The Old Vic Announces Global Twitter First In Celebration Of 200th Birthday

Today, ahead of its 200th birthday, The Old Vic announces a major collaboration with Twitter that will see the first ever global 'marathon broadcast' from a theatre across the social media platform.

This exciting digital first will see The Old Vic present a full programme of content across several hours on Friday 11 May.

Throughout the afternoon, in advance of that evening's birthday performance of Mood Music, the theatre will offer a unique glimpse into the work of The Old Vic both on and off stage. Content will include:

The full length production of Tamsin Oglesby's world premiere production Future Conditional, a bracingly topical and boisterously funny play about the education system starring Rob Brydon which opened Matthew Warchus' first season as Artistic Director in 2015;

One Hand Tied Behind Us One Voice Monologues in celebration of 100 years of women's suffrage featuring Sheila Atim, Jill Halfpenny, Siobhan McSweeney, Flo Wilson and Celia Imrie;

Interviews with Old Vic Bicentenary Ambassadors including Dame Judi Dench, Glenda Jackson, Lesley Manville and many more;

Special features on how the theatre enriches the lives of young people through our education scheme Schools Club and employability programme Front Line;

Behind-the-scenes footage of our upcoming shows;

Exclusive Old Vic Happy Birthday messages from familiar faces you know and love.

This is a never-before-seen opportunity for The Old Vic to celebrate its work on a global platform and reach audiences beyond its four walls. As an independent not-for-profit charity, every penny we need to produce the work on stage; support our projects with young people and the community; and keep ticket prices affordable, we have to raise ourselves.

Of the event Kate Varah, Executive Director of The Old Vic said:

'Social media has become one of the primary mediums through which people present and act out their lives. At The Old Vic, we are constantly evolving our relationship with our audience and figuring out how best to respond to their interests. Opening up our work to entertain and inspire a broader range of people through this Twitter 'first' allows us to share thinking and provoke discussion on a global scale. On the day of The Old Vic's 200th birthday, now feels the right time to open up the borders of our theatre and welcome more people inside.'

Managing Director of Twitter UK, Dara Nasr said:

'We are delighted to be collaborating with The Old Vic to celebrate this landmark anniversary. As two organisations committed to giving people the power to create, share and discuss ideas, irrespective of gender, ethnicity and background, it feels only right that we should come together to present the work of this iconic institution.'

Online audiences can watch the content via The Old Vic's Twitter channel @oldvictheatre from 2pm on Friday 11 May which will be supported by @TwitterLive. Be part of the conversation during the broadcast and across the birthday weekend using #OV200.

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