The National Theatre opened on the South Bank in London in 1976. The need to create a theatre to promote and support the best of British talent and expertise was not
just a 20th century preoccupation. A national theatre had first been suggested in the 18th century by David Garrick
whilst Henry Irving championed the idea in the 19th century. However it wasn’t until the early
20th century that fundraising for the project was initiated.
In 1908 Harley Granville Barker and William Archer published, ‘The National Theatre: a Scheme and Estimates’ detailing extensive plans for
the management, organisation and budget for a national theatre. Two World Wars delayed plans to open the theatre and it was not until 1962 that Laurence Olivier was appointed
director of the first National Theatre company which was based in the Old Vic Theatre.
In 1976 the company moved to its new home on London’s South Bank under the direction of Peter Hall. The new
building had three theatre spaces: the Lyttelton, the Olivier and the smaller Cottesloe. The new flagship company was soon hit by the cutbacks and funding crises of
the late 1970s and 1980s. Despite its
relatively large budget the venue was forced to close one of its three theatres for a season.
Under the more recent management of Trevor Nunn the theatre has aimed to be more popular – both to recoup revenue and also to draw in a more mixed audience. His decisions
to programme popular musicals such as My Fair Lady and South Pacific have met with fierce criticism from people who believe that a National Theatre, with such a high proportion
of public subsidy, should not replicate West End commercial shows, but be a house that supports both innovative new work and revivals of the classics. Nicolas Hytner is
now the artistic director of the National Theatre.
Introduction
The Royal Court Theatre
