The Old Vic announces a new artistic initiative OLD VIC: IN CAMERA, combining a run of socially distanced performances of Duncan MacMillan’s LUNGS with Claire Foy and Matt Smith followed by a major series of rehearsed play-readings, all streamed live from the iconic Old Vic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop.
Rekindling live performance in this irrepressible 202-year-old venue, albeit with minimal staging and accessible only via camera and live stream, is a genuine thrill for us. But this series is both an exciting creative experiment and also crucial in igniting the box office now all our usual channels of revenue have been entirely wiped out and we fight to preserve this beloved theatre for our audiences, surrounding schools and communities, staff, crew, and the myriad of writers, performers and creatives that work with us.
The Old Vic is an independent registered charity in receipt of no regular public subsidy that has thrived pioneering a model of self-sustainability in the arts. We contribute artistically to the cultural life of the nation whilst also delivering flagship education and community programmes to 10,000 young people each year. Significant support is urgently needed if we are to emerge from this crisis still able to deliver exciting entertainment and social benefit from this historic, loved building that has been a beacon of creative adventure for over two centuries.
Each performance of LUNGS and each subsequent play reading in the OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series will be available for up to 1,000 people per night (with some matinees) replicating our usual audience capacity size. Tickets will be priced as they are in our auditorium from £10–£65 and whilst all ‘seats’ offer the same view (from the comfort of your own home), we’re asking audiences to give what they can to help support our theatre in return for access to this totally unique experience. There is also the option to add a further donation on top of this for those who are able to give a little more.
OLD VIC: IN CAMERA is made possible thanks to the unwavering support of Royal Bank of Canada as The Old Vic’s visionary Principal Partner. Since the beginning of Matthew Warchus’ tenure in 2015, RBC has sponsored 31 main stage productions and now, in the face of such challenging times, RBC continues to stand alongside us and support our theatre and our audiences by enabling the delivery of this series. And, thanks to PwC’s steadfast generosity through this crisis, we’re delighted to be able to make this new artistic initiative widely accessible with a number of PwC £10 Tickets offered across all performances.
We’re delighted to confirm that LUNGS will be the first in the series, performing a socially distanced version for several days during June. Onsale dates for LUNGS and the remaining titles in the series, with well-known casts, together with schedules and booking details for the months ahead, will be released soon via social media and people can sign up at oldvictheatre.com.
We hope that audiences will join with creatives to support this new series and feel excited to be part of a live theatre community once again. We need everyone’s help in making sure that The Old Vic and our productions are still here to enjoy when our much-missed normal lives resume.
