Simon Pegg returns to Bristol, 10 years after Pegg Theatre opens

By Henry Griffiths, Third year, Philosophy

This year marks a decade since the unveiling of the Pegg Theatre, a performance space renovated inside the Richmond Building, the home of University of Bristol’s Students' Union. And it is of course, named after Simon Pegg.

Pegg is a legendary face in the entertainment industry: co-writing and starring in the Cornetto Trilogy (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) as well as featuring in the Mission Impossible franchise.

The Pegg Theatre was buzzing as the actor was welcomed back for a Q&A hosted by student society Spotlights.

Despite Hollywood fame, the English writer and actor recounted his university days with the light air of a regular student, receiving bouts of laughter and applause after his remarks.

‘I remember my friend Barney doing a Heimlich manoeuvre on me outside the Colston Hall to make me throw up so that we could go get some chips’

Graduating in 1991 with a BA in Film, Theatre and TV, Pegg also said that the film industry had greatly changed.

‘In a weird way, [film] was something you had to abide by in order to consume’

In his day, television ‘was a box in the corner of the room you were beholden to: you had to be in front of it at a certain time.’

Epigram spoke to Felix Glanville, who acted in the Pegg as part of the 2024 ShaxSoc showcase. He explained how adaptable the theatre can be; seating can be arranged in the round or as part of a ‘thrust stage’, giving the audience unique ways to view productions.

The Pegg Theatre ‘encourages cast collaboration’, Glanville said, referring to the absence of a raised stage. The performers are level with each other and with the audience, which creates a sense of shared space.

In the two years after his graduation, Pegg told the audience that he had performed the odd stand-up show alongside working at Debenhams in Broadmead.

Pegg highlighted the importance of proactivity after University: ‘Be pushy, be annoying... Just be busy, because it isn’t going to come to you, no matter how good you are’.

Pegg's key message to students was to perform everywhere and, invite everyone. ‘If you don't chase it, you won't catch it’, the actor said.

Speaking to Epigram, Dulcie Johnson, President of Spotlights, said that Pegg ‘reinvigorated the Bristol spirit within all of us’, adding that his presence reinforced that ‘these spaces have been alive for so many years.’