THE VERDICT Welcome, new theatre columnist Jamie Rees

THE VERDICT JAMIE REES

Everyone’s talking about…theatre

and so never felt like a destination like London, Liverpool or Edinburgh. It had always passed me by, or I had always passed it by, en route to other places. I knew I was looking for love on Tinder, but who knew I would fall in love with the city as well as the man?

Bristol possesses a cultural confidence that I’m finding most empowering, and since moving to the city last month, my theatre tour has taken me from the Hippodrome to Bristol Old Vic and Tobacco Factory Theatres, to a school hall in Bedminster, and I’ve loved every second of it. I live for theatre, having worked in professional theatre my entire adult life, minus a stint in rugby. (I am Welsh, after all). In fact, when I talk about ‘cultural-confidence’ I consider sport to be a huge factor in that. To me, stadiums are among the T here comes a point in everybody’s life when they need a new perspective. Once you hit your forties, you can feel the clock is ticking a little faster, the body moving a little slower, yet the mind seems stronger than ever. Having lived in Cardiff for 25 years or so, following 17 formative years in the wonderful wilds of Pembrokeshire, I felt ready for a new adventure in 2020. But where? The list, which needed a strong cultural offering, ranked as follows: Manchester to Birmingham in the joint top spot, with Brighton and Newcastle in second and third respectively. Until, that is, I swiped right on a Bristolian who was going to turn my life upside down.

Coming from Cardiff, Bristol was always ‘just down the road’, Give a warm Bristol welcome (or maybe a standing ovation might be more appropriate?) to our new columnist…

“Bristol possesses a cultural confidence that I’m finding most empowering”

greatest theatres of all, so in the coming weeks I’ll be heading to Ashton Gate to see what drama unfolds on that lush, green stage. But for now, to the wooden boards of Bristol…

What better way to kick off this column than at two of Bristol’s most famous theatrical institutions. First off, a serious treat, watching the outrageously talented acting students of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in The Laramie Project. Reliving the harrowing true story of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shephard in Laramie, Wyoming and with frequent references to hate crime, being kind, human rights and press intrusion, this production felt incredibly pertinent in the aftermath of Caroline Flack’s death. Never before have I seen versatility like this from actors in training; I’ve seen a lot of student drama at the country’s top acting conservatoires, but this was nextlevel stuff.

The characterisation, as each performer took on several roles, was breathtaking in a sublimely directed piece by Nancy Medina. Not a single missed beat in the delivery, and special mention to movement director Michelle Gaskell and voice coach Carol Fairlamb. The performances they achieve, alongside Medina, from this young cast is nothing short of astounding. Standing ovation well and truly deserved. From a cast in training to one in its professional prime, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Tobacco Factory Theatres.

A gift of a script for any actor, these performers devour every drop of pathos and comedy in this classic play by Edward Albee, in a round setting with no corners to hide in.

Everything is laid bare in this toxic drama about love and vengeance in relationships. Again, the precision in the storytelling and execution of these performances through expert direction from David Mercatali is remarkable. While Pooky Quesnel is delightfully vitriolic as Martha, Mark Meadows as her conflicted husband George provides a masterclass in how to pitch a most difficult ‘supporting’ player to a famous character. He was dry and sublime.

A big shout out, too, to the wonderful productions of Book of Mormon and Beautiful: The Carole King Story at the Hippodrome – and my final word goes to the cast of Bristol South Gang Show, who showed at Bedminster Down Secondary School that, young or old, Bristol has talent.

Camper fantastic holidays

Stuart Shotton, founder of SUN KISSED CAMPERS has a holiday-ready solution that’s far from in-tents…

Tell us a bit about your background. We’re a boutique holiday company. My wife and I started the business over five years ago and we’re very proud of our fleet of seven VW T6 California campervans.

So you are a true family business? Yes, we run a home office, so we can both be around for our 10 year old. This works well, due to our Gypsy Lane garage and reception, near Keynsham being only a 10 minute drive away. Customers appreciate our personal touch. It is reassuring to know that from the first contact to return greeting at your holiday’s end, you will be looked after by Jan or myself. We even get stuck into the valeting, so we know our vans head out on holiday in tip top condition.

Are your campervans suitable for family holidays? Yes, they are perfect. Each van is guaranteed ‘Holiday Ready’. My family holiday in them,

when we can, and we go that extra mile to ensure each camper is kitted out as if it were our own personal holiday home.

You say your campervans are ‘Holiday Ready’. What would I need to bring? Just your clothes, toiletries and towels. Many people prefer to bring their own bedding, but we can supply that too. To complement the impressive kitchen kit, each camper is stocked with olive oil and local rapeseed oil, salt, pepper, tea and coffee; you just need to think about food.

How many people can comfortably sleep in one of your campervans? They sleep four. Two downstairs and two up in the pop-top roof. If you’re a group of adults, you’d need to be on friendly terms though, as they are quite intimate. I’m six foot tall, and there is easily plenty of length for anyone taller.

Campervans can be big and diffi cult to drive – what’s it like driving yours? They handle like a car. You’re up high, so visibility is great. They’ve parking sensors and the automatics have reversing cameras via the dashboard touchscreen, on which you can even access your phones’ apps. You don’t need to worry about losing power uphill and they cruise like a dream during long journeys.

What do your customers say about their camping experiences? “We don’t want to give the keys back!” How much does it cost to hire a campervan? We have two seasons. October to April is £95 per day and May to September is £125. Our very popular DSG automatics are an extra £10 per day. So our three day minimum starts at £285.

Do you ever offer any discounts on campervan hire? Yes. Outside August, which is crazy busy, we offer 10 per cent discount on bookings over six days. In June that increases to a whopping 20 per cent. Mind you, that doesn’t include Glastonbury Festival week!

Is there a limit on how far you can travel? We have an unlimited mileage policy. Our vans regularly head up to the Lake District and Scotland. Also our European Travel Upgrade gives access to most of mainland Europe. I’ve just taken a booking from a family, planning a three week tour of Switzerland this summer. ■

45 Burnett Business Park, Gypsy Lane, Saltford, Bristol, BS31 2ED 01225 330106; info@sunkissedcampers.co.uk sunkissedcampers.co.uk

@sunkissedvwhire

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