehearsal space |
| Alhambra Theatre | | 1870 | ?? | music hall | also known as the Forester's Music Hall, demolished 1900 |
| Alma Tavern Theatre | Alma Vale Road, Clifton | 1997 | 50 | pub theatre | an intimate studio theatre, home to Schoolhouse Productions (the in-house company since 2017), and also hosting touring companies such as Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Red Rope, Hecate Theatre, Awkward Productions, and many more. |
| Arnolfini | Narrow Quay | 1975 | 209 | theatre, live art, dance, film | arts centre, with adjacent galley spaces and bookshop |
| Bedminster Hippodrome | East Street, Bedminster | 1911 | ?? | music hall, theatre | converted into a cinema in 1915 |
| Bierkeller Theatre | All Saints Street | 2012 | 200 | theatre, comedy | receiving house, former nightclub Closed 2018. |
| Brewery Theatre | North Street, Bedminster | 2009 | 90 | theatre, comedy | programmed by the Tobacco Factory Theatre |
| Bristol Hippodrome | St Augustines Parade | 1912 | 1,981 | theatre, musicals, comedy, concerts, opera | receiving house operated by Ambassador Theatre Group |
| Broadweir Theatre/Vaudeville Theatre/Gem Electric | Broadweir | ?? | ?? | music hall | later a boxing club, damaged in the Bristol Blitz, 1941 |
| Canterbury Music Hall | Maryport Street | 1855 | ?? | music hall | converted into dining rooms in 1863 |
| Circus of Varieties | Park Row | c. 1890 | ?? | music hall | later a rolling skating rink, cinema and aircraft factory, destroyed in the Bristol Blitz, 1941 |
| Cube Microplex | Kings Square | 1969 | 108 | burlesque, performance art, film | formerly the Arts Centre, Kings Square |
| Empire Theatre | Old Market | 1893 | 1,433 | music hall, theatre | converted into a cinema in 1931, demolished in the 1960s |
| Hen and Chicken | North Street, Bedminster | 1988 | 150 | theatre, comedy | has hosted Bristol Old Vic and Show of Strength Theatre Company in the past |
| Hope Centre | Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells | 1980 | 220 | theatre, dance, comedy, concerts | closed as an arts centre in 2005, but still hosting the Hotwells Pantomime |
| Jacobs Well Theatre | Jacobs Wells Road | 1729 | ?? | theatre | closed 1779 |
| Kuumba | Hepburn Road, St Pauls | 1980 | 130 | theatre, comedy, concerts | Afro-Caribbean arts centre, receiving venue |
| L Shed | Princes Wharf | 1998 | 600 | theatre, conferences | part of the M Shed museum, has hosted Bristol Old Vic and Head, Hearts and Two Fingers productions |
| Little Theatre | Colston Street | 1923 | 300 | theatre | turned into a bar for the Colston Hall in 1980; has since been re-purposed as a music venue (the Lantern). |
| New Vic | King Street | 1972 | 150 | theatre, comedy | studio theatre of the Bristol Old Vic; closed and demolished 2016 to make way for a new foyer building |
| Park Street Music Hall | Park Street, Clifton | c. 1840 | ?? | music hall | demolished ?? |
| People's Palace/New Palace/Gaumont | Baldwin Street | 1892 | 3,000 | music hall, theatre | later a cinema (1912) and nightclub (1974); converted to flats in 2021. |
| Prince's Theatre | Park Row | 1867 | 2,154 | theatre, music hall | destroyed in the Bristol Blitz, 1941 |
| QEH Theatre | Jacobs Well Road, Clifton | 1990 | 202 | theatre, comedy, concerts | owned and operated by QEH School |
| Redcliffe Hall | Redcliffe Hill | c. 1610 | ?? | theatre | mentioned in the will of Sarah Barker, 1637 |
| Redgrave Theatre | Perceval Road, Clifton | 1965 | 320 | theatre, comedy, concerts | owned and operated by Clifton College |
| St Monica Home Theatre | Cote Lane, Westbury-on-Trym | 1925 | c. 1,000 | theatre | located in a nursing home, still occasionally used for performances |
| Theatre Royal | King Street | 1776 | 500 | theatre, comedy, concerts, opera | main house of the Bristol Old Vic |
| The Thekla | The Grove | 1982 | 150 | theatre, comedy and music in the 1980s | now a nightclub |
| Tivoli Theatre | Broadmead | 1870 | 300 | music hall | demolished in 1952 |
| Tobacco Factory Theatre | North Street, Bedminster | 1998 | 240 | theatre, comedy | former factory housed, hosting visiting companies with in-house productions |
| Tucker Street Theatre | Tucker Street | c. 1680 | ?? | theatre | converted into a presbyterian meeting room c.1704 |
| Wardrobe Theatre | West Street, Old Market | 2015 | 100 | pub theatre | in a space at the Old Market Assembly since 2015. Previously at the White Bear on St Michael's Hill. |
| Weston Studio | King Street | 2018 | 188 | theatre | new studio theatre of the Bristol Old Vic, located in barrel vaults of Coopers' Hall. Named for sponsors the Garfield Weston Foundation. |
| Wickham Theatre | Park Row | 1964 | 100 | theatre | home of University of Bristol Drama Department |
| Wine Street Playhouse | Wine Street | 1604 | ?? | theatre | built by Nicholas Woolfe, closed 1625 |
| Winston Theatre | Queens Road, Clifton | 1965 | 204 | theatre | University of Bristol Union drama space |