The Young Vic

The Young Vic theatre began its life as an offshoot of the Old Vic - the first residence of the Royal National Theatre under Laurence Olivier. 'Here', Olivier said, 'we think to develop plays for young audiences, an experimental workshop for authors, actors and producers.' The company was led by Frank Dunlop, a Royal National Theatre Associate Director and founder of the Pop Theatre in Edinburgh. Dunlop wanted to create a new kind of theatre for a new generation - one that was unconventional, classless, open, circus-like and cheap. He was inspired by influential French actor and director Jean Vilar, who claimed that theatre should be as indispensable to life as bread and wine. The Young Vic was conceived as a 'paperback' theatre, where high-quality work would be made available to all at low cost.