Venerable Vic fights for its independence

THE Old Vic, one of London’s landmark theatres, has rebuffed an attempt to take it over. The 202-year-old institution relies on deep-pocketed supporters and ticket sales to survive.

Overheads are substantial and, even before the pandemic, the Vic often struggled to make ends meet. The building does not receive a government subsidy — though management is studying the Chancellor’s £1.57 billion package for the arts to see how it will work out for them in practice. The Ambassador Theatre Group approached Matthew Warchus, the Old Vic’s artistic chief, and his executives several weeks ago, offering to take over the theatre’s liabilities — injecting millions into the property — while leaving Vic staff to control artistic policy. The offer was ‘declined immediately and definitively’, The Old Vic said in a statement released to me yesterday. They are working with supporters to ‘ensure a strong, independent and exciting future for our artistic powerhouse’. As with all theatres, though, it’s facing ‘significant challenges’ because of Covid-19. The venerable Vic is a byword for quality, so it has, over the years, been able to attract big name acting talent. Daniel Radcliffe was appearing there in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame when lockdown forced the theatre to close. A few seasons back, Glenda Jackson (left), played to capacity audiences in the title role of King Lear. There was no comment from representatives of ATG.