About the theatre

The Theatre on the Downs is a new pop-up theatre space for Bristol, celebrating live performance in the South West.

Kindly supported by The Wardrobe Theatre, Arts Council England, Backstage Trust and WECA. Ticketing in association with Bristol Old Vic.

A collaboration with Breaking Bread, an experiment in safe outdoor dining set up in 2020 by Bristol-based events production company Team Love, with the aim of creating work for the hospitality industry.

Open from 10 August – 2 October, it will be a festival of theatre, family work, circus and poetry. The space is programmed and run by artists, creating employment and opportunity industry-wide. It’s The Wardrobe Ensemble’s most exciting and ambitious project yet and we can’t wait to welcome you!

We are still programming the space and we want to fill it with as many South West artists as possible – please contact programming@thewardrobeensemble.com if you would like to get involved.

We are also launching a £10,000 commission for a South West company or artist to make something for the space. More info and how to apply

About the tent

Designed by Studio Three Sixty, who also created Paines Plough’s Roundabout, The Mix was conceived as a multi-purpose and versatile festival venue. At the heart of The Mix is a magical and architecturally striking performance space which can transform into different layouts and accommodate everything from cabaret to musical theatre. The auditorium seating was developed in collaboration with pioneering furniture designer Felix de Pass. It seats 270 at full capacity.