The Theatres

London offers many choices for your theatre viewing pleasure. The West End of London is the Theatre District, often referred to as “Theatreland”. There are approximately forty venues located in Theatreland and many choices for shopping and refreshments in between. Theatre has and still plays a large role in English culture and has subsequently become a tourist attraction. During your stay in England you will get the opportunity to visit two theatres: The Royal Theatre Drury Lane and the National Theatre . 

Catherine St London WC2B 5JF United Kingdom

http://www.reallyuseful.com/theatres/theatre-royal-drury-lane/

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MISSION STATEMENT & GOALS

“Since 1663 the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has provided entertainment for the masses and has been visited by every monarch since the Restoration.”
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane offers entertainment for all ages and chooses to show technically complicated shows, mostly musicals as of late. Nearly every London stage actor has taken part in a show here and the theatre hopes to continue its involvement in London Theatre as one of the oldest theatre spaces still in operation.

 THEATRE OPERATION 

The Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which is also known as Drury Lane can be found in Covent Garden. (See Below). The current building is the most recent of four theatres, the earliest dating back to 1663. Making this, the oldest theatre site in England. Today the building is owned by composer Andrew Lloyd Weber “who stages his popular musical theatre shows  at the venue”. The current Theatre Royal Drury Lane was designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt and opened October 10^th 1812 with a production of Hamlet.  The theatre seats 3,060 people.  Productions that relied more on the technical aspect work well in this space, presently it is mostly used for musicals. The theatre has space under the stage that can be used for large set pieces that add to the effects, such as discharging up to 39 tons of water or a live horse race on stage.  In the 1880s and 1890s the theatre began to focus on the theatre’s annual pantomime, which would begin at Christmas time and would of run until March. This helped solidify the Theatre Royal Drury Lane’s reputation as a theatre to play spectacles in. During World War II the theatre was closed and served as the headquarters for the Entertainments National Service Association. During this time the building also sustained minor bomb damage. In 1946 the theatre reopened with Noel Coward’s Pacific 1860. Following the war many Rogers and Hammerstein musicals made their London debut at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, including Oklahoma! (1946), South Pacific (1951), and The King and I (1953). The American import My Fair Lady began it’s 5 year run in 1958. More recently the theatre has held shows such as The Producers (2007), The Lord of the Rings 2007-2008) and Oliver! (2008).

To see theatre specification click here 

CURRENT SEASON

SHREK THE MUSICAL

- March 2013

This musical is a colourful and musical stage adaptation of the Oscar winning Dreamworks movie. This production has all the characters we know and love from the film and is great for children and adults alike.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 

May 2013 - November 2013 

The stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's famous book, which was later turned into a movie, chronicles Charlie's adventures at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Directed by academy award winner Sam Mendes, this show offers a dark and musical depiction of Dahl's childhood tale. 

sources: 

"Theatre Royal, Drury Lane." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.

"Theatres | The Official Website for the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | Really Useful Group." Really Useful Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

Allingham, Philip V. "Theatres in Victorian London." Theatres in Victorian London. The Victorian Web, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

"Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London Now Showing Theatre Royal Drury Lane - Buy Tickets!" Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Best of Theatre, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

Upper Ground, Southbank, London SE1 9PX, United Kingdom

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/

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MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS 

“The National Theatre is central to the creative life of the country. In its three theatres on the South Bank in London, it presents an eclectic mix of new plays and classics, with seven or eight productions in repertory at any one time. It aims constantly to re-energize the great traditions of the British stage and to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike. It aspires to reflect in its repertoire the diversity of our culture. At its Studio, the National offers a space for research and development for the NT’s stages and the theatre as a whole. Through the NT Education department, tomorrow’s audiences are addressed. Through an extensive programme of Platform performances, backstage tours, foyer music, exhibitions and free outdoor entertainment it recognizes that the theatre doesn’t begin and end with the rise and fall of the curtain. And by touring, the National shares its work with audiences in the UK and abroad.”

THEATRE OPERATION

The National Theatre houses three separate stages or auditoriums. These are the Olivier, the Lyttleton and the Cottlesloe. Each year the National puts on over 20 productions, these range from classics to productions from new artists. They can perform up to six production in repertory at any one time. How is this possible you might ask? The theatres offer storage space to the back and the side of the stage, which allows for more than one set to be housed in the theatre space.  The Olivier theatre also houses a large drum beneath the stage that revolves, and correspondingly houses set and props . The Olivier theatre also offers a unique design that enables the actors on stage to see the entire audience. When an actor is standing at center stage the seating is set up at a 170-degree angle, which corresponds to the human peripheral view. The Olivier stage also offers an uncommon hexagon shape. The Lyttleton offers the best space for quick changes and can offer more than one show being played at any given time. The Lyttleton has space behind the stage and to the side that is the exact size of the stage itself, this allows the entire set to be moved at once.  The Cottesloe is the smallest theatre in operation but it is also the most versatile. The stage is set on a screw-jack system “so it can be elevated or lowered according to needs”. The seating in this theatre is also flexible and can be arranged to meet the needs of the show being played there.

CURRENT SEASON

THE PEOPLE 

March 2013- May 2013
The Lyttelton Theatre
"A sale? Why not? Release all your wonderful treasures onto the open market and they are there for everyone to enjoy. It’s a kind of emancipation, a setting them free to range the world… a saleroom here, an exhibition there; art, Lady Stacpoole, is a rover."
People ruin everything, and in this play by Alan Bennett, two women tell us why. The last thing anyone wants is more people going through their home, but when the house is falling apart maybe an attic sale could help. 

PORT 

January 2013-March 2013

The Lyttelton Theatre 

This play by Simon Stephens unfolds across thirteen years of the main character Rachel's life. The thirteen years of Rachel's life are not east. Her mother has abandoned her and her brother and her father is a drunk. Will the next 13 years fare well for Rachel? or will she succumb to her circumstances? 

The Captain of Kopenick 

March 2013-April 2013

The Olivier Theatre 

This play by Carl Zuckmayer depicts the struggles of a petty criminal Willhelm Voigt as he wanders Berlin in 1910. After 15 years in jail Voigt is released and desperate, but his luck changes when he picks up an abandoned military uniform and finds that people finally listen to him. 

This House 

February 2013- May 2013
The Olivier Theatre
"A minority government? No one with any sense or gumption gives you more than a matter of weeks.  You’re gonna fall, and fast, and hard. So start finding things to land on. Now."
This play by James Graham is set in 1974 when the UK faces an economic crisis and a hung in Parliament. Politics are changing, votes are won by one, there's fist fights in the bar and it's a time where an increasing number of politicians are dying. 

THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN 

April 2013-May 2013 

"They are massing. The crowds of angry people. And the hate between us all kills everything."

A play by Maxim Gorky set in Russia as the country rolls towards revolution. The plot follows the new middle-class, who are portrayed as foolish yet likeable. The characters struggle in the daily lives, blind to their impending doom.

OTHELLO

April 2013- July 2013 

"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! 

It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock 
The meat it feeds on.
That cuckold lives in bliss
Who certain of his fate loves not his wronger,
But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o’er,
Who dotes yet doubts, suspects, yet fondly loves!"

A play by William Shakespeare that depicts the story of Othello and his new marriage to Desdemonda, who is half his age. At this time, Othello is also appointed leader of a military operation to defend Cyprus from the Turks. A story of betrayal, love and war, one of Shakespeare's classics.

sources:
Smurthwaite, Nick. "Backstage Takes Centre Stage." National Theatre. National Theatre, Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.