The Young Vic stands on The Cut in the Lambeth area of London, near the South Bank. Frank Dunlop founded it in 1969, and it opened on 10 September 1970. It was first part of the National Theatre and became independent in 1974. The original building was made of breeze block on the site of a butcher's shop and an adjacent bomb site, and it was meant to last five years.
Haworth Tompkins rebuilt it from 2004 to 2006. The main auditorium was kept and refurbished, and the old butcher's shop became the main entrance and box office. The main house has a thrust stage and about 420 seats, with studios of 150 and 70 seats. The theater won the RIBA London Building of the Year award in 2007.
In 1941, 54 people were killed in the cellars of the former building during the Blitz. A memorial marks the site.
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