10 years after The Wardrobe Ensemble formed during Bristol Old Vic's first iteration of its Made In Bristol scheme in 2010, an annual professional training scheme for emerging-theatre makers from the South West, the company are now returning to perform their debut show, RIOT, on the mainstage.
Hannah Smith from The Wardrobe Ensemble said today, "Ten years ago, Made In Bristol threw us together, sort of like a manufactured pop band, and, by some miracle, we've been making theatre ever since. Performing RIOT on the main stage will be so much fun - we just have to hope our bodies can still do all the things they did ten years ago... Young Companies and programmes like Made In Bristol are so important for the gateway they offer into a sometimes impenetrable industry - long may they continue!" Made In Bristol is Bristol Old Vic's artist development programme for twelve young people aged 18-25 who become resident in the building for two days a week for one year. The scheme is designed to give young theatre-makers an opportunity to train together, to become workshop leaders, facilitators and to create work that can reach out across Bristol and the South West, engaging with other local arts organisations as well as performing their own final piece of theatre at the end of the course.Since completing their residency at Bristol Old Vic in 2011, the Wardrobe Ensemble have gone on to produce internationally renowned theatre, from their family shows, including Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, to their award-winning Education, Education, Education, which recently completed its run in London's West End.
In November 2017, a plaque honouring The Wardrobe Ensemble was unveiled inside Bristol Old Vic's rehearsal room, intended to inspire each new generation of theatre makers who use the room on a regular basis, from the Young Company to visiting companies and all of those who come into contact with Bristol Old Vic's Engagement department.Tom Morris, Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic said today, "The fact that Made In Bristol turns 10 in Bristol Old Vic's Year of Artists couldn't be more fitting. This year is about celebrating the creative spark in everyone and how that creativity can be truly transformative. The success of The Wardrobe Ensemble is the story of everything we are trying to achieve at Bristol Old Vic, not for ourselves, but for the artists who we think can make theatre brilliant in the future. The fact that this company has become a powerful element in the UK's theatre ecology, and blazed a trail for each following Made In Bristol company, that's a very special thing for us."
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