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London’s glitzy theater The Old Vic is set to begin searching for a new artistic director after Matthew Warchus confirmed he plans to step down in 2026 after 11 years in the role.
The search is set to begin in earnest this summer.
Warchus, who was appointed in 2015, has transformed the theater under his leadership, increasing the number of shows annually and introducing new seasons as well as overhauling the building. In the 2022/23 season the 206-year-old theater, one of London’s oldest and largest, achieved 91% capacity. The Old Vic’s shows have also garnered hundreds of award nominations and wins, including Tony and Olivier awards.
It receives no public subsidy and under Warchus’s tenure has taken part in schemes enabling those from lower incomes to attend shows for $10 ($13) a ticket.
Recent shows at the theater including a new musical adaptation of “Groundhog Day.”
“Being the artistic director of The Old Vic has been one of my life’s greatest privileges and pleasures. It is without question my favourite theatre in the world,” sais Warchus. “As a charity without any regular public subsidy, the survival of The Old Vic is dependent on regularly filling its 1,000 seats by engaging as wide an audience as possible with work of the highest quality.”
Nick Clarry, chair of The Old Vic, said: “It has been a pleasure to watch Matthew at the helm of The Old Vic over the last decade. He has the most extraordinary ability to create and find work that reaches audiences of all generations and from all backgrounds….I am delighted that Matthew has agreed to stay until the end of his eleventh season and excited about what will be achieved in the final two years of his tenure. We will soon be starting the recruitment process to find a new artistic director to build on Matthew’s extraordinary work.”
