Royal National Theatre facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, usually called the National Theatre (NT) in the UK, is a famous place for performing arts in London, England. It's also home to a theatre company. The theatre was started by the famous actor Laurence Olivier in 1963. Many well-known actors have performed there since.

The company first performed at The Old Vic theatre in Waterloo until 1976. The building you see today is right by the River Thames in the South Bank area of central London. Besides shows at its main building, the National Theatre also sends its plays on tour to other theatres across the United Kingdom. Many of its shows have even gone to Broadway in New York and toured as far as China, Australia, and New Zealand! In 1988, the theatre was allowed to add "Royal" to its name, but people don't often use the full title. The theatre puts on many different kinds of plays, including Shakespeare's classics, other famous international plays, and new plays by modern writers.

In June 2009, the theatre started National Theatre Live (NT Live). This program shows live performances from the theatre in cinemas, first in the UK and then around the world. It began with a play called Phèdre, starring Helen Mirren, which was shown live in 70 cinemas across the UK. Since then, NT Live shows have been broadcast to over 2,500 places in 60 countries! In November 2020, they launched "National Theatre at Home," a streaming service where you can watch recordings of NT Live shows. New plays are added every month, and you can rent them for a short time or get a subscription to watch as many as you like.

The National Theatre earns money in different ways. Most of its income comes from ticket sales, NT Live, and things like restaurants, bars, and the bookshop inside the theatre. They also get support from the Arts Council England and donations from companies, people, and foundations.

How the National Theatre Began

People in Britain started talking about needing a "National Theatre" way back in 1847. At that time, serious plays were limited, and new plays had to be approved by a special office. Many theatres showed lighter shows like comedies and musicals. Critics felt that British theatre was too focused on making money and having "star" actors. People wanted a place to celebrate serious theatre, especially to honor William Shakespeare.

The Royal National Theatre as seen from the southwest

In 1879, a famous French theatre company, the Comédie-Française, performed in London. This made people even more eager for a British National Theatre. They wanted a building in London to remember Shakespeare, a top-quality theatre company, and a place to help spread the love of great plays through education.

The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened in Stratford upon Avon in 1879. Later, in 1904, Herbert Beerbohm Tree started an acting school called the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. But London still didn't have its own national theatre. In 1902, a group called the London Shakespeare League was formed to work towards this goal. They even bought land in Bloomsbury in 1913, but World War I stopped their plans.

In 1910, the famous writer George Bernard Shaw wrote a short play called The Dark Lady of the Sonnets. In it, Shakespeare himself tries to convince Queen Elizabeth I that a National Theatre is needed for his plays. This play was part of the long effort to build the theatre.

Finally, in 1948, the London County Council offered a site near the Royal Festival Hall. This led to the National Theatre Act 1949, which allowed the government to help pay for the theatre. It took many more years, but agreements were finally reached in 1962. A special group was set up to build the theatre, and another group was created to run the "National Theatre Company." This company started performing at the Old Vic theatre while the new building was being constructed.

The "National Theatre Company" opened its first show on October 22, 1963, with Hamlet, starring Peter O'Toole. The company was founded by Laurence Olivier, who became its first artistic director. Famous actors like Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon were among the first to join the company.

The permanent theatre building was designed by architects Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley. It has three stages and opened in stages between 1976 and 1977. The company moved from the Old Vic to the new building in 1977.

The Theatre Building

Entrance to the National Theatre

The National Theatre building has three main theatres inside. There was also a temporary theatre from 2013 to 2016.

Olivier Theatre

This is the main theatre, named after Laurence Olivier, the theatre's first artistic director. It's designed like an ancient Greek theatre, with an open stage and seats for 1,160 people arranged in a fan shape. It has a special "drum revolve" stage that can turn and move scenery quickly and smoothly. This design helps make sure everyone in the audience has a great view, and actors can see the audience clearly.

Lyttelton Theatre

Named after Oliver Lyttelton, the first chairman of the National Theatre's board. This theatre has a traditional "proscenium arch" stage, which is like a picture frame around the stage. It can seat 890 people.

Dorfman Theatre

This theatre is named after Lloyd Dorfman, a generous supporter of the theatre. It's the smallest and most flexible of the National Theatre's stages, with seats for 400 people. It used to be called the Cottesloe Theatre. It was updated and reopened with its new name in September 2014.

Temporary Theatre

This theatre, also known as The Shed, was a smaller, temporary space with 225 seats. It opened in April 2013 to show new plays and closed in May 2016 after the Dorfman Theatre was renovated.

In 2015, artist Carl Randall painted a portrait of actress Katie Leung in front of The Shed. She chose it because she performed there and wanted to make the temporary theatre "permanent in the portrait."

Building Design

Detail of the National Theatre showing the texture of the concrete walls

The National Theatre building has a unique style, often called "Brutalist" architecture because it uses a lot of raw concrete. When it first opened, people had very different opinions about it. Some found the concrete too much, while others loved its strong, modern look. Famously, King Charles III once joked that it looked like a "nuclear power station." However, others, like John Betjeman, praised its impressive and finished appearance.

Denys Lasdun's building for the National Theatre, designed to fit with the River Thames and offer views of St Paul's Cathedral.

Despite the different opinions, the theatre has been a protected building since 1994, meaning it's considered historically important. Many now see its design as clever and well-balanced. A new lighting system at night makes the building look very popular and beautiful.

Inside the Theatre

The National Theatre's public areas are open to everyone. You can find a large theatre bookshop, restaurants, bars, and spaces for exhibitions. The outdoor areas by the river are also used for free open-air shows in the summer.

The Clore Learning Centre is a special place for learning at the National Theatre. It offers events and courses for all ages, teaching about theatre-making, from writing plays to technical skills. These are often led by the theatre's own artists and staff.

Backstage, the actors' dressing rooms are arranged around a central open space. This means their windows face each other. Because of this, on the opening and closing nights of a play, actors have a tradition of drumming on their windows with their hands when they are called to the stage.

You can also take tours backstage to see how sets are built and painted. There's even a walkway where visitors can look down into the workshops where sets and props are made.

NT Future Project

In 2013, the National Theatre started a big project called "NT Future" to redevelop and improve its complex. This project was estimated to cost around £80 million.

National Theatre Studio

The National Theatre Studio is a separate building across the road from the Old Vic. It used to be where the theatre's workshops were, but since 1984, it's been the National's research and development center. It's where new plays are developed and where the theatre's history (archive) is kept. It also has a special studio for immersive storytelling.

The Studio building was designed by architects Lyons Israel Ellis and opened in 1958. It was updated in 2007.

National Theatre Live

National Theatre Live is a program that broadcasts live performances from the National Theatre (and other theatres) to cinemas and arts centers all over the world. It started in June 2009 with Helen Mirren in Phedre.

Some of the plays that have been broadcast include One Man, Two Guvnors starring James Corden, Frankenstein directed by Danny Boyle with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

The performances chosen for broadcast are planned ahead of time. This allows cameras to be placed around the theatre to capture the best views for the cinema audience.

Learning and Participation

National Theatre Connections

National Theatre Connections is a yearly festival for youth theatre groups across the country. It started in 1995 and features ten new plays written for young people by leading playwrights. Schools and youth groups perform these plays in their own communities and at local theatres. Some of these groups are then invited to perform their plays at the National Theatre itself, often on the Olivier or Dorfman stages.

National Theatre Collection

The National Theatre Collection is a free streaming service for schools and colleges worldwide. It's free for UK state schools. This service provides high-quality recordings of plays that are linked to school subjects, filmed in front of a live audience.

It launched in 2015 for UK secondary schools and later in 2016 for primary schools. Some of the plays available include Frankenstein, Othello, and Jane Eyre. By 2018, more than half of UK state secondary schools had signed up for the service. In March 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, the collection was made available for students and teachers to watch at home.

Public Acts

Public Acts is a program that works with communities and theatres across the UK to create large-scale new plays. The first Public Acts show was Pericles in August 2018, performed at the National Theatre. The Guardian newspaper called it "a richly sung version with brilliant performances from a cast of hundreds."

Outdoor Festivals

River Stage

River Stage is the National Theatre's free outdoor summer festival. It takes place over five weekends outside the theatre, with extra food stalls and bars.

The festival features different programs each weekend, put together by various companies. The National Theatre itself plans the final weekend. This festival started in 2015.

Watch This Space

The "Watch This Space" festival used to be a free summer-long celebration of outdoor theatre, circus, and dance. It was replaced by the River Stage festival in 2015.

"Watch This Space" offered events for all ages, including workshops for children and adults. It worked with many different outdoor arts groups from the UK and around the world. The festival was paused when the Temporary Theatre was built in the main square, but some smaller events were held nearby.

Artistic Directors

The artistic director is the person in charge of the theatre's artistic vision and what plays are performed.

Sir Laurence Olivier (1963–1973)
Sir Peter Hall (1973–1988)
Sir Richard Eyre (1988–1997)
Sir Trevor Nunn (1997–2003)
Sir Nicholas Hytner (2003–2015)
Rufus Norris (2015–2025)

Laurence Olivier became the first artistic director of the National Theatre in 1963.

Laurence Olivier was the first artistic director when the National Theatre was formed in 1963. He was considered the best British actor of his time. He also started the company that would become the National Theatre Company. He continued to act in many successful plays while he was director. In 1970, he was given a special honor and became a "life peer" for his contributions to theatre. He stepped down in 1973.

Peter Hall took over next. He was in charge of moving the theatre to its new building on the South Bank. He had a lot of experience, having created the famous Royal Shakespeare Company. He directed many important shows for the National Theatre.

Richard Eyre became artistic director in 1988. He was known for working with writer David Hare on plays about modern Britain.

In 1997, Trevor Nunn became artistic director. He came from the Royal Shakespeare Company and brought a more popular style to the National, directing famous musicals like My Fair Lady and Oklahoma!.

In 2003, Nicholas Hytner took over. He introduced new ideas like the "NT Future" project, the National Theatre Live broadcasts, and a special "Entry Pass" scheme that allowed young people under 26 to buy tickets for a very low price.

Rufus Norris became artistic director in 2015. He is the first person since Laurence Olivier to hold the job without having gone to University of Cambridge. It was announced in 2023 that he will step down in 2025.

Looking east from Waterloo Bridge. You can see St Paul's Cathedral and other major buildings, with the lit-up National Theatre on the right.

Royal Patrons

The National Theatre has had royal patrons who support its work.

Queen Elizabeth II (1974–2019)
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (January 2019–February 2021)
Queen Camilla (March 2022–present)

Images for kids

An artistic lighting scheme illuminating the exterior of the building
The statue of Laurence Olivier as Hamlet was unveiled in September 2007
The terrace entrance between the mezzanine restaurant level and the Olivier cloakroom level, reached from halfway up/down Waterloo Bridge
The main entrance on the ground floor
The building has many different geometric shapes.
River Thames and Waterloo Bridge, with National Theatre, centre-right