Bristol has long been at the forefront of provincial theatre. Support for drama in the city encouraged the building of the Theatre Royal in 1764-6. The design was based on the Drury Lane theatre in London. Both were tucked in behind other buildings, with access down long corridors. But in the 1970s the imposing Cooper’s Hall, designed by William Halfpenny in the 1740s, was adapted to provide a foyer to the theatre. The Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company is based here.