The Old Vic

How Theatres Trust helped a historic theatre adapt for the future. 

Established in 1818 and Grade II* listed, The Old Vic is an independent, producing theatre located in Waterloo and is one of the most influential cultural institutions in British theatre. Theatres Trust is pleased to have been able to play a supporting role in its more recent history.

Our first involvement with the theatre was in 1984 when we were happy to support The Old Vic’s plans to change a workshop into a studio space. Fast forward to 2022, we supported the next evolution of that when The Old Vic submitted plans to convert a neighbouring pub into a new creative hub. Theatres Trust provided pre-application advice as well as supporting the planning application for what we now know as Backstage. We also helped source the recycled barndoor lights that are such a distinctive feature of Backstage.

In 2004 we were instrumental in helping The Old Vic Trust to secure a £50,000 project planning for the Heritage Lottery Fund, to work up conservation-led proposals to secure the future of the building. While this may seem like a relatively modest sum for such a prestigious organisation, it was the first time it had received any public funding.

Since then, we’ve awarded two grants to The Old Vic from our own funding schemes. The Old Vic received a £20,000 grant from the Theatre Improvement Scheme in 2019 when its theme was access. This funded adaptations that would makes its box office wheelchair accessible for the first time in its 200-year history.

We awarded another £10,000 from the same fund, now focused on sustainability, in 2025, as a significant contribution towards the project to upgrade The Old Vic’s main building’s Building Management System (BMS). The upgraded BMS will play a pivotal role in transforming how the theatre monitors and manages energy efficiency, which is critical to the theatre’s wider plan to reach Net Zero by 2050.

This case study was produced as part of our Fifty@50 campaign to mark our 50th anniversary in 2026.

Photo credit: The Old Vic, London