2012 Company Profiles
christopher richards
founder and board member
Was one of the founders of SATTF and has been a member of the board since SATTF became a charity in 2004.
The Tobacco Factory Theatre
Our venue has been created as part of the private redevelopment of one of the two remaining sections of the once huge Imperial Tobacco factory complex in the Southville area of Bristol. Imperial Tobacco left the site in the 1970s and the majority of its buildings have since been demolished. A leading Bristol architect, George Ferguson, saved this 4-storey L-shaped section for his own venture in mixed-use redevelopment. It now houses the theatre, a dance studio, offices, a bar and a restaurant, and loft-style apartments. It has spearheaded the remarkable regeneration of the area which fell into decline after Imperial Tobacco's departure.
The Tobacco Factory Theatre is run independently by the Tobacco Factory Arts Trust. Under its Director, Ali Robertson, it offers a year-round programme of theatre, music, opera and comedy. The space is flexible, seating between 150 and 400 in a number of configurations, with a large foyer/bar area. In character it is a factory floor with a 3.7 metre ceiling and a number of structural pillars. The limitations that these features impose are more than compensated for by the space's combination of generous playing area with a popular ambience, good sightlines and acoustics. It is, without doubt, the best studio theatre in the area. A ventilation & cooling system has just been installed.
A recent addition to the complex is the Brewery Theatre, a new 90-seat venue 100 yards from the Tobacco Factory itself, which opened in the late summer 2009.
SATTF is one of the Factory's two resident companies (the other being Tobacco Factory Productions), but is otherwise independent of the venue management.
For further information about the venue and the other elements of its programme, click on its logo to go to its website: www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com
