BBH London has produced a short film entitled ‘New Since 1818,’ to commemorate the end of The Old Vic’s bicentenary year.
To round off the celebrations, the 90-second film, directed by Thomas Bryant from Blink Productions, endeavours to capture the essence and attitude of the iconic theatre, which has been independently not-for-profit for 200 years.
Shot on location, the film stars Erin Doherty who is the physical embodiment of the theatre itself. Despite The Old Vic's grand old age of 200 years, Doherty, equipped with the elixir of youth, perfectly encapsulates the fresh essence of the theatre, that has avoided stagnation.
The young actress, who has starred in a number of plays at the theatre itself, embodies the undoubtedly female spirit of the 200-year-old building as she muses over memories, social purpose and creative philosophy.
The film was created with support from AKA and is the theatre’s first ever short film for cinema. It will be seen in over 40 cinemas UK-wide, including Curzon, Everyman and Picturehouse. The film will also run online and across social.
About the collaboration, Kate Varah, executive director of The Old Vic said: "This year has offered a unique opportunity to celebrate the iconoclastic, creative and adventurous spirit of The Old Vic. We are so grateful to BBH for their generosity, passion and commitment in helping us to mark this milestone and we look forward to sharing this film with audiences."
Oliver Short, creative at BBH, said: "The thing that struck me about The Old Vic is that while its 200 years old, it is as young and vigorous as a new theatre in terms of what it creates. So, I wanted to embody this in a character. Enter stage left, Erin Doherty."
: 'The Old Vic. New Since 1818.'
