The Old Vic is the name of a small, 120-seating theatre on the third story of
Ballston Commons Mall in
Arlington, Virginia. While
theatre in a
mall doesn't sound so great, the venue is actually very intimate, with no soft spots for sound and great visibility all around.
The venue is mostly known for hosting the Washington, DC area's ComedySportz troupe, who play theatre games in an improvisational fashion, similar to Whose Line is it Anyway?…except without all the shots of Drew Carey laughing all the time. The troupe has held shows at the theatre almost every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night since moving into the spot in the late 90s. They also hold matinee shows geared towards children on Sunday's and Saturday's.
The venue also hosts other D.C area comedy troupes every Friday night at 10PM under the bill "Adult Improv." Some of these troupes are The Weaker Sex, Poppycock!, Grimprov, and the District of Columbia Unscripted Players who usually go by the name DCUP. The venue has also seen stand up comedians, hypnotists, one-act plays and lecturers, although it's mostly used for improvisational comedy.
The Old Vic Theatre is soon expanding into two houses. The ComedySportz troupe will have their own 200-seating house and another house will seat 75 people for various other shows and productions.
For all those who are curious, The Old Vic Theatre doesn’t take its name after the famous London theatre. The Old Vic is the Old Vic because before there was a theatre on the third story of Ballston Commons Mall, there was a Victoria's Secret.