Nancy Medina today outlined her ambitious plans that will support the development of new British writing at Bristol Old Vic. This includes the beginning of a new initiative that will make a five-year commitment to three writers –made possible in its first year thanks to an award from the Genesis Foundation – and the return of a dedicated Literary Department which will focus on supporting writers, stories and script development.

Nancy Medina said “Theatres have been managing through constant crises for the last four years. Funding cuts, the legacy of the pandemic, and the increased costs of making work have chipped away at the sector’s appetite for risk and our ability to commit to new writing – the very life blood of what we do.

“In 20 years’ time, we don’t want to be looking back asking where all the new British plays are. So, we are intentionally refocusing our support on writers; developing new voices for the stage that speak to new, diverse audiences, with stories that reflect the world as it is today. We will commission and develop work that enthrals existing and new audiences alike, making a lasting contribution to a new canon of British plays which speak to Bristol and Britain.”

This shift marks an evolution of Bristol Old Vic’s artist support activity, moving away from the long-running Ferment programme into a new model that aims to make clear how artist development work is indivisible from any other aspect of Bristol Old Vic’s programme. This transformation marks the conclusion of Nancy Medina’s first full year as Artistic Director and sets the 258-year-old theatre’s creative agenda for the next five years.

The new Literary Department will focus its support on writers through a range of opportunities; from new commission strands and writers’ residencies, to partnerships with other organisations that aim to deliver specific support within the wider creative ecology in Bristol, the South West and nationally.

These opportunities include:

THE FIVE YEAR COMMITMENT

Bristol Old Vic’s flagship The Five Year Commitment supports writers at different stages of their careers: one legacy, one mid-career, and an early-career writer.

Ben Atterbury, Literary Manager said: “The South West and the rest of the UK continues to produce amazing writers whose work can be seen on stages and screens all over the country. However, there are challenges when it comes to consistent and long-term commitment in a landscape where often writers are working in the short-term; we want to give writers the opportunity to build their craft and their voice over time and within the holding of a singular place.”

Inspired by the long-term commitments made by residencies in theatres such as the Signature in New York, Bristol Old Vic’s The Five Year Commitment will give three writers the time and space to build their craft by putting their work into a dialogue with audiences. In addition, the theatre will use its programme resources over those five years to support the space between those commissions; connecting them with each other and ensuring they feel embedded and at home at Bristol Old Vic.  (Writers to be selected in Summer 2024, full details to be published soon).  

In its first year, this commitment is made possible thanks to the £25,000 Genesis Foundation Prize, awarded to Nancy Medina this year. It is the only prize to subsidise outstanding mentoring of artistic talent and, through its prize funding, to give winners the means to invest further in their work.

Speaking today, John Studzinski, Founder & Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said:
“We are delighted to reward Nancy with the Genesis Foundation Prize 2024. We first recognised Nancy’s talent as a director in 2017 when she received the Young Vic’s Genesis Future Directors Award: this continued support shows our belief in Nancy’s work and in her value as a mentor to other artists. We were impressed with her ambitious plans for The Five Year Commitment at Bristol Old Vic and hope this programme will show how vital it is, perhaps now more than ever, for the creative industries to hold space for writers, to nurture them and invest in their long-term literary development.”