Bristol Old Vic will fight to ‘protect the art’

A theatre's artistic director says it will fight to survive financial pressure to "protect the art".

The Bristol Old Vic has not seen the grant it receives from the government rise since 2018 but costs have continued to rise.

In the summer bosses revealed they are having to review the number of shows they can put on next year to help balance the books.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is due to announce a review into Arts Council England funding.

Nancy Medina told the BBC: "I understand that there is a huge pressure. That's undeniable, and it's really difficult for everyone."

Arts Council England said Bristol Old Vic has received more than £11.2m in public funding over the last six years.

Their current turnover is £6.5m, with £4.75m of earned income plus a £1.25m grant from the Arts Council. It no longer receives funding from Bristol City Council.

Ms Medina, a native New Yorker who has lived in Bristol for nearly 20 years, said the theatre has seen a 31% rise in ticket sales from last year, 40% of first time bookers despite the challenge.

She hopes the theatre can keep getting more people through the door so it will go towards helping them bridge the gap on their finances.

“I think that what we need to be more hopeful of is actually our own ambition to be more resourceful, to find different funding sources, to protect the art," Ms Medina said.

"I can only feel and have conversations with audiences afterwards and just know that it it feels good and positive and we're headed in the right direction.

“What I will say is that audiences are responding enthusiastically to our programming. Both the really, really fun stuff, like all the musicals that we're bringing in which at the core always have some type of story that I'd like platformed lots of working class stories.

“But they're having fun. They're being entertained. They're bringing, you know, that energy and leaving with that energy."

Ms Medina said she’s hopeful her work is helping to reach more members of the community than ever and leading to improved race relations in the city.

"It is about not just making an invitation to come, but understanding reasons why people don't come, understanding what's actually important to different communities, what are the barriers for not coming to this?

"It's not just always economic, it's sometimes just transportation links. Sometimes it's just you're not programming what I want to see.

“Or a sort of prevalent opinion that theatre is elitist. I'm sorry we can't get away from that and it feels it and you look at the grandeur of this building, and you think, oh, that's that's not a place where I'm going to feel comfortable and hang out."

A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said: “The government will consider how we fund arts organisations in this country, including how we can attract funding from different sources and we will also ensure that every child has access to high-quality creative education.”

A DCMS spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring creativity is for everyone, not just the privileged few."

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.