Events

GIANT BRISTOL ART TRAIL MISSION

12 August - 3 November 2024

Agents in the Bristol area! Are you up for a challenge?

 The Company of International Artists, a top secret global creative agency (and our alter ego) has hidden 11 inspiring artworks in various shops and venues in the central Bristol area. These displays of clandestine creativity are there for the finding between 12 August and 3 November 2024.

Find all the art and you'll unlock a password that can enrol a young human as a Creative Agent in the Company of International Artists!

An exciting undercover world of art investigation, case-cracking and creativity awaits!

Follow this link to download your free trail guide, don your best undercover agent disguise and get out into the field!

"Riotous family theatre. This is a company who know exactly how to write shows for children. A clever, multi-layered show. Fun, inclusive and interactive in a way that never patronises. Quality innovative storytelling with highly creative staging. Simmons & Lawless are a hoot to watch."

Backstage Bristol Review, November 2022
Read full review

Bristol 24/7 Review, November 2022

Read full review

In a spooky old house in Switzerland, every midnight, doors slam, books fall off shelves and pictures slip off the wall. Agents Kahlo and Dali of the Company of International Artists are summoned to put a team together to crack the case. And there's room in their creative crew for you!

You'll be working against the clock and sometimes even against logic itself. Agent Dali is sure there's a perfectly logical explanation, while Agent Kahlo is convinced the supernatural is at work.

What's your theory, agents?

You'll be chasing leads and spotting clues in this highly interactive spooky adventure.
Where should we search? Who should we trust? That's up to you!

Full of mystery, family-friendly spoof horror and a broad streak of quirky comedy,
THE MIDNIGHT MISSION! is a playable family theatre show for ages 7+ to enjoy. 

Devised by the company. Directed by Evan Lordan.

Sound design by Gill Simmons. Produced by Paul Lawless. Additional design by Rebecca Plant.

October 2024 performances

Pumpkins don't belong in bins!

Gourdon and Melonie are activist pumpkins on a mission.

Disturbed that so many of their fellow pumpkins end up in bins every Halloween, they are on a mission to change hearts and minds and improve human/vegetable relations for all time.

Armed with a hand-drawn powerpoint, a ukulele and a really terrible poem, they will not rest until you take the pumpkin pledge and vow never again to throw a pumpkin in the bin. 

Free pumpkin recipe with every show!

Ridiculous comedy for all the family, The Pumpkins is a 20 minute sketch that will make you rethink your relationship with squashes.

October 2024 performances

St Werburgh's City Farm

Watercress Road, Bristol, BS2 9YJ

Tues 29th - Thurs 31st October
Shows at 11am and 2pm daily

"Perfect entertainment. A well crafted piece of comedy theatre.

The final song is outstanding.

Simmons and Lawless execute this flawlessly, with humour pitched at both children and adults."

Backstage Bristol Review, December 2023

Read full review

Join hapless Christmas event planners Holly & Noel from ‘Yule Be Merry: carefully curated Christmas creations’ as they attempt to assemble a 12 Days of Christmas themed event to a tight deadline for a demanding boss.

In the face of insurmountable tech glitches, escaped poultry and unavoidably delayed ballet dancers, Noel and Holly are determined to press on regardless.

After all, they do have the pear tree.

Ridiculous festive family theatre.

Expect broad visual comedy, bold engaging characters and a quirky humour for all ages to enjoy.

December 2024 performances

Windmill Hill City Farm

Philip Street, Bristol, BS3 4EA

Sat 21st - Mon 23rd December
Shows at 11am and 2pm daily

Supporting Museums to deliver Arts Award Discover

Do you work in Museum Education or Public Engagement? 
Heard about Arts Award Discover?
Have no idea what Arts Award Discover is?
Want to get more young people and schools into your museum?
Whether your museum is big or small, THIS CPD EVENT IS FOR YOU!

Chippenham Museum
Thurs 26 September
10.30am to 12.30pm online or in person

This 2 hour fact-finding, question-asking event is free and will be led by us. We have been a Trinity Champion Centre since 2021, which means we have a strong and established track record of delivering arts award courses in successful and innovative ways.

We were commissioned in 2022 by Bristol Museum and Art Gallery to create a digital resource pack to support museum staff and volunteers to be able to successfully deliver a creative course called Arts Award Discover for primary aged children within the museum using their own collections to inspire young minds.

We created this resource for Bristol Museum and Art Gallery using our alter ego, a (fictional) top-secret global creative agency called The Company of International Artists. (That's our characters, Agents Dali and Kahlo, in the picture for this event, in case you were wondering.)

We will be speaking about this commission as a case-study, and will also be able to answer questions about Arts Award courses more broadly, about the benefits of arts award courses for young people, as well any questions about the practicalities of a theatre company working with a museum in this way.

The hope is that by engaging with this event, either in person, online, or by watching a recording of the presentation afterwards, more museums will feel supported and inspired to embed Arts Award Discover into their offer. The cherry on the cake would be that more museums find a way to work with us too!

We have been funded to provide this event by Trinity College, who accredit all levels of Arts Awards, a series of nationally-recognised creative qualifications for young people up to the age of 25, and are extremely grateful to Chippenham Museum for their support in hosting this event.

Want to attend in person?

The in-person event will be held in the museums education room and offers the opportunity for networking over refreshments before and after the event, a chance to view the museums new art galleries, and discuss the development of its contemporary and modern art collection, as well as visit the museums latest temporary exhibition.

Event location:

Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Place, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3HF

Want to attend online?

Please email heritage@chippenham.gov.uk to register your interest and we will be in touch nearer the event with online viewing details.

Become an art detective!

Meet Agents Kahlo and Dali from the Company of International Artists and go on investigative art missions around Bristol Museum & Art Gallery!

Choose from three totally free family art trails, available whenever Bristol Museum & Art Gallery on Park Street is open. Check opening times here.

These art trails can also be completed without attending the museum in person.

Trails are most suitable for families with children aged 6+.

Click images to find out more!

Extraordinary Streets: Stockwood

a community sound walk for Stockwood, by Stockwood

Our latest sound walk will take you on a range of short strolls around Stockwood in south Bristol.
As you walk, listen in to the stories and memories of Stockwood people, mixed with sounds of Stockwood people at work and play.

Featuring spaceships, snail races, heart-stopping rugby matches and much more besides!

This sound walk is available at all times, and is a self-led experience.

There are three trails around Stockwood to choose from, each one beginning at
Stockwood Square, Hollway Road, BS14 9PG

Download the sound walk and the route maps here.

Once you have downloaded the sound walk, you don't need to use mobile data to experience the sounds. Just bring headphones that work with your mobile phone. 

This sound walk is hosted on a free sound walk app called Echoes, which requires no roaming data provided you have already downloaded the app and this sound walk before setting out.

This walk is geo-located meaning you need to be in specific places in Stockwood to hear the sound. It covers fairly easy paved terrain. We have provided postcodes for all the sound locations in the map. If you need to take an alternative route to the one we have suggested, the sound will still play for you.

There is free street parking in the area, and toilets are available when Mario's Cafe is open (but please support them if you use their facilities). Quotes from the stories are also displayed at the new pocket park outside Stockwood Library, where you are encouraged to sit, relax and enjoy the plants.

This project is being delivered as one of the activities under the City Centre and High Streets Recovery and Renewal Programme, funded by Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority’s Love our High Streets project.

Designed and produced by Brave Bold Drama.

Original artwork seen on the Echoes app by Amy Hutchings.

Sound design by Gill Simmons.

If you don't use smartphones, this sound walk will also be available to borrow in CD format from Stockwood Library in late December 2023. Also available in the library will be large font transcripts of the content and audio descriptions of the accompanying artwork.

We have also published an A4 book containing all four of our sound walks around Bristol, featuring maps, route guidance and technical support. This is available from our online shop here.

Extraordinary Streets: Withywood
a free sound walk showcasing the creative writing skills of BS13 people

We have also published an A4 book containing all four of our sound walks around Bristol, featuring maps, route guidance and technical support. This is available from our online shop here.

The Saxons to the Seventies:
a free sound-walk within Manor Woods Valley, Bishopsworth, Bristol

Discover the amazing hidden history of Manor Woods Valley, a small patch of ancient woodland in Bishopsworth. Listen in to moments of the wood's history from the Saxons to the Seventies retold with humour and song.

Circular route just under one mile, lasts approx 45 mins. Some hills.

Content is appropriate for children aged 8+ to adult due to the concept and length of the experience. One sound spot features a bomb explosion.

You can enjoy this sound walk at your own pace free of charge at any time. This is a self-led experience.

Route starts opposite St Peter's Rise Convenience Store, BS13 7LU

We are also provided a GUIDED WALK of this sound walk as part of Bristol Walk Fest on Sat 11 May at 11am.

Limited spaces available so please book in advance.

The sound walk is hosted on a free app called Echoes. You can download the app and then the walk via the links below. Once you've downloaded the walk, you can access it without needing to use mobile data on your phone.

"Sound spots" we've made that animate the history of the woodland have been added to certain waypoints on the walk. When you're at that spot in the walk the sound will play automatically.

We advise you enjoy our sound-walk through headphones. If coming with children who don't have their own phone, we advise the use of headphone splitters so an adult and child can listen together.

The walk is circular, just under one mile, and is on varying terrain with some hills. It is part paved and part woodland, so sturdy footwear is recommended. 

You can access this walk on the 75 bus, getting off just past Bishopsworth Library. The entrance to Manor Valley Woods is opposite St Peter's Rise Convenience Store, 6A St Peter's Rise, BS13 7LU.  Dogs on leads are welcome. There is street parking near the start of the walk.

This sound walk has been funded by a Magic Little Grant from Localgiving and the Neighbourly Community Fund, and was made in 5 days.

We have also published an A4 book containing all four of our sound walks around Bristol, featuring maps, route guidance and technical support. This is available from our online shop.

Enjoyed this sound walk? Want to know more about the history of Hartcliffe & Withywood, not just Manor Woods Valley? Listen to "Hartcliffe, Bristol", a 14 minute audio history of the wider area, made by Gill Simmons,  Artistic Director of Brave Bold Drama. which was first shared as part of an art exhibition called Centre of Gravity in Bristol in 2020.

Wild Words

This sound walk takes you through the beautiful Badock's Wood in Southmead, and features 10 sound-filled spots featuring sounds of the woodland, rhythms the children made there, local history and wild imaginings inspired by the woodland.

We worked with young people aged 7-12 between September and December 2021 to create a aound walk around Badock's Wood, a nature reserve in North Bristol. This was a partnership project with Mud Pie Explorers Forest School and Southmead Development Trust.

This sound walk is free to access at any point, and is a self-led experience. 

Route starts outside the entrance to the Greenway Centre, Doncaster Road, BS10 5PY

The audio uses a free sound walk app called Echoes, which requires no roaming data provided you have already downloaded the app and the audio walk before setting out. 

This walk is geo-located meaning you need to be in specific places in Badock's Wood to hear the sound. It covers some steep terrain and there is some shallow open water in the woods. Free parking and toilets are available at The Greenway Centre, Doncaster Road, BS10 5PY. Please contact the Greenway Centre HERE for any further guidance on directions or facilities.

We have also published an A4 book containing all four of our sound walks around Bristol, featuring maps, route guidance and technical support. This is available from our online shop here.