Honorary degrees awarded at the University of Bristol – Friday, 19 July

Press release issued: 19 July 2013

Bristol University is awarding an honorary degree to Andrew Hilton, the founder and Artistic Director of Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory, at a degree ceremony in the Wills Memorial Building today.

Andrew will receive a Doctor of Letters in recognition of his impact on Bristol’s theatrical landscape.

After studying English at the University of Cambridge, he moved in to professional theatre and worked at several well-known theatres, including the Bristol Old Vic which he joined in 1978 and played in over 20 productions.

He has remained in the city ever since and was part of the experimental theatre company called Show of Strength, concentrating on new plays and innovative productions of classical repertoire, performed in some unusual venues: the Hen & Chicken pub in Bedminster and the Quakers’ Friars building in central Bristol.

Andrew founded Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory in 1999 to provide intimate productions of Shakespeare, with no member of the audience sitting more than 20 feet away from the stage.

Since February 2000, the company has mounted 30 productions and established a national reputation for the quality and integrity of its storytelling and delivery.

An honorary degree is a major accolade, awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and distinction in a field or activity consonant with the University’s mission.

Further information

The official photographs and speeches delivered by the public orators at each ceremony are available to the media on request from the University's Press Office.