The Bear Pit Theatre
The Bear Pit Theatre
5
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Monday
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Friday
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
1:30 PM - 10:00 PM
About
The Bear Pit Theatre is Stratford-upon-Avon’s first and only ‘little’ theatre in heart of Shakespeare’s historic Warwickshire town. We produce our own production under the banner of The Bear Pit Theatre Company but we also welcome other community theatre groups to hire our venue throughout the year. Our venue has a 100 seat auditorium and boast a relaxing Cafe Bar, accessible toilets and baby changing facilities. Parking is adjacent to the venue and is a 5 minute walk from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

The area

Address
Reach out directly

See what travelers are saying

  • Notlikely
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic theatre
    This is a lovely little theatre with some great shows for everyone. Recently saw The Cherry Orchard for the first time and it was brilliant. The main cast were fantastic and Penny Sandle-Keynes in the main role was outstanding. Everyone involved was friendly and welcoming. Would definitely recommend.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 4, 2023
  • Sue
    Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom37 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Affordable, professional and great fun!
    Just taken the kids to see James and the Giant Peach! Superb production in a wonderful cosy theatre. Costumes were absolutely fabulous (we still don’t know how many legs the centipede has!) and the kids were completely mesmerised. Brilliant cast (both kids and adults) what a wonderful, festive and fun outing!
    Wow thank you 🙏 great to hear you enjoyed James and the Giant Peach. We really need to count those legs and post the number on our social media page. We can’t leave you wondering…
    Written December 7, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written December 3, 2023
  • Lorraine T
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great little Theatre
    What a fabulous time we had when we visited the Bear Pit Theatre. We went to watch James and the giant peach on a recommendation from a friend and we were not disappointed! We all loved the show and had lots of fun! We will definitely be coming back again ☺️
    Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We’re delighted you enjoyed the show and we look forward to welcoming you back!
    Written December 7, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written December 7, 2023
  • Debbie P
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    James and The Giant Peach - Review from Debbie and Paul Hopgood
    From the moment we arrived to the moment we left it was absolutely fabulous. We had a very warm welcome from the lady on the door, served by very friendly staff in the bar and the performance was exceptional. The set and the actors were stunning, we thoroughly enjoyed it and wish we could come and see it again!! Wonderful!!!!! The cast came out at the end and spent time allowing people to have their photos taken with them too.
    Amazing feedback, thank you so much. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of The Bear Pit. There are so many roles involved in running the theatre, we’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the show and the visitor experience. Please do come and see us again.
    Written December 15, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 11, 2023
  • Butterfly effec... A
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What is Art? A hilarious must-see
    A group of 5 visited The Bear Pit Theatre last night to watch the hilarious ‘ART’ by Yasmin Reza. Booking on line was so easy and we could see which seats we were purchasing. From the moment we arrived in the evening we were greeted by such a warm welcome, advised how the evening would run and guided through to grab a drink before the auditorium opened its doors. We got seated, noting the ambient temperature. Only three actors , three items of furniture and three paintings, All three performers were extremely engaging, we identified with their relationship with one another, we sympathised with the dilemmas and roared with laughter at their dysfunctional lives. All as a result of the Stirling performances from start to finish. What a triumph, what a treat, BRAVO everyone at The Bear Pit Theatre 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 24, 2024
  • Cosmopolitan800580
    United Kingdom178 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Small performance space near centre of town
    Small theatre located behind the URC Church in Rother Street. The is a small room with a bar and the auditorium has banked seats with reasonable leg room and a flat performance space. They are doing the Railway Children in December 2024 and I guess it will be great as the venue should lend itself to that sort of production. .
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written July 13, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles131 reviews
Excellent
119
Very good
8
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
1

Annedeg41
Stratford-upon-Avon, UK54 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
We were very impressed by the performance of ‘Round and Round the Garden ‘ at the Bear Pit theatre. A huge amount of time and expertise has been invested . We really liked the theatre in the round which allowed so many people to have front row seats. Fortunately we do not have to wait long to see the next two plays in this trilogy.
Highly recommended.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RogerWhit
Claverdon, UK9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
We enjoyed a performance of an Alan Ayckbourn play here last night (part of The Norman Conquests). Good fun! And the layout of the theatre has changed to 'in the round' which I loved as you can better hear, see and experience the acting. If you like your theatre to be close-up, then the Bear Pit Theatre is for you. I'm really looking forward to seeing the other 2 plays in this trilogy.
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Colleen M
Stratford-upon-Avon, UK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
The Alan Ayckbourn trilogy, The Norman Conquests is proving a great success with my friends and me. The new layout (in the round), makes the whole experience more intimate. The actors are superb. It's funny, with the timing spot on. Never a hitch, so congratulations to everyone involved in seemless productions. We are really looking forward to the final play in the trilogy this week.
Bookings can be made on line via the RSC Theatre, who accept credit card payments.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alf M
Stratford-upon-Avon, UK20 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
An intimate theatre (90 seats) which puts on quolity productions. The latest Alan Ayckbourn 'Norman Conqest' trilogy is a riot - see it whilst you can. Currently not sold out, (the Chinese haven't come to Stratford), so you can buy a ticket on the night.

Drinks in the bar before and interval are not expensive - which all adds up to an enjoyable evening.
Written March 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your comments. We note you’ve only scored at 4. We’d love to know where we can improve to gain a 5 from you. Judging from your review you clearly enjoyed your time with us.
Written March 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Butterfly effec... A
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Family
A group of 5 visited The Bear Pit Theatre last night to watch the hilarious ‘ART’ by Yasmin Reza. Booking on line was so easy and we could see which seats we were purchasing. From the moment we arrived in the evening we were greeted by such a warm welcome, advised how the evening would run and guided through to grab a drink before the auditorium opened its doors.
We got seated, noting the ambient temperature.
Only three actors , three items of furniture and three paintings,
All three performers were extremely engaging, we identified with their relationship with one another, we sympathised with the dilemmas and roared with laughter at their dysfunctional lives. All as a result of the Stirling performances from start to finish.
What a triumph, what a treat, BRAVO everyone at The Bear Pit Theatre
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Written April 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Aidan L
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
I saw Neville's Island here last night. A genuinely very funny play with some fine comic performances from the quartet stranded on a Lake District Islet when their team building exercise takes a wrong turn. Well worth a visit to this friendly venue for this little pearl.
Written June 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gilly S
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
I'd seen this play before acted by professionals in Cheltenham theatre but this production was much more gripping and memorable. The acting was superb and their memory of the script was faultless. An astounding performance all round. Also the Bear Pit has changed its seating/stage arrangement and now has a theatre in the round (well four sections with a central stage) and this makes viewing much easier and the audience feels more involved.
Written June 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pam J
11 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
It can be a very mixed bag at the Bear Pit. I have seen some great productions but we left in the interval of the last one. One cast member was a professional actor and it really showed against an amateur cast ill directed in my opinion. Nothing wrong with being an amateur but that only means acting for the love of it and no pay - no reason that the quality should be any less.
Hard to manage a small theatre with a variety of directors and visiting companies and keep a consistent standard.
The review on the website of the play that we saw gave us quite the wrong impression - we all have different opinions but I wondered if the reviewer had been at the same show.
Written October 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cosmopolitan800580
United Kingdom178 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Solo
Small theatre located behind the URC Church in Rother Street. The is a small room with a bar and the auditorium has banked seats with reasonable leg room and a flat performance space. They are doing the Railway Children in December 2024 and I guess it will be great as the venue should lend itself to that sort of production. .
Written July 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

colin p
London, UK21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Want to visit a small and intimate theatre in Stratford - this is the place to go. Been 3 times now and each time the play has been excellent with good views, comfy seats and very reasonably priced tickets. Good bar also!
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 128
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

The Bear Pit Theatre - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

All Stratford-upon-Avon HotelsStratford-upon-Avon Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Stratford-upon-Avon
All things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon
Zoos & Aquariums in Stratford-upon-Avon
RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars