Theatre Collection Old Vic Chronology
1818 Theatre opens as The Royal Coburg. Architect Rudolf Cabanel
1822 Looking Glass Curtain installed, made of 66 pieces of mirror
1831 Edmund Kean appears as Othello and Richard III
1833 Theatre Renamed the Royal Victoria
1858 Stampede in gallery kills 16 people
1869 Auditorium rebuilt, with 2 tiers. Architect: J T Robinson
1871 Theatre re-opens as the Royal Victoria Palace Theatre
1874 Theatre re-opens as the New Victoria Theatre
1880 Re-opens as the Royal Victoria Coffee Music Hall, leased to Emma Cons
1888 Freehold is bought by the charity, the Royal Victoria Hall Foundation
1894 Morley College founded at rear of Old Vic with a donation by Samuel Morley
1898 Lilian Baylis joins her aunt to assist with management
1900 First opera in English, The Bohemian Girl, performed
1912 Emma Cons dies
1914 The Old Vic Shakespeare Company formed under Ben Greet
1915 All Shakespeare's plays of the First Folio performed
1921 Alterations made to theatre and Morley College removed
1931 First ballet performed with Anton Dolin
1936 Opera and Ballet move permanently to Sadler's Wells
1937 Lilian Baylis dies
1939 Theatre closed at the outbreak of 2nd World War
1941 Theatre hit by bomb. Company move to New Theatre
1947 The Old Vic School and Young Vic founded
1950 Theatre re-opens after renovations
1953 All Shakespeare's plays of the First Folio performed under Michael Benthall
1958 HM the Queen opens the Old Vic Annexe, housing workshops
1963 Old Vic Company is disbanded. Theatre leased to the National Theatre
1976 National Theatre moves to South Bank premises
1977 Theatre leased to visiting companies
1978 Prospect Productions designated Old Vic Company
1981 Prospect Productions go into liquidation
1982 Old Vic is sold to Ed Mirvish of Toronto
1997 Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000 put downpayment on the theatre
2003 Hollywood actor, Kevin Spacey, announced as Artistic Director
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