Bristol Old Vic Artistic Director Tom Morris makes the case for public investment into the arts after Tony Awards win. 

Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic Tom Morris’ international hit show War Horse scooped six prestigious Tony Awards in New York.

War Horse, which was created at the National Theatre before moving on to the West End and Broadway, won Best Play and Morris and his co-Director Marianne Elliott were awarded the Best Director Award. It was also awarded Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, and Best Sound Design of a Play for Christopher Shutt, who is the Sound Designer for Bristol Old Vic’s extraordinary Christmas production Coram Boy.  Handspring Puppet Company, who collaborated with Morris and Elliott on the show were also awarded a special Tony Award.

War Horse is one of the biggest UK theatrical exports in recent years. In his acceptance speech, Tom Morris the subsidised theatre, thanking the National Theatre for taking ‘blind leaps of faith’ in making the show happen. After the ceremony, Morris paid tribute to the cultural sector in Bristol and stressed the importance of continued public investment, saying
 
“This makes me especially proud of everything we are trying to do in Bristol – from the fantastic ensemble spirit of the Young Company to the astonishing artists who are pushing the rules of theatre making in Bristol Ferment; from the brilliant team who worked with me on Swallows and Amazons, now set to tour nationally, to the wildly gifted team currently rehearsing Treasure Island.
 
“If there is ever to be another show as brilliant, collaborative and strange as War Horse, chances are it will develop in Bristol, maybe at Bristol Old Vic, maybe at the Tobacco Factory or the Watershed or The Cube, as long as we hold our courage and protect the tiny pockets of public subsidy that make these things possible.

“Unlikely ideas sometimes turn into groundbreaking ones – but commercial backers and philanthropists would never back them.  Our most meaningful encounters with art happen when we are surprised by something we didn’t know was possible.

“Subsidy allows us genuinely to journey into the unknown; to be uncertain as artists and audiences in the way art makes the most meaningful discoveries possible.  It isn’t about the Tonys, it’s about backing people at the start of the journey when no one’s heard of them, and the idea doesn’t yet hold water.”

War Horse was developed at the National Theatre Studio. It then went on to have two hugely successful runs at the National Theatre before being transferred to the West End. It opened at the Lincoln Center on Broadway earlier this year.
 
Morris returns to Bristol Old Vic next week to continue developing world-class theatre for the city, and steering the organisation through the multi-million pound refurbishment of the theatre. Treasure Island, the theatre’s large-scale outdoor summer production is currently in rehearsal, and Morris’ hit production of Swallows and Amazons, created at Bristol Old Vic, is about to embark on a national tour.