About Old Vic Theatre
Opening in 1818, this theatre has had quite a long association with Shakespeare. It started with the name of Royal Coburg, then later to Royal Victoria. As one may expect, it came up with the nickname of "Old Vic" soon thereafter. The Old Vic Shakespeare Company was founded here in 1914 by Lilian Baylis.
During the war the theatre was forced to close in 1941 to open again in 1950, with Shakespeare's works as the opening offering. National Theatre used this location while it was being rebuilt.
The musical "Hair" tried unsuccessfully to make a comeback here. Many British stars have done great work at this theatre, however, including Peggy Ashcroft, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Edith Evans, to name a few.
The theatre was put up for sale in 1997, and a charitable trust fund was established to buy the building and save it for future theatrical productions.