This September, actor, musician and storyteller Kirris Riviere returns to Tobacco Factory Theatres with Pieces of My Life, a deeply personal one-man show exploring the experiences, memories and stories that have shaped him. Supported by Arts Council England and co-produced with Bristol-based physical theatre company Ad Infinitum, the production marks a particularly special return to a venue that has been part of Kirris’s creative journey for more than 20 years.
Kirris first came to performance through a love of storytelling, music and the need to express something real. After training at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, he has built a varied career across theatre, television, film and music, while also fronting his blues band, Kirris Riviere & The Delta du Bruit.
His creative practice is rooted in lived experience, exploring themes of identity, race, class, grief and belonging, while always leaving space for humour, humanity and music. Whether acting, writing or singing, Kirris is drawn to stories that make audiences feel something — and perhaps see the world, or themselves, a little differently.
“I came to performance through a love of storytelling, music and the need to express something real,” says Kirris. “Whether I’m acting, writing or singing, I’m drawn to stories that make audiences feel something and perhaps see the world — or themselves — a little differently.”
Pieces of My Life brings those different strands of his creative life together.
Directed by Ad Infinitum Co-Artistic Director Nir Paldi, the show has been developed with the company, who first worked with Kirris as a performer in If You Fall in 2023. He subsequently became an Ad Infinitum Associate Artist, and the relationship has now grown into a collaboration to bring his own story to the stage.
“Ad Infinitum is a devised physical theatre company based in St Anne’s House in Bristol,” the company explains. “We’ve been creating and touring award-winning original work since 2007, and we’ve been based in Bristol since 2015.”
The company’s previous work at TFT includes Translunar Paradise, No Kids and Beautiful Evil Things, and they are delighted to be returning with Kirris’s new work.
“This time, we have the absolute privilege of presenting another artist’s work — our fantastic Associate Artist, Kirris,” says Ad Infinitum. “It’s been such a pleasure working with Heidi and the TFT team to make this happen.”
For Kirris, bringing Pieces of My Life to TFT is particularly meaningful. His connection with the venue stretches back to 2004, when, shortly after graduating from drama school, he performed as Jim in Huckleberry Finn. He later returned for A View from the Bridge, and in 2018 stepped in to play Ross in Macbeth. He is no stranger to the other businesses within the building as well, performing in the ground floor Tobacco Factory bar with his band.
“Way back in 2004, in one of my first theatre shows after finishing drama school, I performed here as Jim in Huckleberry Finn,” Kirris recalls. “TFT has been part of several different chapters of my creative life.”
That makes this return with such a personal piece feel like a full-circle moment.
“It’s a Bristol story, shaped by the city, its communities and my own experiences growing up and building a life and career here,” he says. “So bringing it to a venue that has been part of my journey for over 20 years feels particularly special.”
Ad Infinitum also sees the venue as a natural home for the production. “We’ve always had a longstanding working relationship with TFT, and it’s always brilliant to return to the warmth and openness of TFT audiences,” they say. “The Spielman Theatre feels like such a good fit for this local and yet very universal story, and we’re so excited for Bristol audiences to connect with it.”
With Pieces of My Life, Kirris is bringing together acting, music and storytelling in a work that is both personal and rooted in place. It is also the latest chapter in a career that continues to move between disciplines. His other projects alongside the new show include appearances in the feature film Bad Apples, starring Saoirse Ronan, and in the second series of MobLand.
Looking further ahead, Kirris hopes to take Pieces of My Life to wider audiences while continuing to develop original work for stage and screen.
“I want to build on a creative career that allows me to move freely between acting, writing, music and storytelling,” he says.
For an artist whose story has been so closely intertwined with Bristol — and with Tobacco Factory Theatres in particular — there could hardly be a more fitting place to begin the next chapter.
To find out more about the performance including how to book tickets, please visit the show page
Posted on 18 August 2026
