The Stage

Advising Young Vic to close during renovation was ‘wrong’, admits Frayling

Published Tuesday 17 October 2006 at 14:45 by Alistair Smith

Arts Council England chairman Christopher Frayling has admitted to having to “eat humble pie” over advising the Young Vic to stop producing while its home on the South Bank was being renovated.

Speaking at the reopening of the theatre, which cost £12.5 million and came in on time and on budget, Frayling said that ACE had told the company that it should close down while the work was underway but artistic director David Lan had decided to programme the Young Vic Walkabout season instead.

During the two-year period, the Young Vic produced 22 shows at 41 venues across the UK and Europe. Thanks to the decision, all but one of the Young Vic’s senior management team and much of the company’s other staff were kept on during the closure period and have remained with the organisation.

“I’m afraid that the arts council told you not to [stay open],” said Frayling. “You were right, we were wrong.” He also added that the Young Vic had been “about the best value per square metre” of any of the recent arts-council funded rebuilding project, also highlighting the fact that “on time and on budget” were not words ACE got to say “very often”.

The Young Vic reopened with a revival of community opera Tobias and the Angel, which runs at the venue until October 21. The new building’s second production, Love and Money, a new play by Dennis Kelly, opens in November.