London Theatre Profile: The National Theatre

Christine Stein is a PAA Arts Administration Intern in London.  For her internship capstone project she’ll profiling a different London theatre every month from September to January.  Stay tuned for more from Christine soon! 

Five Fun Facts:

1. 1. The National Theatre has three different theatre spaces. Their largest theatre is the Olivier Theatre (named after Laurence Olivier, their first artistic director), and because it was Olivier’s favorite color, all the seats in the space are always bright purple!
      
   2. Throughout the history of the National Theatre, they have had several resident companies of actors, which means that the same actors would stay for the entirety of the season and do every single show. However, these weren’t just regular casts. Have you ever heard of names like Ian McKellen, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench or Anthony Hopkins? Imagine being able to watch them in every single play for years at a time! Check them out in their National Theatre days!
      

      Ian McKellen

      

      Judi Dench & Anthony Hopkins

      

      Maggie Smith

   3. The National Theatre is a repertory theatre, which means that they can put on several shows at once. In only two days, the National Theatre can put on six different productions! Each theatre space is a different size and has the capability of doing different types of shows, so the variety of shows being put on all at once is amazing! Can you even imagine cycling through shows that quickly?
      
   4. Feeling inspired after seeing a show at the National Theatre? Well in addition to having some fun souvenirs, their shop has an incredible array of scripts! They have everything from Shakespeare to whatever is currently playing on the West End, so there is always something for everybody! It basically makes you feel like Belle when she walks into a library! Can’t wait to read the script you just bought in their shop? You can mosey on over to one of their many places to eat. From cafés to a full on dining experience, the National Theatre has all you will need!
      
   5. They offer a really cool backstage tour! In case you are ever curious about the inner workings of the National Theatre, the tour that they provide is excellent. You get to see backstage of the theatre spaces, you get to see people working on the sets, and you learn a lot of really fun facts about the theatre and its history! I give it a 10/10 on the backstage tour scale!
      

Brief History:

The National Theatre opened their first production, Hamlet, in 1963. The first artistic director of the company was Laurence Olivier, and originally, they started their productions at the Old Vic theatre. They did not have their south bank location until 1976, but that didn’t stop them from producing great shows with marvelous talent! Since they have opened, they have performed thousands of shows to hundreds of thousands of people! The National Theatre is truly one of London’s greatest spaces for performing arts. To find out more about this theatre, visit:

https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Coming next:

Theatre Royal Drury Lane