THE OLD VIC COMPANY

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25608, 24 September 1948, Page 9

THE OLD VIC COMPANY

RISE TO WORLD WIDE FAME

PIONEERING SPIRIT OF ADMINISTRATORS

though O1 Hc Vic Theatre Company, al"r"" British 2 Cnu£ h i r - IStchurch under the shnJL^ h , C °. uncil s sponsorship has 15 b No 1S J’ re 1 sen l t our of Austra-' it eW ea^ its readiness to e Vic Theatre, from which in IRI7 lPany tak < eS '*? name ’ was built iphgmJ r ?? rt ° f a development Thames f ? r .S’® *? Uth sid ® of the Sl nnvai 1 ?- ‘h 05 ® l ays ’ n was “lied ehtnvSl I C ?£ Ur & bUt the name WHS um g tLJh th . e Victoria about „ j Residents of the locality always called it the “Old Vic,” and it beSenerally known as such. In its akil y K®. ar s.‘ the theatre was fashionbal ’I. was not a financial success. and its reputation declined.. It aeyeloped into a low music-hall, with th^°^i eS xV and rou S hest of patrons. . f Z“fL Old Vic was restored to decent standards by Emma Cons who, wanting to provide entertainment for slum dwellers turned it into the Victoria um. d Coffee Tavern. In the early ? r ‘? ty concerts and lectures S° I ?p rI3e d J he ,5 lld Vic’s programmes. Subsequently, they included opera and Shakespearean plays.

Lilian Bayliss During this time, Emma Cons died, ?i?d her niece, Lilian Bayliss, took over tne Old Vic. According to Dame Sybil Ihorndike, who joined the first permanent company at the Old Vic in 1914 Miss Bayliss had very definite ideas about the theatre's alms. At the beginning of World War I, the theatre was just starting to play Shakespeare. It aim was to let the people of London who were earning very small incomes hear and see productions of Shakespeare for as little as possible. For 4d a seat, people in the gallery could see Shakespeare. There were no prices higher than 3s. During World War I, the- Old Vic was practically the only London theatre regularly playing serious plays, and it was a favourite resort for the troops. The actors’ salaries were on a s low a scale as ihe seat prices. Most of the actors of those days have since become theatrical notabilities in Britain or the United States. The Old Vic liked to make its own stars, and rarely imported them from the West End. Going from success to success under expert administration, the Old Vic built up a world-wide reputation between the two World Wars. In 1940, the Old Vic headquarters were moved fro.a London to Burnley, in Lancashire. From here. Old Vic companies went on tour to all parts of the country. The Old Vic Theatre in Waterloo road, London, was badly blitzed in 1941. In 1944, the company returned to new headquarters at the New Theatre, in the West End, with Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir Ralph Richardson as its leaders. They were joined by Dame Sybil Thorndike for two years.

Branch companies were started at Liverpool and Bristol. “That was the end of the old cheap prices which had made it possible for everyone to see the best plays for so little,” said Dame Sybil Thorndike, in a recent 8.8. C. broadcast. “The Old Vic Company now has a much wider range and a much grander personnel than in the old days at Waterloo road. It is more ambitious and its productions are pt the highest I do not suppose you could see Shakespeare better played anywhere in the world. And, of course, it competes with other West End shows. “It is fashionable and smart now to go to the Old Vic season at the New Theatre. And its audiences have i to be able to pay West End prices. This is a great triumph for the company, and all of us who worked with it at the beginning of its career have watched its progress with pride. But I cannot help wishing it were still possible to let the people with small incomes see the same performances at cheaper prices .and in good seats.’’ Recent Developments

The Old Vic carried through a triumphant programme during the summer of 1946 and the winter of 194647. Its visit to the United States in the spring of .1946 was immensely successful and gave the company renewed confidence and vigour. The year was marked in particular by Sir Laurence Olivier’s performance and production of “King Lear.”

In the autumn of 1946, the Old Vic announced plans for an expansion scheme to include a drama school and an experimental theatre, centred at its theatre in Waterloo road, and a children’s theatre for touring, to be known as the Young Vic. The Old Vic School was opened by the then Minister of Education (the late Miss Ellen Wilkinson) in January, 1947, in temporary premises pending the repair of the Waterloo road theatre. The children’s theatre opened on December 26, 1946, at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. In June, 1946, an alliance was announced between the Governors of the Old Vic and the Committee of the National Theatre. A joint council was formed under the chairmanship of Mr Oliver Lyttelton. Its immediate action was to press forward with plans for the erection of the actual National Theatre building on a new site on the south bank of the Thames. These developments have had the approval and assistance of the Arts Council of Great Britain.

The present directors of the Old Vic Theatre Company are Sir Laurence Olivier. Sir Ralph Richardson, and Mr John Burrell. .