Old Vic Theater
The Old Vic Theater is a theater on The Cut in Lambeth , London .
history
The theater was founded in 1818 by the theater owners James King and Daniel Dunn and the marine painter John Thomas Serres as the Royal Coburg Theater . Due to his connections to the royal court, Serres succeeded in winning over Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales and her husband Leopold von Sachsen Coburg as patrons. The initial name of the theater also went back to their commitment. In 1833 it was named the Royal Victorian Theater , in 1880 The Royal Victoria Hall And Coffee Tavern . Even then, it was known by the nickname Old Vic .
Until the mid-19th century, not all theaters were allowed to perform Shakespeare's plays. Should such a drama still be on the program, the performance had to be interrupted by singing or shown with a modified end. The legal situation, which was based on an ordinance from the time of Charles II , was changed in 1843. In 1912 the Old Vic obtained its general theater license.
From 1912 Lilian Baylis showed plays, opera and ballet with her own ensembles at low prices in the Old Vic. From these ensembles, after a move to the Sadler's Wells Theater in the 1930s, the Sadler's Wells Opera Company (now English National Opera ) and the Sadler's Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet ) emerged.
The acting company, known as the Old Vic Company since 1929 , stayed at the Old Vic and became known for high-class Shakespeare performances under the direction of John Gielgud .
The theater building was destroyed in the Second World War , but operations were resumed as early as 1944. During this time, the ensemble u. a. John Gielgud, Alec Guinness , Laurence Olivier , Michael Redgrave and Ralph Richardson .
In 1963 the company was renamed the Royal National Theater and in 1976 it moved to its own new building directly on the Thames . During this time u. a. Albert Finney , Anthony Hopkins , Joan Plowright , Maggie Smith and Peter O'Toole .
Todays use
The Old Vic Theater has been operating as an independent theater since 1976. Kevin Spacey was artistic director of the theater from 2004 to 2015 .
Web links
- Official website (English)
- History of the Old Vic at the Victoria & Albert Museum
- In the Old Vic , oil painting by Oliver Messel, 1938
Individual evidence
- ↑ Old Vic Theater celebrates 200th birthday article in Evening Standard v. May 10, 2018, accessed February 6, 2019
- ^ Matthew Warchus to take Kevin Spacey's role running the Old Vic
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 8 " N , 0 ° 6 ′ 34" W.