"[3] In 2012, the theatre complex completed the first phase of a £19 million refurbishment, increasing the seating capacity and providing up to ten flexible performance spaces.

Whilst the theatre was closed, the company continued to present work in the Studio and Basement spaces, as well as at other sites around Bristol.

[7][8] Although Bristol architect Thomas Paty supervised construction, the theatre was built to designs by James Saunders, David Garrick's carpenter at Drury Lane.

Two (and possibly three) new passageways built through the ground floor of the houses fronting King Street gave access to Rackhay Yard and the "New Theatre" inside it.

[11] Fifty numbered silver tickets were issued to shareholders, granting them unlimited free access to shows at the theatre, in return for each of them donating £50 to fund its construction.

As the proprietors were not able to obtain a royal licence, productions were announced as "a concert with a specimen of rhetorick" to evade the restrictions imposed on theatres by the Licensing Act 1737.

[14] Legal concerns were alleviated when the royal letters patent were eventually granted following the passing of the Bristol Theatre Act 1778 (18 Geo.

[19] In 1881 the lease on the theatre was taken up by popular actor George Melville, who invested heavily in it, carrying out heavy refurbishment.

[28] An early triumph for the Bristol Old Vic occurred when the 1954 première production of Salad Days transferred to the West End and became the longest-running musical on the London stage at that time.

A revival under the leadership of Andrew (Andy) Hay brought an increase in audience numbers;[30] there followed a new Arts Council funding package, and in 2003 the appointment of joint artistic directors David Farr and Simon Reade.

[36][37][38] Following several public meetings in the winter of 2007/2008, a newly formed board of trustees appointed Dick Penny, the director of the Watershed Media Centre as executive chairman.

In October 2010, there was a merger of the Old Vic and the Theatre Royal Bristol Trust, into a combined charity to be chaired by Laura Marshall, the managing director of Icon Films.

[43] A fundraising campaign for the £19 million planned refurbishment was assisted by appearances from, among others, Richard Briers, Stephanie Cole, Judi Dench, Prunella Scales, Timothy West and Patrick Stewart.

[44] During the closure the company staged productions in the Studio theatre, the Basement and in other locations around Bristol, including Sally Cookson's adaptation of Treasure Island on King Street in summer 2011 and Melly Still's revival of Coram Boy at the Colston Hall at Christmas 2011.

The Coopers' Hall was adapted to house new performance and event spaces, including a studio theatre in the barrel vaults in its basement.

Tom Morris’ production of Swallows and Amazons transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End followed by a major UK tour.

Simon Godwin's production of Brian Friel's Faith Healer is playing in the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival.

(The yard of the derelict St Nicholas School adjacent to the warehouse was still used by the company for rehearsals of crowd scenes and stage fights as late as the early 1960s, notably for John Hale's productions of Romeo and Juliet starring the Canadian actor Paul Massie and Annette Crosbie, a former student of the School, and Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac with Peter Wyngarde.

[71] Among the most notable of the many distinguished actors on the School's list of alumni are the Academy Award winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy Irons.