The Old Vic
Sections:
1818
History:
Originally opened as the Royal Coburg theatre in honour of its patrons, Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, the Old Vic staged variety revues for its first six years before obtaining a license for drama in 1824, after which it became renowned for its repertory Shakespeare productions.
The Royal Coburg was renamed the Royal Victorian Theatre in 1833 after the heir to the throne Princess Victoria. Almost fifty years later, run under strict temperance rules by social reformer Emma Cons, it became the Royal Victorian Hall and Coffee Tavern, although by this point, the theatre was already colloquially referred to as the ‘Old Vic’.
In 1912, the Shakespearian repertoire was reinstated by Cons’ niece Lilian Baylis. The Repertory company thrived until it was dissolved in 1963 and morphed into the National Theatre Company, run by Laurence Olivier. The NT were resident at the Old Vic until the construction of their own venue beside Waterloo Bridge in 1976.
Since the NT left the Old Vic, the theatre has been home to classic and modern drama, and Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey became its artistic director in 2003.
Previously called:
Royal Coburg Theatre
Royal Victorian Theatre
Royal Victorian Hall and Coffee Tavern
Notable recent productions have included:
Resurrection Blues (2006)
The Island (2002)
The Iceman Cometh (1998)
Close to:
St Thomas\' Hospital
Waterloo Station
Contact Details
The Old Vic
The Cut
SE1 8NB
For all ticket enquiries, call:
0871 789 1004
Map
Facilities
Theatre capacity:
1,067
Stage door location:
The Old Vic stage door is located on a side street between Waterloo Road and Webber Street
Theatre layout:
Arranged on three levels, the Old Vic is unusual in that the stalls actually slope down from the stage from rows D to H, so the best view would be from row J and beyond (although the first and last five seats in rows T-X are affected by pillars).
The Dress Circle has only five rows, with the first two rows unaffected by the overhang from the Upper Circle above. However, overhang restriction is only slight and so seats in the centre section of the Dress Circle can offer great value for money.
The Upper Circle offers fantastic value as it offers clear views, with only the height of the circle being reflected in the price difference. There are boxes available at stalls and Dress Circle level and despite being top price, all seats suffer from severely restricted views.
Air conditioned:
Air conditioned
