The Old Vic has announced its Back Together season, the seventh from artistic director Matthew Warchus, which will run from July 2021 to July 2022 and combines both streamed and live shows.
Highlights include:
Summer – Digital and Live:
- In celebration of Pride Month the 2017 monologue series Queers, curated by Mark Gatiss, will be re-released on BBC iPlayer (2 June) to accompany two brand new One Voice monologues (30 June) to for Your Old Vic on YouTube
- To mark Refugee Week, HOME? is three new One Voice monologues curated by Noma Dumezweni for Your Old Vic on YouTube (14–20 June)
- Jeremy Herrin directs the sixth in the live Old Vic:In Camera series, Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter with Daniel Mays and David Thewlis which will also welcome a small live ‘studio’ audience (7–10 July)
- Company in Residence Wise Children will return for the world premiere co-production of Emma Rice’s adaptation of the 1987 film Bagdad Cafe. The cast includes Patrycja Kujawska, Le Gateau Chocolat and Sandra Marvin (19 July-21 August, Old Vic: In Camera 25–28 August)
From autumn – Live
- Old Vic Baylis director Katy Rudd directs the world premiere of Bess Wohl’s Camp Siegfried starring Patsy Ferran and Luke Thallon (7 September–30 October)
- Festive favourite A Christmas Carol, written by Jack Thorne and directed by Matthew Warchus, will return for live audiences (13 November 2021–8 January 2022)
- Lyndsey Turner will direct Caryl Churchill’s play A Number starring Paapa Essiedu and Lennie James (24 January–19 March)
- Long-time collaborators Terry Gilliam and Leah Hausman co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods (16 April-9 July 2022)
The next Baylis Director will be Tinuke Craig who will join the theatre for 12 months to direct a full-scale production, receive a fund with which to commission a new piece of work, and shadow the artistic director, using The Old Vic’s space and resources to research and develop projects.
Artistic director Matthew Warchus said: “We are absolutely delighted to be reopening our doors to live audiences and rebooting in person all of the other important work that The Old Vic engages in alongside its main stage productions. It’s particularly gratifying to be able to play our part in bringing theatre freelancers (including writers, directors, designers, choreographers, musicians and performers) back to work after an impossibly challenging period.
“Through astonishing efforts and support from friends old and new, we’ve made it to reopening. We don’t take that for granted. We feel incredibly fortunate to be back. Very grateful to all those who made it happen. And very excited to be Back Together.”
There will also be new commissions for writers Diana Nneka Atuona, Natasha Gordon, Regina Taylor and Roy Williams as well as an adaptation of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr, adapted for the stage with book and lyrics by Caroline Bird and music by Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler.
