Tobacco Factory Theatre's Brewery goes into production
The opening of the Brewery, marks the outstanding success of a tiny fringe venue that has blossomed into one of the South West’s most important modern theatres.
The Tobacco Factory Theatre had a modest start. The Show of Strength Theatre Company were invited to use part of the first floor of an old Tobacco Factory that had recently been acquired by Bristol based architect George Ferguson.
Pushed forward with passion and enthusiasm by a dynamic team, the Tobacco Factory Theatre soon become a full-time and well respected professional organisation.
Now the studio space plays host to intelligent and exciting theatre for both children and adults. It produces it own highly acclaimed family Christmas show and hosts a programme of exciting dance, music, comedy and new written material.
The Brewery theatre space officially opened on Thursday 27 August 2009, marking a huge success considering the Factory nearly became a casualty in the Bristol theatre crisis of 2007. This period nearly cost Bristol both the Tobacco Factory and the Bristol Old Vic.
Tireless campaigning saw both theatres survive and the Factory awarded an Arts Council Grant.
Since then, the theatre has gone from strength to strength. When a garage just 150 metres away from the Theatre became vacant in the thriving and vibrant community of North Street, expansion seemed to be the right thing to do.
The Brewery has a modern city feel to it, fitting in well with the industrial back drop of Bedminster. The space will be used to give small scale theatre productions the chance of a longer run. It is also perfectly designed for film screenings.
The dynamic space includes audience friendly seating for 90 and a large rehearsal room. It Opened to the public for the first time last week for Bristol’s first puppet festival.
A puppet drops in for the Brewery opening night
The Tobacco Factory’s director, Ali Robertson said: “This new theatre, built without a penny of public funding or grant aid, is a hugely important addition to the Tobacco Factory Theatre and Bristol’s theatre scene, allowing us to feature a wide variety of shows at accessible prices from some of the brightest, freshest talent around.”
The Tobacco Factory is a cultural beacon putting the forgotten areas of Bedminster and back streets of Southville firmly on the map. Here it stands proud in an area where parents and communities come together to campaign for future change and to join the cappuccino crowd in demanding the quality of shows and entertainment that the theatre offers.