60th year features Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Steel Magnolias, Rumplestiltskin, The Odd Couple, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Lessons from Shakespeare, Land of Jesters, The Mockingbird Sings, Schoolhouse Rock LIVE Jr, and Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
Mark your calendars for performances, auditions, summer camp, and other ways to get involved in your community theatre, Theatre Bristol!
The new year is full of opportunity and we invite you to play a role at Theatre Bristol!
Our 2025 season of auditions, performances, and registrations brings us the works of Roald Dahl, Irving Berlin, Neil Simon, and more for favorites like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Steel Magnolias, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Land of Jesters, Rumpelstiltskin, The Odd Couple, The Mockingbird Sings, Schoolhouse Rock LIVE! Jr, Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus, and more!
Know the joy of community theatre, and join us!
- If your interest is comedy, drama, or musicals, we have stories and characters for you.
- If you are new to theatre, we have classes and workshops, and if you’re newer to the world, Saturday morning programming and summer camp.
- If you are looking for purpose, we build skills and create together, and partner to improve lives.
- If you are looking for friends and community, we’re your theatre.
Our 2025 season marks 60 years of shows, with as many as nine full-scale productions, as well as classes and workshops with the Catherine DeCaterina School of Theatre Arts, The StART of Adventure summer camp, PLAYtime in the ARTspace, ARTScene, and Theatre Bristol Youth Academy. Mark your calendars now for all that is coming up:
- In February, auditions begin with Land of Jesters and Rumplestiltskin on the 15th and 16th, and Steel Magnolias on the 22nd and 23rd and we invite you to participate in free audition workshops throughout the year to help prepare for auditions. Also, PLAYtime in the ARTspace performances for littles and those who love them resumes and continues the second Saturdays each month at 10:00 am at the Theatre Bristol ARTspace, 506 State Street, Bristol, TN 37620.
- In March, our opening production will be our annual partnership with River’s Way. Written by Dottie Havlik, we present Lessons from Shakespeare: How to Avoid a Personal Tragedy, a comedy for all ages with three shows on March 15th and 16th. Auditions for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory auditions for all ages are March 29th and 30th.
- In April, Land of Jesters and Rumplestiltskin, the first shows ever performed by Theatre Bristol in 1965, come to the stage the 18th through 27th, with daytime school performances.
- In May, Steel Magnolias comes to the stage the 2nd through the 11th for six performances.
- In June, Theatre Bristol holds The StART of Adventure Summer Camp the 9th through the 13th.
- In July, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes to the Paramount Bristol stage July 18th through 27th, and The Mockingbird Sings auditions are the 19th and 20th, and The Odd Couple auditions are 22nd and 23rd.
- In August, Theatre Bristol’s Youth Academy takes on Schoolhouse Rock LIVE! Jr August 11 through October 24, and auditions for Irving Berlin’s White Christmas are the 9th through 11th.
- In September, The Mockingbird Sings, a love story about the Bristol Sessions recordings, is on stage the week of the 12th through the 18th in anticipation of hosting bands for the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion Festival weekend the 19th through the 21st.
- In October, The Odd Couple takes the stage the 3rd through the 12th, and auditions will be held for Yes, Virginia, There is A Santa Claus radio drama on the 18th and 19th.
- In November, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is on stage at Paramount Bristol weekends November 21st through December 7.
- In December, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas continues, and Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus radio drama opens and runs the 12th through the 21st to close the season.
Theatre Bristol also plans more news, including bringing back its Pot O’Gold Cabaret Gala, with details to be announced.
Be sure to visit www.theatrebristol.org/audition for important audition details and any updates. Tickets for productions will go on sale at www.theatrebristol.org.
If being in the spotlight is not your interest, but backstage on the production team or crew is, we are forming teams and crews now. Please contact info@theatrebristol.org with your interest and experience. This invitation includes those interested in orchestra, costuming, set design and construction, lighting, sound, stage management, props, publicity, assisting, and many other roles. All roles are volunteer and experience or a strong willingness to learn is welcome.
Opportunities are also available to be a show sponsor or represented in our souvenir programs. Contact us for details about how you can become an arts patron.
Gift certificates for Theatre Bristol productions are available at www.theatrebristol.org.
Read all that was new and special at Theatre Bristol in 2024, from new programs and staff, to the results of an exciting season, and to the impact of our collaborations.
Theatre Bristol appreciates the support of the Tennessee Arts Commission of our 2024 Season, as well as the support of our arts sponsors: the City of Bristol, TN, The United Company Foundation, the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Foundation, Lighthouse Supply Company, National Endowment for the Arts, Berry Home Centers, Leticia Peltzer ENT & Allergy Consultants, Citizens Bank, HVAC Inc., Burwil Construction, PROSIM Engineering, Summit BSR Roofing, Seaman Corporation, Food City, The Optimist Club, Arts Alliance of the Mountain Empire A! Magazine for the Arts, WCYB News 5, The Loafer, WETS, The Bristol Herald Courier, Mountain Escapes, Good News, and federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury .
Founded in 1965 by Cathy DeCaterina, Theatre Bristol is a community theatre serving all ages that also has the distinction as the oldest continually running children’s theatre in northeast Tennessee. Located on historic State Street in Bristol, it also serves southwest Virginia. Our seasons consist of drama, comedy, and musical productions that take place in our blackbox ARTspace theatre and at the Paramount Center for the Arts, and offerings provided by our School of Theatre Arts. Theatre Bristol is a volunteer-operated community organization and we invite you to get involved.
For more information, visit the Theatre Bristol’s website or Facebook page, contact Theatre Bristol at 423-212-3625, or email info@theatrebristol.org.