As The Old Vic looks forward to reopening later in 2021, we continue to work hard to bring together people from across the globe through the OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series – live streaming theatre directly into homes from our iconic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop.
The Old Vic is committed to bringing the uplifting experience of live theatre to families and schools this April and we, along with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, in celebration of Earth Day and the iconic book’s 50th anniversary will present Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax for six performances only, with Jamael Westman (Hamilton, West End) as the Once-ler and Audrey Brisson, David Ricardo-Pearce and Ben Thompson as The Lorax. Other cast includes: Richard Katz, Melanie La Barrie and Silas Wyatt-Barke.
Staged in celebration of Earth Day and the book’s 50th anniversary of publication, David Greig and Charlie Fink’s Olivier Award-nominated adaptation, directed by Max Webster, is inventively transformed into a semi-staged pint-size version to keep young (and older) minds entertained, enchanted and empowered with its central message of protecting the planet.
Our OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series has been an important service in providing almost 100,000 people across 90 countries with live theatre throughout lockdown. For this, our fifth global live stream, we will be extending the production to family audiences and schools who continue to miss out on live theatre experiences.
Three free IN CAMERA: PLAYBACK performances of the live recording will be offered to schools across the globe on Earth Day on 22 April. From Mon 29 Mar, teachers will have the opportunity to book for one of the three performances which will be streamed at various times throughout the day, and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Offering this access is crucial to our mission to educate and inspire the next generation of theatre makers and audiences.
As global leaders begin to map out COVID-19 recovery plans, they collectively have a unique opportunity to factor sustainability and green-recovery at the heart of them – and we all have the chance to do the same; to have important conversations around our role in protecting the planet, and to take this moment to reset and examine how we can live more sustainably.
‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.’
Dr. Seuss Enterprises continues to promote this ethos and used the author’s birthday to take positive action, removing six of his books from circulation, and reiterating their commitment to supporting all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion and friendship.
Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director, said:
‘We first presented our hugely popular production of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax back in 2015 and I still regard David Greig’s dazzling adaptation as one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. It’s a hugely entertaining and urgently relevant parable about how all of us, adult and child alike, can play our part in saving the planet. We are aiming to bring that full production back to The Old Vic but in the meantime, this stripped-back version for our fundraising OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series is a timely way of sharing this perfect tale of a global catastrophe followed by joyous renewal and rebirth.’
Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax will be live streamed for six performances from 14–17 April with tickets priced from £10–£40. A limited number will be available at each price band and whilst all ‘seats’ offer the same view (from the comfort of your own home), we’re asking audiences to choose the ticket price they can afford in return for access to this totally unique experience. Those planning to watch together on the same device only need to book a single ticket and every performance will be audio described and captioned and available to stream live from anywhere in the world.
The schools IN CAMERA: PLAYBACK will be available at 9.30am, 1pm and 7pm (BST) on 22 April only for any schools from across the globe to watch for free via Zoom. Capacities will be limited and allocated to eligible schools on a first come, first served basis, and every school wanting a ticket is required to book in advance from Mon 29 Mar via HERE to secure their booking. Terms and conditions apply.
On this OLD VIC: IN CAMERA Susan Brandt, President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, said:
‘We are honoured that The Old Vic is bringing Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax back to the stage for fans around the world, including thousands of students who will have access to the production this Earth Day for free. It’s perfect that so many people will be able to watch this beautiful production as The Lorax marks its 50th anniversary.’
The Old Vic is an independent registered charity in receipt of no regular public subsidy that has thrived pioneering a model of self-sustainability in the arts. We contribute artistically to the cultural life of the nation whilst also delivering flagship education and community programmes to 10,000 young people each year. Significant support is urgently needed if we are to emerge from this crisis still able to deliver exciting entertainment and social benefit from this historic, loved building that has been a beacon of creative adventure for over two centuries.
The OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series is made possible thanks to the unwavering support of Royal Bank of Canada as The Old Vic’s visionary Principal Partner. Since the beginning of Matthew Warchus’ tenure in 2015, RBC has sponsored 31 main stage productions and now, in the face of such challenging times, RBC continues to stand alongside us and support our theatre and have even enhanced their support by funding The Old Vic’s Emerging Talent Programme, as their first RBC Emerging Artists Project outside of Canada. And, thanks to PwC’s steadfast generosity through this crisis, we’re delighted to be able to continue to inspire a new audience by making this artistic initiative widely accessible with a number of PwC £10 Tickets offered across all performances.
With special thanks to our Streaming Provider, Zoom.
Based on the book The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss
Produced by permission of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.
Dr. Seuss Text, Characters, and Images TM and © 1971 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All rights reserved
CREATIVE TEAM
Adapted for the Stage - David Greig
Music and Lyrics - Charlie Fink
Director - Max Webster
Co-Designers - Bec Chippendale and Rob Howell
Choreographer - Drew McOnie
Lighting - Jon Clark
Sound - Tom Gibbons
Puppetry Director - Finn Caldwell
Puppet Designers - Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell
Musical Director/Arranger - Phil Bateman
Casting - Jessica Ronane CDG
Associate Choreographer - Ebony Molina
BOOKING DETAILS
OLDVICTHEATRE.COM
OLD VIC: IN CAMERA
Age recommendation: 6+
Performance dates: 14–17 Apr
Times: 14, 15, 16 & 17 Apr: 7pm; 16 & 17 Apr: 3pm (all times are BST)
BOOKING
Priority booking opens for Members on 15 Mar 12noon GMT
General booking opens on 17 Mar 12noon GMT
Tickets: £10–£40 per device
Individuals will also have the option to purchase tickets on behalf of other households.
All performances are audio described, captioned and available to live stream globally.
IN CAMERA: PLAYBACK
Age recommendation: 6+
Performance date: 22 Apr
Times: 9.30am, 1pm & 7pm (BST)
School booking opens on 29 Mar 12noon BST
Tickets: Limited free tickets available – booking essential. First come, first served.
Terms and conditions apply.
All performances are audio described, captioned and available to live stream globally.
BIOGS
CAST
Audrey Brisson
Puppeteer
Theatre includes: The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (Wise Children/ Kneehigh); The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic); Amélie The Musical (West End/Hartshorn-Hook/Selladoor/ Watermill Theatre); Pericles, Pinocchio, The Elephantom (National Theatre); La Strada (West End/UK Tour); Romeo and Juliet (Rose Theatre, Kingston); Dead Dog in a Suitcase (And Other Love Songs), The Wild Bride, Midnight's Pumpkin (Kneehigh); The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
(Kensington Gardens). Television includes: Outlander, Money. Film includes: W.E., Hereafter.
Richard Katz
Ensemble
Theatre includes: The Divide, Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic); The Soldier’s Tale (Hallé Orchestra); The Encounter, The Master and Margarita, Measure for Measure, Mnemonic (Complicite); Nell Gwynn, Hamlet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Bartholomew Fair (Shakespeare’s Globe); War Horse, Wind in the Willows (National Theatre);
Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Comedy of Errors, The Drunks, The Winter’s Tale (RSC); Spyski (Lyric Hammersmith); Way to Heaven (Royal Court); Senora Carrar’s Rifles, Arabian Nights (Young Vic). Film includes:
Guardians of the Galaxy, Sixty Six, Enigma. Television includes: Discovery of Witches, Taboo, Crossing Lines, Poirot: The Trials of Hercules, The Honourable Woman, Ambassadors, Green Wing, Hustle, Rome, Black Books.
Melanie La Barrie
Ensemble
Theatre includes: Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic); & Juliet, Wicked, Matilda the Musical, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Les Misérables, Daddy Cool, Mary Poppins (West End); Fiddler on the Roof, Romeo and Juliet (Liverpool Everyman); Brother (Southwark Playhouse); Dick Whittington (National Theatre); Bakkhai (Almeida) Play Mas (Orange Tree); White Christmas, The Sunshine Boys (Leeds Playhouse); Guys and Dolls (Chichester Festival); Christmas Carol (Birmingham Rep); Once On This Island (Hackney Empire); Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Liverpool Playhouse). Film includes: London Road. Television includes: Casualty, EastEnders. Recordings include: Daddy Cool, Mary Poppins, Matilda the Musical.
David Ricardo-Pearce
Ensemble
Theatre includes: Dr.Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic); Kiss Me Kate (Watermill Theatre); The Last Yankee,
Hamlet (Bolton Octagon); Crossing Jerusalem (Park Theatre); The Middlemarch Trilogy (Orange Tree); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bristol Old Vic) ;The Sacred Flame (UK tour); Alfie (Bolton Octagon/Stephen Joseph Theatre); As You Like It (Chester Performs); The Big Fellah (Lyric Hammersmith); Anyone Can Whistle (Jermyn Street Theatre); Annie Get Your Gun (Young Vic); Saturday Night (Jermyn Street Theatre/Arts Theatre); Privates on Parade (Leeds Playhouse/Birmingham Rep); The Car Cemetry (The Gate); Saint Joan (National Theatre); Two Cities (Salisbury Playhouse); Inglorious Technicolour (Stephen Joseph Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Watermill Theatre/West End). Television includes: Traitors, Trauma, The Spa, Eastenders, Outnumbered, Extras, Border Crossing.
Ben Thompson
Puppeteer
Theatre includes: Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic /Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto); The Boy in the Dress (RSC); The Town That Trees Built (Young Vic); Madam Butterfly (ENO); The Wizard of Oz, Winnie and Wilbur (Birmingham Rep); Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe); Kipper’s Snowy Day (Slot Machine); Running Wild (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Light (Ad Infinitum); Hamlet (The Factory); Treasure Island, The Light Princess, War Horse (National Theatre); Before the Dawn (Hammersmith Apollo); Twelfth Night, Richard III (Shakespeare’s Globe/West End); A Christmas Carol (National Theatre of Scotland); His Dark Materials (Birmingham Rep/Leeds Playhouse); Low Life (Blind Summit Theatre); Faeries (ROH). Television includes: Fungus the Bogeyman. Film includes: Fantastic Beasts, Gravity, Life.
Jamael Westman
The Once-ler
Theatre includes: Hamilton (West End); The White Devil (Shakespeare’s Globe); Torn (Royal Court). Film includes: Animals. Television includes: Anne Boleyn, 4Stories: BBW, Munch.
Silas Wyatt-Barke
Puppeteer
Theatre includes: Dr Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic/Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto); The Prince of Egypt, The Go Between, Sunny Afternoon (West End); Twelfth Night (Young Vic); As You Like It (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre);
Much Ado About Nothing (Rose Theatre, Kingston); Forty Years On (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Emperor and the Nightingale (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick). Film includes: Benjamin.
CREATIVE TEAM
Charlie Fink
Charlie was front man and songwriter for Noah and the Whale. The band released four albums, which collectively sold over a million copies worldwide. He produced Laura Marling’s Mercury Prize-nominated album Alas I Cannot Swim, and wrote/produced music for Charlotte Gainsbourg, Foxes and Eliot Sumner among others. Theatre includes:
Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic/Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto/Minneapolis Children’s Theatre); Cover My Tracks (The Old Vic/Latitude Festival/UK tour); As You Like It (Regents Park Open Air Theatre).
David Greig
Theatre includes: Dr Seuss’s The Lorax (The Old Vic/Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto/Minneapolis Children’s Theatre); Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (West End); Lanark (Citizens Edinburgh); The Events (Traverse/Young Vic); Midsummer (Traverse/Soho/Tricycle); Dunsinane (RSC); The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland); Monster in the Hall, Yellow Moon (TAG Glasgow).
Max Webster
Theatre includes: Fanny & Alexander, Cover My Tracks (The Old Vic); Dr Seuss’s The Lorax (Old Vic/Toronto/Minneapolis); La Boheme (Goteborg Opera); Life of Pi (Sheffield Crucible); The Merry Widow (ENO); As You Like It, Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Mary Stuart, Sea of Fertility (Parco, Tokyo); The Twits (Leicester Curve); James and the Giant Peach, My Generation (Leeds Playhouse); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe); The Winter’s Tale (Edinburgh Lyceum); Orlando, To Kill a Mockingbird, My Young and Foolish Heart (Royal Exchange). Film includes: Dr. Seuss's The Grinch Musical Live! Max was the first Baylis Director at The Old Vic and is Associate Director at Donmar Warehouse.
About The Old Vic
The Old Vic is an artistic powerhouse with a strong social mission that for over two centuries has remained at the centre of its civic, creative and cultural community. During this time the theatre has taken on many identities (an opera house, a temperance tavern and a college to name a few) and has been no stranger to adversity as it has battled fires, bankruptcies and bombing. But throughout this time one element has endured; an unwavering determination to remain a beacon of hope, entertainment, education, solace and inspiration with a social mission to be a force for good. And now, during this period of closure, the theatre is once again working to stay meaningfully connected with all its audiences: theatre-goers, creatives, schools, young people, the local community and supporters.
About Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Dr. Seuss Enterprises is a leading children’s entertainment company focused on protecting Theodor Seuss Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss) legacy and thereby ensuring that each generation can experience the genius of Dr. Seuss. The company was established in 1993 and is based in San Diego, CA. Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ global endeavors complement Dr. Seuss’s iconic books and include films, TV shows, stage productions, exhibitions, digital media, licensed merchandise, and other strategic partnerships. Ted Geisel once said he never wanted to license his characters to anyone who would “round out the edges” – a guiding principle at Dr. Seuss Enterprises. For more information about Dr. Seuss and his works, visit seussville.com and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
