New Voice for Old Vic by The Nest

The Nest has created the identity for The 24 Hour Plays, a one-off fundraiser taking place at London’s The Old Vic Theatre in June.

The event will require a team of playwrights, actors and directors to write, rehearse and perform six short plays within 24 hours. Proceeds will go towards the theatre’s Old Vic New Voices US/UK exchange programme.

‘Old Vic New Voices is about supporting emerging writing talent, and the exchange is about giving [UK] writers, who haven’t been produced in the US, time there with a view to showcasing their work. It works both ways,’ explains Old Vic New Voices producer Kate Pakenham.

Inspired to hold the production after attending a similar event in New York, Pakenham briefed The Nest to create an identity with a sense of Manhattan, modernity and energy. ‘We were keen for it to convey the concept and the timing of the event, as well,’ she says.

According to The Nest creative director Charlie Kinsman, the design focuses on key moments in the production’s schedule, such as the selection of actors and rehearsal times. ‘We wanted to convey the excitement of the time scale and bring the audience into the hair-raising experience of the previous 24 hours,’ she says.

The identity features clock times rendered in letter-pressed figures created by graphic artist Alan Kitching and appears across invitations, posters and programmes.

The Nest was appointed to the work in March on the back of its existing relationship with the Old Vic New Voices initiative.

Actor and Old Vic artistic director Kevin Spacey, writer Kwame Kwei-Armah and director Phyllida Lloyd have been confirmed to participate in the 6 June event.