Bristol School of Acting Stages Landmark Production of Merrily We Roll Along

The show will be coming to Bristol Old Vic’s Main Stage

Tickets are on sale today for a landmark production that will be taking place in Bristol during the summer of 2027.

The Bristol School of Acting (BSA) will be performing Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along in the main house of Bristol Old Vic.

It’s a milestone production for the school which has never been afraid to take bold steps.

This summer saw the school taking on the premiere production of Angela Carter’s Lulu at Tobacco Factory Theatres. A darkly comic adaptation directed by Natalie Simone.

Back in the spring, the school was at The Weston studio with The Plough and the Stars, looking at the play through a modern lens.

BSA is taking huge strides in the industry despite only being established in 2020 by Stuart Wood and Nancy Medina.

Stuart is now the Head of School and Co-Artistic Director of BSA. The school combines conservatoire-style training with a contemporary approach to prepare actors for sustainable careers in the industry.

The school’s other Co-Artistic Director is Olivier Award winning Miranda Cromwell.

BSA offers training programmes in acting for stage, screen, new media and musical theatre.

Nancy Medina went on to take over the full-time role of Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Bristol Old Vic in early 2023. Since then, she has steered the theatre towards a programme of diverse theatre making, ensuring stories told on stage are representative of Bristol’s population.

For its 260th year, the theatre has been taking free theatre out into Bristol schools to break down barriers in art accessibility.

“When Nancy Medina and I founded BSA in 2020, we wanted to create a drama school where actors could work and train alongside exceptional industry professionals,” Stuart Wood says.

“With Nancy now Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic, bringing a BSA production to the theatre’s main stage feels particularly special and a realisation of what we first set out to achieve.”

The summer staging is a big moment for the school. Merrily We Roll Along is an ambitious production which will see a cast of 20 perform to a live on-stage band of 12 musicians – drawn from West End productions.

Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along was originally considered a flop when it was first staged on Broadway in 1981. Since then, the musical has become known as one of Sondheim’s best scores. A Broadway revival in 2023/24 saw it win 4 Tony Awards. It includes much-loved songs such as Old Friends, Not a Day Goes By and Now You Know.

The story is one that runs in reverse. It traces the fractured relationships between composer Franklin
Shepard and his lifelong friends Mary and Charley. The narrative moves backwards in time from 1976 to the beginning of the story in 1957.

Stuart Wood called the show the “perfect production” for the school right now adding: “It’s a brilliant,
complex and deeply moving musical about friendship, success and the choices we make along the way. This is our most ambitious production by a clear mile, and we can’t wait to share it with audiences at Bristol Old Vic Theatre next summer.”

Wood will be directing the show. He has a background of directing more than 100 drama-school productions, including for Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Rose Bruford College, East 15, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, the Royal Academy of Music and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

The creative team also includes choreographer Rachael Nanyonjo, Sound Designer Charlie Smith,
Designer Angelica Rush and Lighting Designer Ryan Joseph Stafford.

Tickets are on general sale from midday on 30 September 2026

Merrily We Roll Along will be at Bristol Old Vic 12 – 17 July 2027

For more information and to book, visit: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/merrily-we-roll-along

For Bristol School of Acting on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bristolschoolofacting/

Bristol School of Acting 16-18 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bristolschoolofacting_16to18/

For Bristol Old Vic on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bristololdvic1766/

Merrily We Roll Along Creatives
Director – Stuart Wood
Musical Director – Jon Beales
Designer – Angelica Rush
Choreographer – Rachael Nanyonjo
Lighting Designer – Ryan Joseph Stafford
Sound Designer – Charlie Smith
Costume Supervisor – Ilona Karas
Vocal Coach – Clara Marullo
Associate Director – Matthew Price
Associate Choreographer – Michelle Gaskell

For What’s On In Bristol:https://backstagebristol.com/
Bristol Culture: www.tiktok.com/@chopsybristoltt
Bristol Theatre Updates: https://www.facebook.com/backstagebristol
Bristol Theatre Updates:https://www.threads.com/@backstagebristol
Bristol News and Culture: https://www.youtube.com/user/chopsy