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 The National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge | |
  National Theatre Location within Central London | |
| Former names | National Theatre Company (while based at the Old Vic from 1963) |
|---|---|
| Address | Upper Ground, South Bank London England |
| Coordinates | 51°30′26″N 0°06′51″W / 51.5071°N 0.1141°W |
| Public transit | |
| Designation | Grade II* |
| Type | National theatre |
| Capacity |
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| Construction | |
| Opened | 1976 (building) |
| Architect |
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| Website | |
| nationaltheatre | |
The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain,[1] commonly known as the National Theatre (NT) within the UK and as the National Theatre of Great Britain internationally,[2][3] is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England. The theatre was founded by the actor Laurence Olivier in 1963, and many well-known actors have performed with it since.
The company was based at The Old Vic theatre in Waterloo until 1976. The current building is located next to the Thames in the South Bank area of central London. In addition to performances at the National Theatre building, the National Theatre tours productions at theatres across the United Kingdom.[4] The theatre has transferred numerous productions to Broadway and toured some as far as China, Australia and New Zealand. However, touring productions to European cities was suspended in February 2021 over concerns about uncertainty over work permits, additional costs and delays because of Brexit.[5] Permission to add the "Royal" prefix to the name of the theatre was given in 1988,[6] but the full title is rarely used. The theatre presents a varied programme, including Shakespeare, other international classic drama, and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre can run up to three shows in repertoire, thus further widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season. However, the post-2020 covid repertoire model became straight runs, required by the imperatives of greater resource efficiency and financial constraint coupled with the preference (and competition for the availability) of creatives working across stage and screen, thus bringing it in line with that of most theatres.
In June 2009, the theatre began National Theatre Live (NT Live), a programme of simulcasts of live productions to cinemas, first in the United Kingdom and then internationally. The programme began with a production of Phèdre, starring Helen Mirren, which was screened live in 70 cinemas across the UK. NT Live productions have since been broadcast to over 2,500 venues in 60 countries around the world. In November 2020, National Theatre at Home, a video on demand streaming service, specifically created for National Theatre Live recordings, was introduced. Videos of plays are added every month, and can be "rented" for temporary viewing, or unlimited recordings can be watched through a monthly or yearly subscription programme.[7][8]
The NT had an annual turnover of approximately £105 million in 2015–16, of which earned income made up 75% (58% from ticket sales, 5% from NT Live and Digital, and 12% from commercial revenue such as in the restaurants, bars, bookshop, etc.). Support from Arts Council England provided 17% of income, 1% from Learning and Participation activity, and the remaining 9% came from a mixture of companies, individuals, trusts and foundations.[9]
- ^ Hartnoll, Phyllis; Found, Peter (1 January 2003), Hartnoll, Phyllis; Found, Peter (eds.), "National Theatre", The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780192825742.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-282574-2, retrieved 20 December 2023
- ^ Lister, David (11 January 2003). "Wales and Scotland need a cultural revolution". The Independent. London.
- ^ "Home page". The National Theatre. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
Welcome to the National Theatre
- ^ "National Theatre Near You". Royal National Theatre. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ Slawson, Nicola (17 February 2021). "National Theatre to halt Europe tours over Brexit rules". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ The Cambridge History of British Theatre, Volume 3, p. 319
- ^ Marshall, Alex (December 2020). "U.K. National Theater Enters the Streaming Wars". New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ "National Theatre at Home". National Theatre. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ National Theatre Annual Report 2012-13