The National Theater has eight productions on--War Horse, Children of the Sun, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, One Man, Two Guvernors, The Amen Corner, A Strange Interlude, Othello, and Mission Drift--and we have seen every single one. Since we are NT groupies at this point, it seemed fitting that we go on the National Theater Backstage Tour on one of our free days. Our guide was quirky, self-deprecating, and incredibly knowledgeable, excitedly leading us from one theater to another.
Standing in the concrete lobby, she laid out the National Theater’s funding, explaining that they receive a certain amount of government grants, but the rest of the operation relies on private donations. And, the National Theater is quite an operation. It has three theaters in constant use, along with in-house costume and set workshops, rehearsal rooms, etc. Architect Denys Lasdun designed an impressive building, modeling the Olivier Theatre after the Epidaurus amphitheater and the Lyttelton Theatre with a proscenium-arch. The Cottesloe Theatre, home to more alternative plays, is currently under renovation, and The Shed, a temporary, red structure on the South Bank, acts in its stead.
It was phenomenal looking on as the in-house crew changed the set from The Amen Corner to Othello. We were catching a glimpse into a secret world, and I was fascinated by the “nuts and bolts” of theater. In fact, we were astonished, and somewhat upset, to learn that the explosion in Children of the Sun was minor. While it’s a magician’s game to use smoke and mirrors, the National Theater isn’t too far off--and the audience definitely feels the magic.
By Anna Butler, 21 June 2013.
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