National Theatre

I love the national theatre! The Theatres within it are gorgeous and huge, and you can almost always get a good view of everything. There are some fantastic shows at all times of the year, so do catch a play if you can. I love the shop as well,
as it’s filled with quirky gifts and SO MANY PLAYS. You’ll be dumbstruck at how much you can spend on DVDs and scripts, but really, just wow.

Bei meinem letzten London-​Besuch das erste Mal im National Theatre gewesen und gleich schwer begeistert!
Schon allein das Konzept des Theaters, ein sozialer Treffpunkt für jedermann sein zu wollen, finde ich grandios. Direkt beim Betreten des Theaters laden zahlreiche gemütliche Sitzgelegenheiten, Bars und ein Bistro zum Verweilen ein. Die Stimmung ist wirklich toll, man hat das Gefühl, dass Theater hier nicht nur ein Zeitvertreib für gehobenes Publikum, sondern wirklich Kultur für jeden ist.
Wifi und Garderobe sind kostenlos und auch die SciFi-​mäßige Architektur ist immer wieder ein Hingucker. Zahlreiche Workshops, Backstage-​Tours und andere Veranstaltungen beweisen außerdem, dass das National Theatre viel mehr als nur ein Theater ist.
Zu schade, dass es so einen Ort in Hamburg nicht gibt.

A great Theatre where we went to see Chiwetel Ejiofor in Everyman which was a great show!
The Olivier Theatre was spacious and very modern, the seats were comfortable and we had a great view of the whole stage from row b in the circle. We loved the whole building which is quite ugly from the outside but its like a tardis in the inside its huge!
There are many bars to relax before the show and they also have a balcony at the top which offers panoramic views of the Thames and the London skyline!
You can also get great ticket offers at this awesome theatre with the Travelex £15 ticket offers. The national theatre also host many shows with big names so go check it out!

I used to hate the look of this place both on the outside and the inside. I now think is brutalst architecture at its best and love it!
The National Theatre was originally a theatrical group founded in 1963 when the company was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo. In 1976 it moved to its present site, which was purpose built for the company. The first of the three theatres to open on the complex was the Olivier, named after Laurence Olivier, the National Theatre’s first artistic director.
The three theatres each have their own characteristics. The Olivier has a semi circle open space for a stage. The Lyttleton is a more traditional auditorium, and the Dorfman (formally the Cottesloe) is a small space which can be adapted to a traditional theatre set up or have plays performed in the round. It is also used as an open space to be rented out when there are no productions on. All theatres have clear views of the stage, and the sound systems are second to none.
The beauty to me of the National, is the public areas. There are cafes, restaurants, live free music performances and my new favourite South Bank pub The Understudy has been built into one of the buildings corners.
If ever you on on the South Bank, just pop-​in to feel the atmosphere of this great place. It really does have a feeling of somewhere that belongs to the people.

Places like the National Theatre are why I love living in London. It is located on the South Bank not far from Waterloo, on the outside it looks like a concrete mess but inside there are a number of stages (I can’t remember how many there are) so there are a wide range of performances.
My employer is a corporate sponsor so I was lucky to be based there for a team building away day in one of the rooms upstairs last October. We had a behind the scenes tour which included going backstage in the Lyttleton theatre, it was really good to see the props and the set designs.
I have sampled two plays there which were both good, I particular like the clear sight lines and comfortable seats that are missing from the West End theatres. Tickets are not too expensive so it is worth snapping some up if you are in the area.

One of the best, and most well funded, theatres in London.
They ALWAYS have something new on, and pride themselves on providing a range of different performances in one of the three performance spaces. (The Olivier, the Lyttleton and their temporary performance space ‘The Shed’)
From a mix of classic Ibsen to Stoppard to Caryl Churchill, they have some of the best talent around performing in both well-​known and newly developed shows.
Food and drink prices are a little expensive (I recommend getting some cash out BEFORE getting there– the few cashpoints there are seem to be constantly plagued by queues– and taking a five minute wander down Southbank rather than paying over the odds)
Okay. SO. Ticket prices are a little expensive.
Okay insanely expensive
BUT there are ways around that
1) Entry Pass, online group for under 25s to get 5 pound tickets for some performances.
2) Join the theatre royal haymarket mailing list– the theatre they lend their shows to every now and again– and not only will you receive invitations to their free ‘Masterclass’ scheme (Q&As with famous directors and actors) but ALSO occasionally get emailed about last minute free tickets (sometimes with a booking fee of 3 quid)
But its worth it. Get yourself some cheap tickets, get yourself over to that sprawling mass of concrete and see something wonderful. If the shows bad and you hate it? At least the tickets were cheap, and they can never be faulted on their set/​costume design.

A contemporary theatre space, well spaces, that is worth checking out with plays and musicals which are normally only on for a short run. tickets are reasonably priced & I found the box office staff very helpful. Don’t be immediately put off by anything that says restricted view, again ask the staff as I got a £15 restricted view ticket for Love Lies Here and because the action happens all over the room I didn’t feel I missed out on anything.

This review is for the tour of the National Theatre.
The backstage tour of the National Theatre was a wonderful experience. Our tour guide showed us the 3 smaller theaters WITHIN the National Theatre, explaining the advantages of each. One catered to a much more smaller, intimate audience while the Olivier theater was definitely for the headlining shows. We also go to go backstage to see all the craziness and inner workings that are involved with putting on a production. There was also an area where they replicate the stage and scenes for rehearsals, all the mish mash of props from various shows, and we were even able to go on stage in one of the theaters. Truly an engaging tour!
If you are a theatre buff or like to see the technical aspects of shows, this is an absolute must!

A place to be proud of as a Londoner. The National is the most reliable place in London to see some really quality theatre. Tickets don’t have to be so expensive, you can get £10 student deals quite easily. So what are you still waiting for?

The Royal National Theatre is constantly winning awards and voted one of the top independent theatres in London. It’s easy to see why.
The Theatre uses that term in the most general way possible, since this is more than just a theatre. It is in fact, multiple theatres, each showing a wide array of famous classics and new plays. Whatever you are looking for: comedy, drama, a little mix of the two, they’ve got it.
They often do cheap ticket sales as well, so you can snag tickets for less than £10. And if you’re 25 or under, you can always get a ticket for just £5. That truly is amazing.
I saw a show in the balcony and it was great. I could see well, I could hear well, I could not have been happier.
They also have a beautiful little café, bars, and individual stands throughout the space selling ice cream. Little ice cream stands for you to take to your seat. What a joy!
I would come back here in a heartbeat to see a show. It really doesn’t matter which one too, I know it will be good.

The national theatre is really something special! Its called the National Theatre for a reason, because really and truly it is the most respected and popular theatre in the whole of the UK in my opinion. You can get upto £5 tickets on certain shows and also £10 day seats. They have a saled caramel ice cream in their little café that is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. If you and are in London, you MUST come here.

If there is a better theatre in London, or indeed the UK, then I’d like to see it.
In particular the main theatre space, the Olivier, is outstanding and even sitting in the back row of the circle you’ll have a good view of whatever you’re seeing. The spaces are all very modern and adaptable though so from elaborate scenery to minimalistic staging, the National can handle it all.
The National puts on some really incredible theatre, much of it brand new, by world-​famous writers and ground-​breaking theatre companies and everything I’ve seen here has been excellent. This is made all the more affordable by the fantastic Travelex ticketing scheme which offers decent seats in a lot of plays for just £12 per ticket. I strongly advise signing up for the advance membership scheme, which is only £15 a year, and gives you the ability to book new plays a few days before the general public.
Beyond the theatre itself the building is an iconic and beautiful piece of brutalism, especially attractive when lit up at night, with excellent outside spaces including the square and a number of terraces. Bars are in plentiful supply and live music often features on the ground floor. There is also a gift/​book shop and there are usually exhibitions on too.
Add to that the fantastic location and the NT is a MUST for theatre lovers.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is currently showing and it’s amazing (especially if you have a fondness for numbers and Maths like me). Day returns are the only tickets available though if you want to go and see this superb show.
In fact, everything I’ve ever seen at the National has been outstanding and as such, is usually sold out. You really have to be on the ball, or on their mailing list, if you want to get tickets for some of their shows.
However, the National do something else that very few theatres do… they broadcast their plays to cinemas around the world live. The Curious incident will be showing on the 6^th Sept and if you missed the chance to see it in the theatre itself, I’d highly recommend seeing it at the cinema.
They also love playing around with the space outside the theatre, providing play areas, imaginative seating and entertainment on the South Bank itself. They have several bar areas, a great book shop, coffee shops and probably a lot more I haven’t found yet.

I love this theatre; although enormous, it
feels intimate. I especially like the Olivier.
Grade 11 Listed Denis Lasdun building &
it still looks modern!
And now I can afford tickets with the new Travelex system :
great at £10 & £12. Best theatre in town
And outside on the approach they have a lawn for open air
concerts: fabulous idea while you wait for your performance
Just been to see The Curious Incident at the Cottesloe —
best play in years a fantastic production

Had a great evening in the beautiful Royal National Theatre. Nice atmosphere and people

Picture Perfect
The power of the picture is celebrated with a challenging, diverse selection of press photographs from 2010 currently showing at the National Theatre.
The Press Photographer’s Year exhibition grabs your attention from the first with a miraculous image of UKIP candidate Nigel Farage, walking away from an air crash. The inevitable war section is a sensitively handled, although be warned, as there are some distressing images of wounded soldiers.
Other sections of the exhbiition cover, politics (look out for a striking three head montage of Clegg, Cameron and Brown which truly represents the hope, power and ultimate failure that political leadership embodies), entertainment, nature, sport, human rights and human interest.
The most heartbreaking image for me in the whole collection was that of Amina an HIV positive school girl in Tanzania, forced to wear a red badge at school to denote her condition.
She watches the other children she is excluded from playing with from behind the bars of her classroom window.
This exhibition serves as a reminder of how in a split second a photographer’s lens can define a moment, evoke feelings from those who view the image and turn it into first a memory then history.

It’s an amazing theatre that does a huge range of different productions of new plays and classics. Even if the show isn’t to your taste, there will always be something to admire in the production because it’s always done to such high standards.
But, productions aside, it’s a great place on the South Bank to hang out. Free WiFi and good coffee during the day. Free foyer music at 6pm every night — hundreds of concerts each year.
The Platforms, talks at 6pm on a range of topics and with all manner of visiting experts, are great value. Plus free exhibitions in the various exhibition spaces. And there’s information on all of the above on the website…

A classic of «Brutalist» architecture on the Southbank, designed by Denys Lasdun, this is a stunning Grade II listed building and a wonderful place to watch both modern and contemporary theatre. Famously loathed by our very own architectural guru Prince Charles; this in itself makes it worthy of a visit, if only to make your own mind up.
Others have given a good run down on the three separate auditoria, which have housed some of the most notable productions in the UK over the past four decades. So I thought I’d mention some of the other great stuff the «National» has to offer the Londoner, or the out of towner, in search of a little bit of this great city on the cheap.
Don’t feel that you need to have booked a ticket to see one of the many fine productions which are «on» at the National to put this on your itinerary for a day out South of the river. The foyers, terraces and bars/​restaurants are all open free to the general public and you could do much worse than spend an afternoon chilling with the National.
This Saturday I dropped in to check out some extremely fine Cuban music in the foyer provided by the Sugar Kings, a great trio from Havana. They played an absolutely storming set and it was just perfect to be able to grab a cold Corona from the bar and then get a seat not more than a few feet from the stage. Until the summer, when the schedule slows down and you get more stuff outside, you will find music by some top notch artists pretty much every day of the week before the theatre performances and the lunchtime sessions at the weekend are always worth checking out.
After the Sugar Kings set I wandered upstairs to check out the free exhibition of Allen Ginsberg photographs: «Angelheaded Hipsters». Most of these pictures will probably already be pretty familiar to you if you are a fan of the Beats but it’s a well-​staged exhibition and I spent a very enjoyable hour wandering about. If you are interested in modern American literature and the «lions» from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s you will find this fascinating.
Another great thing about the National are the «platforms»; a series of events associated with the plays or exhibitions. These are reasonably priced lectures or happenings led by experts in the field which are run to coincide with, and complement, what’s going on at the theatre. There is a «Discovering the Beat Movement» event on 19 February for a fiver which will see Barry Miles and the poet Michael Horovitz amongst others talking the stage to give you their insight into Kerouac et al — to my mind a bit of a bit of a bargain.
On your way out make sure you hang onto your wallet and check out the very well-​stocked bookshop. Lots of interesting, and often hard to find, stuff and I rarely leave without a package being tucked into the man bag — I like to persuade myself that having had a free afternoon’s entertainment this represents a good way of putting some money back into the theatre.
So anyway; the National Theatre, the Southbank and Brutalist architecture — I salute and thank you.

A place to be proud of as a Londoner, the National is a myriad of theatre spaces, cafes, restaurants, galleries and shops. Even if you’re not coming to see anything (but why not?) it’s definitely worth a visit when on the South Bank.
Striking and normally lit up in bright colours, this place stands out on the riverside. The inside is just as interesting — an industrial warren of cubby-​holes and hidden rooms.
They regularly have cheap theatre tickets available, and at least 3 shows to choose from on any given day.
The bookshop offers a great selection and the nunmerous cafes and bars are an ideal place to rest up and get your nose into a new play.
Sign up for the mailing list and keep an eye out for the offers.

In my whirlwind tour of London (all done in 2.5 days!), I had the opportunity to check out the Royal National Theatre (aka, run inside to use their facilities).
I love how this theatre is on the affordable side. I’ve been to plays and musicals in London in previous trips but never here. I was impressed with the way the theatre is laid out and excited that there are outdoor entertainers during certain months.
I absolutely love the oversized couch and armchairs when I was visiting. It provided a lot of photo opportunities and to know that it used to be the set for an outdoor play is fantastic of them to allow the public to have fun.
The bf got a refreshing drink for us to share afterwards as we soaked in a bit of the atmosphere and the live music wafting around us.
Next time we’re in London, I’m picking up tickets to see a play here.

How could it be not romantic to wrap up warm with a loved one and enjoy a free outdoor screening on a valentine’s evening? Plenty of plays and poems @ the bookstore for pick-​up lines.
My favourite so far is Alan Bennett’s new play, the Habit of Art. It reflects on growing old, on creativity and inspiration, and on persisting when all passion’s spent: ultimately, on the habit of art. «Real artists are not nice people. All their best feelings go into their work and life has the residue.»
You might get lucky for the day return tickets and there’s always a few for the standing tickets at £5, painful but worthwhile for the Habit of Art :)
Despite tickets are often sold out early for either Olivier, Lyttelton or Cottesloe theatres, every day there is also free music in the main foyer, and exhibitions (from Congo with Love is on…), plenty of accompany in the South Bank color.
The £10 travelex tickets are good deals with very high quality productions, often quite experiential such as the remake of Shakespeare’s All’s Well that Ends Well, and England People are Very Nice (cutters’ mobs, Papists, Jewish anarchists and radical Islamists across four tempestuous centuries…).
The whole world is in front of you…

sad asd sad sadsadasd

Even though I visit the Southbank quite regularly, I haven’t actually been to the National for quite a while.
I went to a preview performance of in-​i with Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan at the Lyttleton last night. It was just fantastic (if you can still get your hands on a ticket — book now!!).
The concrete jungle of the Southbank architecture provides the perfect backdrop for all things creative.
Modern pieces which rely on minimalist stage sets and the audience’s imagination particularly benefit from the lack of distraction.
Yesterday’s stage design consisted of a square wall and two chairs only, but ever-​changing atmospheres were created with the clever use of light. I felt completely immersed in the story.
Comfortable chairs and good views from whereever you are make this the perfect theatre.