BRISTOL OLD VIC 250TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
(2016)
Producer
&
Co-curator with Tom Morris and John Caird
A major gala event to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Bristol Old Vic, the longest continuously running theatre in the United Kingdom and one that launched the careers of some of its finest actors.
The star-studded show was the culmination of a season-long celebration of this world-famous and treasured playhouse. Co-curated by Producer Emily Blacksell, Director John Caird and Artistic Director Tom Morris, the two-hour entertainment included theatrical extracts, music, poetry, and readings drawn from the entire sweep of Bristol Old Vic’s history from 1766 to the present day.
Highlights included Timothy West in the storm speech from King Lear with the original ‘thunder run’ in use for the first time since the 19th century, enhanced by sonic landscaping created by John Leonard, a reading by Michael Morpurgo from his autobiographical tale My Father Is A Polar Bear, a surprise appearance by Joey from War Horse, a specially commissioned poem in praise of the theatre penned by award winning poet Owen Sheers, Jude Akuwudike performing a Prologue written by 18th-century theatrical superstar, David Garrick – the first words ever to be uttered on that stage, Benji Bower’s audacious re-working of the Gnarls Barkley hit Crazy sung by Melanie Marshall from his acclaimed score to Jane Eyre, and an anthem composed for the theatre by Adrian Sutton (War Horse, Angels in America, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), performed by the Erebus Ensemble.
The show was hosted by two hapless ‘Stage Managers’, British comedy legends Sir Tony Robinson (Baldrick in Blackadder) and Pippa Haywood (Green Wing) and featured 85 performers – from an illustrious lead cast to representatives from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and the Bristol Old Vic Young Company. An on-stage gala dinner followed the show and the evening culminated in an arresting finale with the theatre’s history projection mapped onto the exterior façade.
“Looking to its future, while celebrating its past.”
“An ancient contraption called a ‘thunder run’ has been brought back to life to mark the 250th anniversary at the Bristol Old Vic.”
“On 29 May, the theatre will stage an anniversary gala which will feature appearances from people such as Caroline Quentin, Stephanie Cole, Greta Scacchi, Tim Pigott-Smith, Michael Morpurgo, Patrick Malahide, Tony Robinson, Pippa Haywood and Samantha Bond. After the gala, an art animation by Limbic Cinema will be projected onto the front of the Old Vic to show how the theatre has changed over its 250 year history, as well as offering a glimpse at how the theatre will look after the completion of its major redevelopment project which begins later this year.”
“If you are arranging a complex creative event which requires needle-sharp intelligence, genuine aesthetic sophistication, bullet-proof organisation, and cordon bleu levels of charm, Emily Blacksell is your person. I don’t know anyone else with such a royal flush of event-producing skills.”
“Emily was instrumental in wrangling the many circulating ideas into a deliverable event, and in sharing detailed and breathtakingly organised information with the team as the project developed.
As a producer, she instinctively understands how to support creatives whilst also deploying her own creative judgement: on this project she brilliantly engineered a balance between the informative and entertaining aspects of the programme. She was also able to reassure and immediately gain the confidence of high profile individuals and artists.
It was a joy to have her in the building: she is a natural communicator who brings an irrepressible energy to every aspect of her work. ”
