The Bristol Riverside Theatre located in the historic district of Bristol Borough, was once the Bristol Art Theatre. The former movie theater, had closed and was briefly an adult film theater, was then purchased by the Grundy Foundation. In 1986 Leonard Snyder, executive director of the Grundy Foundation, announced the plans to the borough council. The newly renovated building with live stage opened October 10th, 1987, their first play was the Good Earth based on a book written by Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) . The theatre boasts 300 seats, an atrium that overlooks the river, over 200 performances a year, and over 84 nominations for the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater.

Sources: Ely, Wayne. “Grundy Foundation Takes Theatre Plans to Council.” Bristol Pilot. July 17, 1986. Mitchener, Harold. Interview for Grundy Archive. By Abigail Duffany. July 15, 2023. “Mission & History.” Bristol Riverside Theatre, May 5, 2023. https://www.brtstage.org/about/mission-history/.