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Thursday, 22 November, 2001, 11:08 GMT
Roll up! Tobacco works is a theatre
Shakespeare seasons in Bristol were "stunning"
A factory building in Bristol is switching production from cigarettes to full-time drama.
Work is starting on next month's run of Treasure Island at The Tobacco Factory as the redundant works becomes a year-round playhouse. The once-derelict building has hosted brief Shakespeare seasons to critical acclaim. Last year, a production of King Lear at the old Wills Tobacco building was described by critics as "stunning" and "utterly gripping".
Now the theatre has a permanent director. The company has said that its distinctive home gives a close-up feel to a production, allowing "subtle psychology, in place of hamming and bellowed rhetoric". It raises income directly from theatre enthusiasts, rather than relying on public funding. The building was almost pulled down after Wills ceased production in Bristol in 1991. The theatre will serve as a reminder of the influential role played in city life by the Wills family. The tobacco firm was a major city benefactor, and built the prominent Wills Tower at Bristol University.
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