illuminatingTHE FUTURE

WHY NOW?The Old Vic has been the home of British theatre for nearly 200 years. But the building is crumbling, putting its future at risk. The roof leaks and may collapse if we don’t act soon, we lack front-of-house facilities audiences have come to expect elsewhere, and we’re in danger of losing the ability to attract creative talent if we don’t upgrade facilities backstage. We need to provide a home for our community, education and emerging talent work, and it’s vital that we offer all-day spaces so the Theatre belongs to everyone.

If we don’t act now, there’s a risk that the The Old Vic won’t be around for the next generation to enjoy.

HOW WILL IT BE FUNDED?The Old Vic is a charity. Unlike many prominent theatres, we don’t receive a regular public subsidy from any source – we’re entirely dependent on box office revenue and voluntary income. We’ll be asking individuals, companies, trusts and foundations to enable the restoration project.

WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN?We hope that the restoration will begin within the next five years. However, in order to start the project we need to raise all of the funds required to complete the works. As such, the timeframe remains unconfirmed at this stage.

HOW WILL THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BENEFIT?We want to bring the building to life throughout the day for everyone to enjoy – theatre-goers or not. There’ll be an all-day café, a space for community groups to use, and exhibitions and backstage tours will offer an opportunity to discover more about The Old Vic, past and present.

We’ll continue to offer free or heavily-reduced tickets to our neighbours in Lambeth and Southwark, and create more award-winning community plays – innovative and ambitious projects that engage with local people of all ages.

WHO ARE WE WORKING WITH?We’ve appointed Bennetts Associates (architects for the RSC and Hampstead Theatre restorations) to devise a scheme that addresses the fundamental challenges with our building.

We’re also working with a number of experienced specialists to develop the design proposals in a way that’s sympathetic to the building in its current context and community. A construction management plan will be put in place to make sure the project is managed efficiently and sensitively.

ANY QUESTIONS? Juliet Chippindale, Restoration Project Coordinator juliet.chippindale@oldvictheatre.com

Kimberley Thomas, Restoration Project Community Liaison kimberley.thomas@oldvictheatre.com

The Old Vic, The Cut, London SE1 8NB

STAGE DOOR

FIRST FLOOR FOYER

STUDIO FOR EDUCATION, EMERGING TALENT & COMMUNITY WORK

EVENT SPACE FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS

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THE OLD VIC TODAYThe Old Vic has been a London landmark for nearly 200 years, synonymous with the greatest acting talent that Britain’s ever produced. It’s not only one of the country’s oldest working theatres but also the birthplace of the National Theatre, English National Opera and Sadler’s Wells.

In 1998, following suggestions of turning The Old Vic into a bingo hall or lap-dancing club, a charitable trust was created to save the building as a working theatre. Since then, led by Artistic Director Kevin Spacey and Chief Executive Sally Greene, The Old Vic has once again become a destination theatre and continues to be one of the best-known and best-loved in the world.

ILLUMINATING THE FUTUREOur aim is to secure The Old Vic as a producing house, where the quality of our productions evokes the glory of our past and sets a standard for the future. We’ll build on a tradition of great performances, social engagement and nurturing creative talent. More than ever, we want to reach out to a broad range of people and capture their imaginations.

The auditorium is magnificent. But other parts of the building are in urgent need of transformation. Our aim is to bring it up to a 21st century standard and open up the front-of-house, bringing the building to life throughout the day for everyone to enjoy – theatre-goers or not.

We’ll make the building fully accessible, including eight new wheelchair spaces in the auditorium and an access ramp into the foyer. Other plans include a new outside terrace to create more space for audiences, opening up the front façade to allow light to flood into the foyers, doubling the number of existing lavatories for women, an all-day café open to everyone, improved facilities backstage for cast and crew, and urgent repairs to the roof to keep everyone safe and secure.

The recent acquisition of an adjacent site means that, for the first time, we’ll have a dedicated studio space within the building for our award-winning education, emerging talent and community work – Old Vic New Voices.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

FRONT-OF-HOUSE Upgraded bars will enable quicker, more efficient service

More and improved toilet facilities throughout the building, including accessible facilities on all floors

Step-free access throughout the building and improved facilities for ambulant disabled visitors and staff

Front-of-house improvements will increase space by around 50%, overcoming current congestion issues and

allowing people to move around more comfortably

BACKSTAGE

New mechanical and electrical systems, making it among the most energy efficient theatres in the UK

A green room for actors, crew and admin team which The Old Vic hasn’t had in its long history

Comfortable new dressing rooms with daylight and good ventilation

Improved access to the rehearsal room and catering facilities

Upgraded rehearsal spaces

Improved workshops and wardrobe space

Office space to accommodate the whole organisation under one roof

Urgent repairs to the roof

New outside terrace, overlooking The Cut

Event space for community groups and supporters

Auditorium: wheelchair spaces increased from two to ten; seating enhancements;

updated lighting and control systems

The building will be fully accessible for the first time, including a second staircase

in the main foyer and lifts to all floors

A new all-day café and bar – open to everyone

NEW STUDIO A recently acquired site,

adjacent to The Old Vic, will become a dedicated studio for

our education, emerging talent and community work – meaning

we’ll no longer need to use rented premises. As well as a flexible space for around 70

people, there’ll be a reception, education break-out spaces, meeting rooms and offices.

It will have its own entrance on Waterloo Road

Sustainability features are being considered on all aspects of the project in order to minimise the impact of the building on its surroundings and the environment, and reduce future operating costs.

New stage door entrance on

Webber Street

WATERLOO ROAD

THE CUT