Royal National Theatre is a government-supported theater in London. Throughout most of its history, it was known as the National Theatre. In 1988, Queen Elizabeth II permitted the theater to call itself the Royal National Theatre. However, that title is rarely used. The theater presents classics of world drama as well as modern works and premieres of new plays. Many of the foremost actors in the United Kingdom have performed with the company, including Judi Dench, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, and Paul Scofield.
A British publisher, Effingham Wilson, first suggested the idea of a national British theater in 1848. Theater professionals repeatedly proposed and rejected plans for the location and design of the theater. In 1949, Parliament agreed to form a National Theatre Company. In 1962, the Old Vic Theatre in Waterloo Road became the temporary home for the National Theatre as a new building was planned. Laurence Olivier was appointed as the company’s director. The company gave its first performance in 1963, a production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet that featured Peter O’Toole as Hamlet, under Olivier’s direction.
The site of the new theater was changed several times. Work on the final site, on the south bank of the River Thames near Waterloo, started in 1969. The theater company moved there in 1976.
The National Theatre consists of three theaters: the Olivier Theatre, the Lyttelton Theatre, and the Cottesloe Theatre. The National Theatre also has a studio for research and development, with a commitment to develop new plays. The Royal National company tours throughout the world and has performed at playhouses in Europe and the United States as well as in Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and South Africa. The theater receives supporting funds from Arts Council England.
See also Olivier, Laurence; Theater (The United Kingdom).
