The Old Vic has been a mainstay of London’s cultural landscape for more than two centuries. Now, for the first time since 1818, the beloved not-for-profit institution has undergone a major physical expansion, opening Backstage, a six-storey building next door. Backstage, according to The Old Vic, is a “creative hub” that will support the theatre’s mission to make itself “open to anyone”, with a free-to-use workspace, a script library, an outdoor terrace, and a café, bar and restaurant championing sustainable, affordable fare.
Theatre runs through the building’s DNA: Backstage’s striking russet-coloured exterior (designed by Haworth Tompkins Architects, which has also worked on Soho Place, Battersea Arts Centre and the Young Vic) is made from salvaged barndoor theatre lights, acting as a brise soleil façade that controls heat absorption and solar glare. The cafe’s terrazzo-like table tops are made of shredded Old Vic programmes, the names of plays, actors and directors teasing diners as they eat charcuterie boards and root vegetable salads before their show.
“The mission for Backstage is to be as welcoming and accessible to local and creative communities as possible,” The Old Vic tells Broadsheet. “Central to this mission is the creation of the new cafe and bar.” The affordable menu offers simple, nourishing fare: scrambled Clarence Court eggs for breakfast; ham and Wookey Hole cave-aged cheddar sandwiches for lunch; and small plates for dinner. Nothing costs more than £15, with many options under £10. The drinks menu favours independent brewers and sustainable brands, a continuation of the theatre’s existing bar menu. The Old Vic hopes that after the shows, the space will buzz with “post-show conversation and late-night drinks”.
Backstage is the result of a 10-year project helmed by The Old Vic’s artistic director, Matthew Warchus, who stepped into the role in 2015. “For a decade, the team and I have been committed to making our theatre more welcoming, more adventurous and less intimidating through changes to the physical spaces,” he said in a statement. “The Backstage building demonstrates this ongoing commitment and marks a new chapter in the life of this wonderful theatre.” Under Warchus’s leadership, The Old Vic has programmed hugely successful new work by the likes of Lucy Prebble and Tim Minchin, bold adaptations of modern classics and Jack Thorne’s beloved annual adaptation of A Christmas Carol, likely to end after this year with Warchus stepping down as artistic director in September 2026.
The Backstage expansion – which cost £17.2 million in fundraising from private donors, foundations, corporate donors and local and regional government – also includes spaces that will be off-limits to the general public, but will allow The Old Vic continue its mission. There’ll be rooms for writers and other creatives to work, the Clore Learning Centre for The Old Vic’s community outreach and education work, and the Greene Studio, a flexible rehearsal room which can transform into a studio theatre.
