The Old Vic Theatre, London

The original theatre was built in 1818 and was called the Royal Coburg. The name changed to the Royal Victoria in 1833 and this was soon shortened to the Old Vic. The thatre has been refurbished/rebuilt in 1876, 1926 and 1983. The theatre has a Grade II* listing because of the Georgian exterior.

Lilian Baylis founded The Old Vic Shakespeare Company here in 1914 and many of the great names in British theatre have played here as part of this company - Sybil Thorndike, Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson to name just a few. In 1941 the war forced the theatre to close. It then reopened in 1950 when Shakspeare was once again presented. In 1963 the National Theatre was founded here by Laurence Olivier and the National Theatre stayed here until 1976 when the National's new home on the South Bank was built.

Recent productions here include the musical Carmen Jones which was here in the early 1990s as well as an unsuccessful revivial of the musical Hair. During 1996 Sir Peter Hall set up a repertory company presented a season of 10 plays with performances 7 days a week and 10 performances a week.

The theatre was put up for sale in September 1997 and a charitable trust - The Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000 - was set up in 1998 to buy the building and 'save' it as a working theatre.

In January 2002 Matthew Warchus was appointed as the artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre. Then just over a year later, in February 2003, The Old Vic Theatre Company was launched with Kevin Spacey as its Artisic Director.

Kevin Spacey's opening season began in September 2004 with the British Premiere of Maria Goos' play Cloaca followed by the traditional pantomime Aladdin which starred Sir Ian McKellen as 'Widow Twanky' - apparently fulfilling a lifelong dream to be in a panto!

List of shows currently playing in London's West End