02 September 2020
Newsdesk
Today, The Old Vic announces the next in the OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series with a scratch performance of Brian Friel’s classic play Faith Healer. This production will star Michael Sheen, David Threlfall and Indira Varma for just five performances streamed live directly from the iconic Old Vic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop.
'Just a con, isn't it? Just an illusion, isn't it?'
The Fantastic Francis Hardy travels the most remote corners of Wales, Scotland and Ireland attempting to heal those who wish to be healed. His wife Grace and manager Teddy complete this nomadic triptych, each with their own telling of the loss, love and struggle of life on the road with a seemingly predestined Faith Healer.
Brian Friel’s masterful and haunting Faith Healer is a kaleidoscopic, ever shifting exploration of the power of belief, as the contradicting recollections of these three characters seek to reconcile with the past.
Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director, said:
‘This play has long been a favourite of mine. With mesmerising expertise Friel unlocks a shimmering fable of epic dimensions employing nothing more than single voices weaving this unforgettable story out of thin air. It’s the definition of a masterpiece and hits you with a huge emotional thwack’
Faith Healer is the third in the OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series following the sell out runs of both Lungs with Claire Foy and Matt Smith and Three Kings with Andrew Scott. Always intended as a creative experiment, the series has become crucial in The Old Vic’s fight for survival, as it remains one of the few ways the theatre can ensure any regular income. As we continue to navigate our ongoing period of closure with no certainty of when we can fully reopen, we are united by the sole aim of ensuring our doors do not remain permanently closed. We have been overwhelmed by the support from audiences all over the world who have come together night after night to share in this unique experience and support our cause. It is this that inspires us to keep looking at how we can continue this work into 2021 and offer OLD VIC: IN CAMERA as a core part of Matthew Warchus’ sixth Season as Artistic Director of The Old Vic until we can once again open our doors to capacity audiences.
Faith Healer will be live streamed for five performances from 16–19 Sep 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.
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.
