About Us
Our History
What is now Bristol Valley Theater (BVT) was originally founded in 1964 as Bristol Valley Playhouse on Seman Road, north of Naples, by George and Mary Sherwood. After 22 years, stewardship was taken over by a not-for-profit foundation, The Friends of Bristol Valley Playhouse. In 1991, the original playhouse on the hill closed its doors, and The Friends purchased the vacated Trinity Federated Church on Main Street in Naples, New York.
BVT played one season at the Canandaigua Academy as supporters and volunteers donated $40,000 and countless hours of labor to transform the church into a theatrical space, which opened for the 1992 summer season and is still our home today.
We are proud to have provided access to the professional performing arts to the Finger Lakes region for 60 years.
It is the mission of Bristol Valley Theater to examine and nurture the imagination, diversity, and power of the American Theatre as an art form that is relevant to our lives and indigenous to our cultural heritage, and to share it with our audiences through the production of new and classical works.
Our Vision
As the only professional theater in Ontario County, Bristol Valley Theater strives to provide a venue to entertain theatre lovers, educate young people, celebrate inclusion, and enhance the arts in our community.
Our Commitments
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Accessibility
Bristol Valley Theater is committed to providing a safe environment for our audiences and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military and veterans status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Land Acknowledgement
Bristol Valley Theater acknowledges that we gather on traditional unceded land of the Onöndowágá (Seneca) and Haudenosaunee Peoples past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. This acknowledgement demonstrates a commitment to begin the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.