Old Vic In Camera to take social distancing to new extremes

Old Vic In Camera - a new series of live-streamed lockdown theatre from the Old Vic stage aims to replace box office income from theatre closure.

Clare Foy and Matt Smith in Lungs from the original production. Photo: Helen Maybanks Old Vic In Camera is a new artistic initiative to be presented by the Old Vic in London. In Camera combines a run of socially distanced performances of Duncan MacMillan’s LUNGS with Claire Foy and Matt Smith followed by a major series of rehearsed play-readings, all streamed live from the iconic Old Vic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop.

In Camera will see live performances at the Old Vic Theatre London, with minimal staging and accessible only via camera and live stream.

Each performance of Lungs and each subsequent play reading in the Old Vic In Camera series will be available for up to 1,000 people per night (with some matinees) replicating our usual audience capacity size. Tickets will be priced as they are in our auditorium from £10–£65 and whilst all ‘seats’ offer the same view (from the comfort of your own home), we’re asking audiences to give what they can to help support our theatre in return for access to this totally unique experience. There is also the option to add a further donation on top of this for those who are able to give a little more. Lungs will be the first in the series, performing a socially distanced version for several days during June. Onsale dates for Lungs and the remaining titles in the series, with well-known casts, together with schedules and booking details for the months ahead, will be released soon via social media and people can sign up at oldvictheatre.com.