You can book for Richard Bean’s uproarious comedy Jack Absolute Flies Again (co-written with his One Man, Two Guvnors star Oliver Chris), which transposes Sheridan’s The Rivals to a country house in 1940. That amazing run continues with the National Theatre’s current offerings. Landmark productions include: Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Howard Brenton’s The Romans in Britain, Judi Dench in Harold Pinter’s A Kind of Alaska, Ian McKellen in Richard III, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, Hugh Jackman in Nunn’s Oklahoma!, His Dark Materials, Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, War Horse, Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller in Frankenstein, One Man, Two Guvnors, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Dominic Cooke’s revival of Follies, and The Lehman Trilogy. Since then, the NT has produced more than 800 shows under its successive artistic directors: Olivier, followed by Peter Hall, Richard Eyre, Trevor Nunn, Nicholas Hytner, and, currently, Rufus Norris. The National Theatre Company began in style with Laurence Olivier’s production of Hamlet starring Peter O’Toole. Shows can be staged front on, in traverse or in the round, with seats in the pit raised, lowered or folded away as required. It’s the smallest space, at 400-450 seats, but the most excitingly flexible. This was originally the Cottesloe (after Lord Cottesloe), but was renamed for philanthropist Lloyd Dorfman, chairman of Travelex Group, in 2014. The National also has the Dorfman Theatre, which you access from a side entrance to the building. For example, unlike some older West End houses, there’s no issues with pillars blocking your view. This is a more conventional proscenium arch configuration, with 890 seats, but is likewise well designed for maximum audience engagement. The National’s second-largest space is the Lyttelton Theatre (named for the NT’s first board chairman, Oliver Lyttelton). This is where you find the big-cast productions. It’s fan-shaped, creating a wonderful feeling of connection to the performers even with such a vast audience, and its steep rake means great sight-lines throughout the auditorium. The biggest and most prestigious is the Olivier Theatre (named after Laurence Olivier), which can seat 1,150 people. Here’s a look at the spaces in the National Theatre. One of the reasons why the National Theatre is always the place to be is that it can host multiple impressive productions at once across its different spaces. What are the theatre spaces in the National Theatre building? They initially performed at London’s Old Vic theatre until construction was finally completed on the new National Theatre building in 1977. His illustrious debut company included the likes of Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi and Lynn Redgrave. Impresario Harley Granville Barker and critic William Archer set out detailed plans for the theatre in 1903, but the project kept stalling, with politicians debating whether or not it was worth funding, and the interruption of two world wars.įinally, the National Theatre Company was founded in 1963 under artistic director Laurence Olivier. London publisher Effingham Wilson first proposed a national theatre back in 1848, and other prominent figures soon supported the notion - including author Charles Dickens, critic and poet Matthew Arnold, and actor Charles Kemble. The founding of the National Theatre was the result of decades of campaigning. From its intimate Understudy Bar to its thriving River Stage Festival in the summer to a robust bookshop, there’s so much to do and see at the National Theatre.įind out more about this landmark venue and its current shows in our handy guide to the National Theatre. The building is also an impressive space for audiences and artists alike to gather before and after taking in a show. Situated on London’s South Bank, the theatre is home to bold new writing and celebrated revivals, to plays, musicals, and family shows, and to everything from full-blown epics to intimate two-handers across its multiple playing spaces. The Royal National Theatre, or the National Theatre as it’s usually known, is the UK’s flagship venue - and a theatre with a stellar international reputation, too.
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