Today, The Old Vic announces the world premiere of Three Kings, a brand new play by Stephen Beresford written for and starring Andrew Scott, and created especially for OLD VIC: IN CAMERA. This scratch performance, directed by Matthew Warchus, will be streamed live directly from the iconic Old Vic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop for five performances only.
When Patrick is eight years old his absent father returns unexpectedly and in a brief but memorable encounter, sets him the challenge of ‘The Three Kings’. Years later – recalling that meeting, and the revelations that followed – Patrick traces the events of his father’s life – and takes us on a journey of grandiose plans, aching disappointments and audacious self delusion.
By turns, hilarious and heartbreaking, Three Kings is about fathers and sons, the gifts and burdens of inheritance, and the unfathomable puzzle of human relationships.
Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director, said:
‘I am hugely grateful to Stephen for writing this play specially for the Old Vic: In Camera series and to Andrew for agreeing to perform it. Their generous support of The Old Vic at this critical time and their spirit of adventure in joining us in this crucial fundraising experiment is enormously appreciated’
We are also delighted to announce that following the performance on Sat 01 Aug, radio and television broadcaster Dermot O’Leary will host a live one-off OLD VIC: IN CONVERSATION with Andrew.
OLD VIC: IN CAMERA 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.
Three Kings will be live streamed for five performances from 29 Jul–01 Aug with tickets priced from £10–£40. A limited number will be available at each price band 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. Those planning to watch together on the same device only need to book a single ticket and we’d encourage group bookers to consider chipping in together to buy a single ticket to support The Old Vic. There is also the option to add a further donation on top of this for those who are able to give a little more. Tickets for OLD VIC: IN CONVERSATION are £20 per device.
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.
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 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.
