Royal National Theatre

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National Theatre
The National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge
Address	South Bank
City	Lambeth, London
Designation	Grade II*
Architect	Denys Lasdun
Capacity	Olivier Theatre 1,160 seats Lyttelton Theatre 890 seats Cottesloe Theatre 400 seats
Type	National theatre
Opened	1976
Production	Repertory
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
	Coordinates: 51°30′26″N 0°06′51″W / 51.5071, -0.1141

The National Theatre of Great Britain on the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, England is immediately east of the southern end of Waterloo Bridge. The National Theatre's building was designed by architect Sir Denys Lasdun and its theatres opened individually between 1976 and 1977. In the years from 1963, before the company's permanent home on the South Bank was completed, the National Theatre Company, was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo.

Since 1988, the Theatre has been permitted to call itself the Royal National Theatre, but the full title is rarely used.

The National Theatre presents a highly varied programme, including Shakespeare and other classics from the whole of world drama, and new plays by leading contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire or repertory, thus further widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season. Since 2003, thanks to sponsorship from Travelex, the National has been able to offer well over 100,000 seats each year in the Olivier Theatre for £10^[1].

[edit] The building

The National Theatre building houses three separate auditoria:

• The Olivier Theatre (named after the theatre's first artistic director, Laurence Olivier), the largest space, is the main auditorium, and was modelled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus; it has an open stage and a fan-shaped audience seating area for about 1,160 people. It houses the Drum Revolve, a unique piece of stage technology which goes 8 m under the stage. The Drum has two rim revolves and two platforms which can take 10 tonnes, facilitating dramatic and fluid scenery changes.
• The Lyttelton Theatre (named after Oliver Lyttelton, the first chairman of the National Theatre Board) has a proscenium arch design and holds up to 890 people.

• The Cottesloe Theatre (named after Lord Cottesloe, chairman of the South Bank Theatre Board) is a small adaptable studio space, designed by Iain Mackintosh, holding up to 400 people, depending on the seating configuration.

Denys Lasdun's building for the National Theatre - an "urban landscape" of interlocking terraces responding to the site at King's Reach on the River Thames to exploit views of St Paul's Cathedral and Somerset House.

The riverside forecourt of the theatre is used for regular open air performances in the summer months. The terraces and foyers of the theatre complex have also been used for ad hoc experimental performances. The decor is frequently dynamic, with recent displays of grass turf as 'outside wallpaper', different statues located in various random places and giant chairs and furniture in the forecourt.

The National Theatre's foyers are open to the public, with a large theatrical bookshop, restaurants, bars and exhibition spaces. Backstage tours run throughout the day, and there is live music every day in the foyer before performances.

The style of the National Theatre building, described by Mark Girouard as "an aesthetic of broken forms" at the time of opening. Architectural opinion was split at the time of construction. Even enthusiastic advocates of the Modern Movement such as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner have found the Béton brut concrete both inside and out overbearing. Most notoriously, Prince Charles described the building in 1988 as "a clever way of building a nuclear power station in the middle of London without anyone objecting". Sir John Betjeman, however, a man not noted for his enthusiasm for brutalist architecture, was effusive in his praise and wrote to Lasdun stating that he "gasped with delight at the cube of your theatre in the pale blue sky and a glimpse of St. Paul's to the south of it. It is a lovely work and so good from so many angles...it has that inevitable and finished look that great work does."^[2]

Despite the controversy, the theatre has been a Grade II* listed building since 1994^[3]. Although the theatre is often cited as an archetype of Brutalist architecture in England, since Lasdun's death the building has been re-evaluated as having closer links to the work of Le Corbusier, rather than contemporary monumental 1960s buildings such as those of Paul Rudolph.^[4] The carefully refined balance between horizontal and vertical elements in Lasdun's building has been contrasted favourably with the lumpiness of neighbouring buildings such as the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall, and is now in the unusual situation of having appeared simultaneously in the top ten "most popular" and "most hated" London buildings in opinion surveys. A recent lighting scheme illuminating the exterior of the building, in particular the fly towers, has proved very popular, and is one of several positive artistic responses to the building.

In September 2007, a statue of Sir Laurence Olivier as Hamlet was unveiled outside the building, to mark the centenary of the National's first artistic director.

The National also has a Studio, the National's research and development wing, founded in 1984. The Studio has played a vital role in developing work for the National's stages and throughout British theatre. Writers, actors and practitioners of all kinds can explore, experiment and devise new work there, free from the pressure of public performance. The National Theatre Archive is housed in the same building, which is across the road from the Old Vic in the Cut, Waterloo, and used to house their workshops.

An artistic lighting scheme illuminating the exterior of the building	The statue of Laurence Olivier as Hamlet was unveiled in September 2007	The removal of some of the raised concrete walkways has improved public access to the ground level foyer
The ensemble shows a varying range of geometric relationships.

[edit] Artistic directors

• Laurence Olivier (1963–1973)
• Peter Hall (1973–1988)
• Richard Eyre (1988–1997)
• Trevor Nunn (1997–2003)
• Nicholas Hytner (2003 to date)

[edit] Notable productions

[edit] 1963-1973

• Hamlet, directed by Laurence Olivier, with Peter O'Toole in the title-role and Michael Redgrave as Claudius (1963).
• The Recruiting Officer, directed by William Gaskill with Laurence Olivier as Captain Brazen and Robert Stephens as Captain Plume (1963).
• Othello, directed by John Dexter, with Laurence Olivier in the title-role and Frank Finlay as Iago (1964)
• The Royal Hunt of the Sun by Peter Shaffer, directed by John Dexter (1964); the National's first world premiere
• As You Like It directed by Clifford Williams, the all-male production with Ronald Pickup as Rosalind, Jeremy Brett as Orlando, Charles Kay as Celia, Derek Jacobi as Touchstone, Robert Stephens as Jaques (1967)
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, directed by Derek Goldby, with John Stride and Edward Petherbridge (1967)
• The Dance of Death by August Strindberg, with Laurence Olivier as Edgar and Geraldine McEwan as Alice (1967)
• Oedipus by Seneca translated by Ted Hughes, directed by Peter Brook, with John Gielgud as Oedipus, Irene Worth as Jocasta (1968)
• The Merchant of Venice, directed by Jonathan Miller, with Laurence Olivier as Shylock, Joan Plowright as Portia (1970)
• Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Ingmar Bergman, with Maggie Smith as Hedda (1970)
• Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill, directed by Michael Blakemore, with Laurence Olivier as James Tyrone (1971)
• Jumpers by Tom Stoppard, directed by Peter Wood, starring Michael Hordern and Diana Rigg (1972)
• The Misanthrope by Molière, translated by Tony Harrison, directed by John Dexter with Alec McCowen and Diana Rigg (1973-74)

[edit] 1973-1988

• The Tempest with John Gielgud as Prospero, directed by Peter Hall (1974).
• No Man's Land by Harold Pinter, directed by Peter Hall, with Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud (1975)
• Illuminatus!, an eight-hour five-play cycle from Ken Campbell's The Science Fiction Theatre of Liverpool (opening production at the Cottesloe, 1977)
• Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Peter Hall (1977)
• Lark Rise by Keith Dewhurst, directed by Bill Bryden (1978)
• Tales from the Vienna Woods by Ödön von Horváth, translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by Maximilian Schell, with Stephen Rea and Kate Nelligan
• Plenty by David Hare, directed by the author, with Stephen Moore and Kate Nelligan (1978)
• Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, directed by Peter Hall, with Paul Scofield and Simon Callow (1979-80)
• Galileo, by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Howard Brenton directed by John Dexter with Michael Gambon (1980)
• The Romans in Britain by Howard Brenton, directed by Michael Bogdanov, subject of a private prosecution by Mary Whitehouse (1980)
• The Oresteia by Aeschylus, translated by Tony Harrison, directed by Peter Hall (1981)
• Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser directed by Richard Eyre (1982), the National Theatre's first musical with Bob Hoskins as Nathan Detroit
• Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet, directed by Bill Bryden (1983)
• Jean Seberg, musical with a book by Julian Barry, lyrics by Christopher Adler, and music by Marvin Hamlisch; directed by Peter Hall (1983).
• The Mysteries from medieval Mystery plays in a version by Tony Harrison, directed by Bill Bryden (1985)
• Pravda by Howard Brenton and David Hare, directed by David Hare, with Anthony Hopkins (1985)
• Antony and Cleopatra directed by Peter Hall, with Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench (1987)

[edit] 1988-1997

• Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega, translated by Adrian Mitchell, directed by Declan Donnellan (1989)
• Richard III starring Ian McKellen and directed by Richard Eyre (1990).
• Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, directed by Steven Pimlott (British premiere) (1990)
• The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett, directed by Nicholas Hytner, starring Nigel Hawthorne (1991)
• Angels in America: Part One: Millennium Approaches; Part Two; Perestroika by Tony Kushner directed by Declan Donnellan (1991-92)
• An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley, directed by Stephen Daldry (1992)
• The David Hare Trilogy: Racing Demon, Murmuring Judges, The Absence of War by David Hare, directed by Richard Eyre (1993)
• Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, directed by Trevor Nunn (1993)
• Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, directed by Declan Donnellan (1993)
• Les parents terribles by Jean Cocteau, directed by Sean Mathias (1994)
• A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, directed by Sean Mathias, with Judi Dench (1995)
• King Lear directed by Richard Eyre, with Ian Holm (1997)
• The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Frank McGuinness, directed by Simon McBurney (1997)

[edit] 1997-2002

• Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, directed by Michael Blakemore (1998)
• Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, directed by Trevor Nunn, with Maureen Lipman and Hugh Jackman (1998)
• The Merchant of Venice directed by Trevor Nunn, with Henry Goodman (1999)
• Summerfolk by Maxim Gorky, directed by Trevor Nunn (1999)
• Honk!, Laurence Olivier Award winner (1999)
• Blue Orange by Joe Penhall directed by Roger Michell, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bill Nighy and Andrew Lincoln (2000)
• The Island by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona, directed by Peter Brook and performed by Kani and Ntshona (2000)
• The Far Side of the Moon written, directed and performed by Robert Lepage (2001)
• Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones directed by John Caird, with Simon Russell Beale (2001)
• South Pacific by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, directed by Trevor Nunn, with Philip Quast (2001)
• The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare directed by Nicholas Hytner, with Alex Jennings and Phil Daniels (2001)
• Vincent in Brixton by Nicholas Wright, directed by Richard Eyre, with Clare Higgins (2002)
• The Coast of Utopia, a trilogy by Tom Stoppard, comprising: Voyage, Shipwreck and Salvage, directed by Trevor Nunn, with computerised video designs by William Dudley (2002)
• Anything Goes by Cole Porter, directed by Trevor Nunn, with John Barrowman and Sally Ann Triplett (2002)
• Dinner by Moira Buffini, starring Harriet Walter, Nicholas Farrell and Catherine McCormack, directed by Fiona Buffini.

[edit] 2003-

• Jerry Springer - The Opera, a musical by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas (2003)
• Henry V by William Shakespeare. A notable modern dress version directed by Nicholas Hytner starring Adrian Lester (2003).
• Elmina's Kitchen written by Kwame Kwei-Armah, directed by Angus Jackson and starring Dona Croll, George Harris, Emmanuel Idowu, Oscar James, Paterson Joseph and Shaun Parkes (2003).
• Democracy by Michael Frayn directed by Michael Blakemore (2003)
• His Dark Materials, a two-part adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel directed by Nicholas Hytner starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Dominic Cooper (2003)
• The History Boys by Alan Bennett directed by Nicholas Hytner starring Richard Griffiths (2004)
• Coram Boy by Helen Edmundson, directed by Melly Still (2005, 2006)
• The Seafarer by Conor McPherson directed by the author, starring Jim Norton, Conleth Hill, Karl Johnson, Michael McElhatton and Ron Cook (2006)
• Caroline, or Change Book and lyrics by Tony Kushner, music by Jeanine Tesori, directed by Jack O'Brien (2006)
• The Man of Mode directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Rory Kinnear as Sir Foppling Flutter (2007).
• Landscape with Weapon written by Joe Penhall, directed by Roger Michell and starring Tom Hollander, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Jason Watkins and Pippa Haywood (2007).
• Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw, directed by Marianne Elliott (2007)
• War Horse based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick Stafford, directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, presented in association with Handspring (2007).
• Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Nicholas Hytner, starring Simon Russell Beale and Zoe Wanamaker (2007-8).

[edit] Current productions

Productions for the May-August 2008 season include:

• Never So Good, a new play by Howard Brenton
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (starring Vanessa Redgrave, who will reprise her Broadway role)
• Harper Regan, a new play by Simon Stephens
• Major Barbara, by George Bernard Shaw
• The Pitmen Painters, by Lee Hall, inspired by a book by William Feaver
• Afterlife, a new play by Michael Frayn
• The Revenger's Tragedy by Thomas Middleton
• ...some trace of her, inspired by The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, adapted by Katie Mitchell and the company
• Her Naked Skin, a new play by Rebecca Lenkiewicz

[edit] National Theatre Studio

The National Theatre studio is a development space on The Cut, founded in 1985 under the directorship of Peter Gill^[5]. The studio houses work in progress such as play readings and workshops, and provides a venue for professional training.

Following refurbishment, the studio reopened in Autumn 2007. Purni Morrell has been the Head of Studio since 2006.

[edit] National Theatre Connections

Connections (also referred to as New Connections and formerly Shell Connections) is an annual youth theatre scheme founded in 1995. Each year the National Theatre commissions ten plays from established playwrights which are performed by youth theatre groups across the UK^[6]. Groups are invited to perform at Connections Festivals held at a professional theatre in their area^[7]. Each play is then performed by a different group at the National Theatre itself later in the year.

The scheme was initially sponsored by Shell, but since 2007 has been supported by the Bank of America.

Six Connections plays have been professionally produced. Burn by Deborah Gearing, Chatroom by Enda Walsh and Citizenship by Mark Ravenhill were performed in 2006^[8]; the latter two were revived in 2007 when they also toured^[9].

In 2008 Baby Girl by Roy Williams, DNA by Dennis Kelly and The Miracle by Lin Coghlan received professional productions in the Cottesloe^[10].

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

• Elsom, John and Tomalin, Nicholas (1978): The History of the National Theatre. Jonathan Cape, London. ISBN 0-224-01340-8.

• Hall, Peter, (edited Goodwin, John) (1983): Peter Hall's Diaries: The Story of a Dramatic Battle (1972-79). Hamish Hamilton, London. ISBN 0-241-11047-5.

• Goodwin, Tim (1988), Britain's Royal National Theatre: The First 25 Years. Nick Hern Books, London. ISBN 1-85459-070-7.

• Callow, Simon(1997): The National: The Theatre and its Work, 1963-1997. Nick Hern Books, London. ISBN 1-85459-318-8.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

National Theatre, London

• Official website
• The official Royal National Theatre print website containing over 700 posters from the NT Archive
• NT Connections Official Site
• Intelligent Giving charity profile of The National Theatre