The classroom is now the stage
Real talk: theatre has a reputation for being expensive and inaccessible. With school budgets getting tighter and the logistics of booking buses and managing safeguarding becoming a total nightmare, fewer students are actually getting to experience live arts. Bristol Old Vic is tired of the vibes being off, so they’ve pivoted. Instead of waiting for students to come to them, they’re packing up the van and bringing the performance straight to school halls.
Their current show, A Brit?ish Museum by Muneera Pilgrim, is currently touring through 19 secondary schools in and around Bristol. It’s an energetic, sharp production that tackles the messy realities of modern identity, colonialism, and the honours system. For the students at City Academy, which serves a heavily multicultural catchment area, the play hit different.
Why it matters
The production isn't just about entertainment; it’s about accessibility. The theatre company originally aimed to reach 1,000 students but ended up scaling to 4,000, including home-schooled kids and those in hospital education. By removing the barrier of ticket prices and travel costs, they’re proving that live arts don't have to be a 'middle-class' hobby. The students were highkey feeling it—during a post-show Q&A, you could hear a pin drop. It’s giving main character energy to the kids who rarely see their own lived experiences reflected on a traditional, gilded stage.
