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Tom Mansfield CEO – Quarterly Update
I’m writing this sitting on my own in the auditorium at Bristol Improv Theatre – which has rapidly become one of my happy places. I’ve always loved the feeling of being in a theatre when there’s no-one else around. Theatres are spaces filled with a sense of magic and ritual, where a community comes together for moments in heightened emotion – joy, excitement, laughter, sometimes nervousness or fear. When you walk on your own into a darkened theatre it feels like those feelings have seeped into the fabric of the building, and somehow become a part of it. It’s no surprise that so many theatres are supposed to be haunted.
There are no ghosts at Bristol Improv Theatre (the BIT) so far as I know, but since I joined as CEO in October 2025 I’ve been thinking a lot about the legacy of all the people who’ve worked, performed and learned here. This place was built on the passion of a handful of people – their friendship, their enthusiasm, their love of improvised theatre. That passion attracted a whole community, ranging from experienced improvisers to beginner performers to audience members. It’s an incredible achievement and as incoming CEO, it’s my responsibility to honour and build on that legacy and passion.
Improv is an art form built on listening and generosity – on welcoming your scene partners and your audience into the world you’re making together. That idea of welcome is baked into the fabric of the BIT. Whether I’ve been meeting with our performers or instructors, attending classes, seeing shows, or pulling pints behind the bar, I’ve been constantly struck by how welcoming our community is. If there’s one thing I want to achieve during my time as CEO, it’s extending that welcome to more and more people. Quite often, people tell me that Bristol Improv Theatre is one of Bristol’s best-kept secrets. I want to change that. I want us to be our city’s worst-kept secret – a place people who know it can’t stop themselves talking about, and where people who haven’t been yet can’t wait to come.
A big part of this is about making simple changes to make it easier for people to come and join us. Since I started, we’ve made show start times consistent, and ensured that bar opening hours are well publicised. If you’ve been down St Paul’s Road recently, you’ll probably have noticed that we have new signage at the front of the building, including a lovely big banner and poster frames setting out what’s on each month. And the team has been working on our gorgeous new January-April 2026 season brochure which brings together all of our main stage shows, community events, courses, workplace improv and more. These are all great starting points, and I’m determined that we’ll make the BIT even more welcoming in 2026. In 2025, over 800 people took part in our Improv Theatre School courses, jams and drop-ins; this year we’re planning to welcome at least 1,000.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely one of our most engaged supporters, and I’d love to hear what you think. What would make you feel (even) more welcome here? What would help you convince a friend or family member who’s never been here before – and who might not be enthusiastic about improv – to come watch a show or take part in a course?
One of the biggest barriers we face in welcoming people into the building is financial. Although the BIT is a registered charity, we have to charge significant fees for our courses in order to cover our ever-increasing costs. This year, we want to offer free or heavily discounted courses to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to take part. We’ll start with offering free places on our flagship Discovering Improv course, which is proven to help people feel more confident in themselves, communicate better with others, and feel a greater sense of wellbeing.
To do this, we’re asking people to commit to give us a monthly donation of £8.33 (£100 a year). If we raise £1,800 we could give 10 people free places for Discovering Improv. If we raise £3,000 we could do the same for 20 people. The more we raise during the year the more people we can offer a free place.
Our dream is to help as many people as possible. Do you think you can help?
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