Old Vic Theatre

About the Old Vic Theatre

Starting life in 1818, the Old Vic was initially called the Royal Victoria. In 1833 the name was shortened to The Old Vic. The theatre was refurbished in 1876, 1926 and 1983 and has a Grade II* listing because of its Georgian exterior.

Lilian Baylis founded The Old Vic Shakespeare Company in 1914 and many of the great names in British theatre have played here as part of this company - Sybil Thorndike, Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson to name just a few. In 1941 the war forced the theatre to close, reopening again in 1950.

The theatre was put up for re-sale in September 1997 and a charitable trust - The Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000 - was set up in 1998 to buy the building and "save" it as a working theatre. In 2003, the actor Kevin Spacey was appointed as new artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre Company receiving considerable media attention. Spacey said he wanted to inject new life into the British theatre industry, and bring British and American theatrical talent to the stage.

OPENED: 11th May 1818
LISTED: Grade II*
SEATS: 1,067 on 3 levels
ARCHITECT: Rudolph Cabanel