Bristol Old Vic Backstage Tour for Heritage Open Days
- The Bristol Old Vic Backstage Tour was a Deep Dive into the Venue’s Astounding Inventions
Bristol Old Vic took part in the national Heritage Open Days this weekend, entertaining tour groups with tales of the venue’s Astounding Inventions.
Over the course of an hour, an engaging and enthusiastic tour guide wove us through the auditorium, backstage and roof space, in a celebration of thunder runs, paint frames and of course, the theatre’s famous stage.
Although we did not see the Thunder Run in action, a video of it can be seen in the Insta link below. The Thunder Run, is the theatre’s original fitting as well as the oldest operational run in the country. When in operation, it involves a cannon ball being released down and along a wooden ramp sited above the theatre’s auditorium.
This creates an immersive low rumbling noise throughout the auditorium sounding just like thunder.
In the maze of wooden beams in the roof space, it’s easier to trace the Thunder Run back from its ending above the ladder.
For more information about the Bristol Old Vic, visit: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/
For more information about Heritage Open Days, visit: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/
