Old Vic Voices - working with Laurence Olivier | National Theatre

On the 22 October 2013, 50 years since the first performance by the National Theatre, Nicholas Hytner hosted a special Platform event with a group of actors who were in the original NT company at the Old Vic - Michael Gambon, Gawn Grainger, James Hayes, Geraldine McEwan, Ronald Pickup and Sheila Reid all share their memories and experiences working with Olivier and the National Theatre.

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About Laurence Olivier
Was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career he had considerable success in television roles.

Olivier's family had no theatrical connections, but his father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus.

About the Old Vic
For over 200 years, The Old Vic has been at the centre of its civic, creative and cultural community: London’s local theatre with global impact, reaching audiences of 350k+ every year with over 60% of those visiting for the first time. As a theatre operating independently as a registered charity, The Old Vic’s identity is built around its wider societal contribution and our mission to make The Old Vic accessible.

The theatre that began life as a music hall, a notorious drinking den, a temperance tavern and an opera house went on to become the home of great acting, dance, musical extravaganzas, vaudeville and spectacle. Many of our great actors have appeared here, including Laurence Olivier, Sybil Thorndike, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson. Others, like Judi Dench, Michael Gambon and Maggie Smith first made their names here. Olivier led the first National Theatre Company at The Old Vic and independence, integrity and a fighting spirit have permeated throughout The Old Vic’s history as it has triumphed over adversity when faced with bankruptcy, fires, bombing during the Second World War and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last two centuries have seen The Old Vic take on many identities but throughout this time one element has endured; an unwavering determination to remain a beacon of hope, entertainment, education, solace and inspiration with a social mission to be a force for good.

Throughout 2018 The Old Vic celebrated its 200th birthday and here are some snapshots into the work of The Old Vic.

Source: https://www.oldvictheatre.com/about/m...

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