Old Vic: history in Southbank
Old Vic - history
The Old Vic is one of the
oldest and best loved theatres in London, it has had some of the finest actors
of the last century play there, and it has been an important driving force in
the development of stage drama.
It opened in May 1818, it was a splendid
looking theatre, and it had a 'glass curtain' on the stage that reflected the
audience - who were a loud and boisterous lot.
Charles Dickens wrote of
the theatre in 'London Labour and the London Poor' and how so keen was the mob
to get in to see the play that "to the centre of the road and all round the
door, the mob is a ferment of excitement and no soon is a money-taker at his
post than the most frightful rush takes place.."
In 1880 Emma Cons, a
leading Victorian social reformer, bought the Old Vic and ran it successfully
for 32 years, before her death in 1912. The theatre passed to her niece Lillian
Baylis and her greatest achievement was to put on every play in Shakespeare's
First Folio, at prices the public could actually afford.
John Gielgud
was in charge of the first company in 1929, and he set the tone for future years
when he announced at the start of his career there "The Old Vic is pre-eminantly
the place for artistic entertainment, even if some egg shells of prejudice have
to be smashed in the process."
Lillian Baylis died in 1937, and
directorship passed to Tyrone Guthrie. The Old Vic was badly damaged in the
Blitz and had to shut for a while, however the Old Vic companies continued to
tour, and the old Vic was for a period set up in Liverpool.
It was
reopened in 1950 by King George V, and Queen Elizabeth (now the Queen Mother).
The Old Vic became re-opened again in 1963, this time as the home of the new
National Theatre, with 'hamlet', played by Peter O'Toole. Lawrence Olivier was
the First Director at the National.
The Old Vic introduced many of
today's brightest stars, including Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. Many other great
performers include Vivien Leigh, Alec Guiness, Lynn Redgrave, Derk Jacobi,
Anthony Hopkins and Kevin Spacey.
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