London is considered the famous cultural capital of Europe and the world. Cultural and theatrical life the city is very rich and diverse. Every year there are premieres of a large number of performances and productions.
The British Opera and Ballet Theatre, located in the Covent Garden area and named after him, was first opened as a drama theatre. A few years after the opening, the premiere of the opera took place on the stage of Covent Garden.
Now it is considered the home stage for Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet.
By the way, the Prince of Wales is considered the patron of the Royal Opera, and she herself is the patroness of the ballet.
Even before the advent of the Covent Garden theater, London was famous for its other royal theater, Drury Lane, built in the same area as early as 1663.
Theater history
The history of the arena includes several periods of its existence, name changes, as well as several large fires in its buildings.
The first theater building on this site was built in early XVIII century thanks to the initiative of the actor, director and administrator D. Rich. Opening of the Covent Theater Garden took place on December 7, 1732 with a production of W. Congreve's play "Thus they do in the world."
Before the start of the performance in honor of the opening, the founder D. Rich was carried into the hall in his arms. Two years after the opening, Pygmalion was staged at Covent Garden. At the same time, operas began to be staged, the first of which was the work music director G.F. Handel's The Faithful Shepherd.
In addition to the first opera, Covent Garden presented other operas of its musical director, one of which was Messiah, an oratorio on religious themes, which later became theatrical tradition during Lent. In 1808 the building of the first theater burned down.
The new building was built under the direction of R. Smerk in just 9 months and opened on September 18, 1809 with a production of Macbeth. In order to somehow recoup the funds spent on the construction of the building, it was decided to increase ticket prices, but the audience disrupted the performances with clapping, whistling, shouting, so prices had to be returned to their previous level.
At the beginning and mid-nineteenth centuries, not only ballets and operas, but also dramatic performances, pantomime and even clownery were staged on the stage of the theater. When, due to a conflict at Her Majesty's Theatre, part of the troupe moved to Covent Garden, it was decided to reconstruct the hall and change the repertoire. In 1847, the theater was reopened under the name of the Royal Italian Opera.
During this time, stage performances were in Italian, regardless of the language in which they were originally written.
The opening was marked by the production of Rossini's Semiramide. A few years later, in March 1856, the theater burned down again.
The project of the new building was developed by the architect E.M. Barry, and construction was carried out in 1857-1858. In May 1858, Covent Garden was opened with a production of The Huguenots by J. Meyerbeer.
In 1892, the word "Italian" was removed from the title of the opera, and the performances began to go in the original language. This practice began with the production of G. Mahler's "Ring of the Nibelungen" in German.
During the First World War, a warehouse was located in the arena building. When was the second World War, the hall of the building was used as a ballroom. After the war, in 1946, performances began again in the theater. P this happened due to the fact that the music publishing house Boosey & Hawkes bought the building.
On February 20, the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" by P.I. Tchaikovsky directed by O. Messel. At the same time, an opera troupe was created, for which Covent Garden was to become a home venue. In 1947, on January 14, this troupe, called the Covent Garden Opera Company, and then renamed the Royal Opera Company, presented the audience with the opera Carmen by G. Bizet.
Contemporary Covent Garden
Now Covent The Garden is the third built arena building, having been renovated twice in 1975 and in the 1990s to increase spectator seats and improvements appearance arenas.
Many adjacent territories of the old market, the old Flower Hall went to the theater. During the reconstruction, two entrances were organized, which symbolize different eras in the history of Covent Garden.
The most significant productions that went on in the XX on the stage of the Royal opera house, are "Electra", delivered in 1910, "Boris Godunov" with main party F. Chaliapin, presented in 1928, " Queen of Spades which premiered in 1961. Since 1995, it has become a tradition to hold the Verdi Festival on the stage of Covent Garden.
The width of the theater proscenium is more than 12 meters, the height is almost 15 meters.. Now Covent Garden has four levels auditorium in the form of a horseshoe, which can accommodate more than 2200 spectators, new acoustic equipment, rehearsal rooms, service premises, a new studio.
During all performances, titles are projected over the proscenium, and the libretto of the performances can also be broadcast on small screens inserted into the backs of some chairs in the stalls.
Now in the theater, in addition to performances, the prices of which are about 185 English pounds, during the day you can make excursions behind the scenes of the theater. You can learn a lot about the history of Covent Garden, see the theater from the highest point, see the Royal Lounge, which is now intended for the highest persons, get inside the theater and find out how the evening performance is being prepared.
The entire tour will take about an hour and cost around £10-12.
The theater's repertoire currently includes the ballets Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, the operas Manon, Don Giovanni, and Turandot. The premieres of the opera productions The Daughter of the Regiment, The Woman Without a Shadow, Faust, La Traviata, and the ballet The Winter's Tale are approaching.
All up-to-date information about the repertoire, involved actors, singers and dancers can be found on the official website of the theater. There you can also order tickets for the desired performance.
A bit of history
The Royal National Theatre, or Royal National Theatre, opened its doors to a large London audience in 1976. The initiator of the opening of the theater was the actor Laurence Olivier, who later became the artistic director of the institution. The Queen of England attended the opening ceremony.The exterior of the theater
Sir Denis Lasdan acted as the architect. The building is made of concrete and glass. The façade is artfully decorated with open terraces and sculptural works. If you peer into its geometric outlines, you can compare the building with a flagship. cultural complex accommodates up to 2,500 people.Theater halls
There are 3 auditoriums in the building:- Oliver is the largest of the halls, equipped open stage. The total capacity of the premises is 1,160 seats. Here the audience is shown a variety of performances without genre restrictions. Oliver shows both classic Shakespearean plays and bold works contemporary authors. It hosts fast-paced performances requiring scene change parts, computer-generated effects and graphics;
- Lighttelton, is a room with a proscenium, where the front of the rectangular stage is close to the audience to convey the maximum spectacular effect; 890 seats can be counted in the hall;
- Katteslo decorated in style ancient theater. The room is decorated in dark colors, there are 2 tiers around the porter.
What is in the building besides the theater
In addition to the halls for cultural events in the theater premises, tourists can find:- a cozy lobby where guests can enjoy live music;
- cafes, bars and restaurants;
- terraces located on outdoors, and glazed places from where one can see scenic view to the capital of Great Britain;
- bookstores and small shops with souvenirs;
- galleries with exhibitions from paintings and photographs by local artists.
cultural activities
Within the walls of the theater, Londoners and guests of the city could watch the performances of such eminent actors as Albert Finney, Judi Dench, Michael Redgrave and Anthony Hopkins.About 25 premiere shows are produced here annually. Every evening, the art workers of the institution are ready to present to the audience new play. The theater hosts anniversary evenings and gala performances attended by eminent guests, including members of the royal family.
Cost and opening hours
The cost of the entrance ticket varies from 15 to 50 pounds.The National Theater receives listeners every day. From Monday to Saturday it is open from 09.30 to 23.00. V Sundays performances start at 12.00 and end after 18.00. IN holidays working hours are in effect.
How to get there?
The easiest way to get to the theater is by metro, station waterloo And Southwark.|
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London is famous for its museums, historic buildings and cutting-edge restaurants. But only the theatrical life that dominates the city distinguishes it from other cities. If a play was successful in London, it will repeat its success elsewhere.
New York with Broadway can become the only competitor to London, but even he cannot boast of theater buildings that have a large and rich story. The central part of the city, the West End, the South Bank and Victoria districts amaze with a special concentration of theaters - from small studios for 100 spectators to large temples of Melpomene. We offer an overview of the ten most big theaters London.
The Shaftesbury Theatre, located not far from Holborn Street, is listed as a building in Britain that has an architectural and historical value. Thanks to a small accident that occurred with the roof of the building in 1973, they paid attention to it. Since 1968, it has been shown on its stage famous musical"Hair" 1998 times. Later, the show that promoted the hippie movement was closed. When the musical was first shown from the West End theater stage, theater censor Lord Cameron Fromantil "Kim", Baron Cobbold banned it. The producers turned to Parliament for help, and they gave permission by issuing a bill that completely annulled the baron's ban. This unprecedented event in history theatrical art ended theater censorship in Britain - not bad for a theater with a capacity of 1,400 spectators.
Just a few blocks from Shaftesbury is the Palace Theatre, which can also accommodate 1,400 spectators. His specialty is musicals, such as Singing in the Rain or Spamalot. The theater opened in 1891 and became known as the Royal English Opera under the patronage of Richard d'Oyley Kart. Lately Apart from operas, musicals, films and other shows are shown on the stage. During the 1960s, the musical The Sound of Music ran 2,385 times at the theater. The theater has been listed as a British building of architectural and historical value. Along with it, other buildings of the area were included in the list.
The Adelphi Theater recently celebrated its 200th anniversary. Despite the modest size of the building, the theater can accommodate 1,500 spectators. He is known for productions such as "Chicago" and "Joseph and His Amazing, Multicolored Dreamcoat". A 1930 Art Deco building adjoins the Strand Palace Hotel. This is the fourth building in the history of the theater since 1809. A memorial plaque on the wall of a nearby bar blames the theater for the death of an actor who was once supported by the great Terriss. But in fact, Prince Richard Archer, a failed actor who lost popularity and decency due to addiction to alcoholism, pleaded guilty to the murder of his mentor Terriss in a state of insanity and was sent for compulsory treatment in mental asylum where he led the prison orchestra until his death. It is said that the ghost of the unavenged Terriss, who is upset lenient sentence handed down to his protégé and murderer.
Some shows have been playing theaters in London's West End for decades, and Victoria Palace constantly offers fresh repertoire, such as the musical Billy Elliott. Although he has been on stage since 2005, which is a lot, according to regular viewers. The theater has a long history that began in 1832 when it was just a small concert hall. Today, the building, which was built in 1911, can accommodate 1,517 spectators. It is equipped with a retractable roof, which is opened during intermissions to ventilate the hall. There were many memorable shows on the stage of the theater, but the most memorable of them was the 1934 patriotic play Young England, which received many negative reviews. She withstood only 278 performances.
The Prince Edward Theater is located in the heart of the Soho area and can seat 1,618 people. It is named after the heir to the throne of the British crown, Edward VIII, a king who was on the throne for only a few months and abandoned it in the name of love. Traditionally, the stage is romantic shows and views, e.g. “Show Boat”, “ Mamma Mia”, “West Side Story”, “Miss Saigon”. By the theater long story that started in 1930 when it was just a movie theater and dance hall. Only in 1978 the theater was opened, timed to coincide with its opening the premiere of the musical "Evita" about the world famous woman wife of the president of Argentina. The play went through 3,000 performances, and the actress Elaine Page, who played Evita, got a brilliant start to her career on the theater stage and became a star.
Despite the refurbishment of London's Tottenham Court Road to provide a better junction, one thing remains the same - a giant statue of Freddie Mercury with his hand raised while singing "We Will Rock You" in front of the Dominion Theatre. The show has been on the theater stage since 2002 and, despite the negative reviews from critics, was a success with the audience. The theatre, built in 1929 on the site of an old London brewery, can seat 2,000 spectators. The building also houses the Australian Sunday Church, which uses the theater's stage and lighting during masses.
This is one of the grandest theaters in London. The columns that decorate the main entrance date from 1834, and the building itself was reconstructed in 1904 in the Rococo style. In the entire history of its existence, and it begins in 1765, everything except the theater was in it, for example, for 50 years, dinners of the Secret Society of Beef Steak were held here. In 1939, they wanted to close the building, but in connection with the start of the construction of the road, it was saved. For 14 years, The Lion King was played on the stage of the theater, and the Disney dramatization seems to have settled here for a long time and brings good box office returns.
With a capacity of 2,196 spectators, the Royal Theatre, which is considered the leading theater in London, is not for this reason. Since 1663, there have been several theaters on this site, and Drury Lane itself is considered theatrical. Like many other theaters, the Royal worked under the direction of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the author of the musicals "Evita" and "Cats". Among other productions that were presented on stage, one can name “Oliver”, the musical of the same name was filmed musical film, The Producers, Shrek and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which is still running. In addition to musicals and actors, the theater is known for its ghosts, such as the ghost of a man dressed in a gray suit and cocked hat. According to legend, he was killed in the theater building in the 18th and 19th centuries. Another ghost is named Joseph Grimaldi, a clown who is said to help nervous actors on stage.
The London Paladium theater is known not only in London, but all over the world. It is located a few steps from Oxford Street. He became popular thanks to the nightly show “Sunday Night at the London Palladium”, which ran from 1955 to 1967. Millions of viewers got acquainted with the spinning stage and stage actions different plan. In 1966, the owners of the building tried to sell it for further restructuring, but it was saved thanks to theater investors and the fact that in addition to the theater, in 1973 a concert hall was opened there for the performances of the rock band “Slade”. The constant full houses and active actions of the band's fans almost caused the collapse of the balcony in the hall. In 2014, the talent show "The X Factor: The Musical" was opened in the theater hall.
If the Apollo Victoria theater is not the most popular in London, then it can be safely recognized as the highest. It is located a few meters from Victoria Palace and can accommodate 2500 spectators. Several theaters from the presented review are located nearby and create a kind of "theatrical country". "Appollo Victoria" was opened in 1930. The building is in the art deco style. maritime theme with fountains and shells as decor. It took 18 years to design railway for the musical “Starlight Express”, so that the train according to the script moves along the perimeter of the auditorium. Another popular musical staged at the theater is “Wicked”. The box office from the premiere amounted to 761,000 pounds, and for 7 years the income from the performance is estimated at 150 million. Movie buffs claim that the theater will die out in the near future, but statistics related to the number of viewers at each musical, the amount of box office, suggests otherwise. The smell of rouge and white, the noise of the auditorium will never disappear.
However, modern architecture in no way inferior to beauty and elegance historical buildings theaters.
In addition to performances in the theater building itself, the troupe constantly tours other cities in the UK.
Since 1988, the theater has been granted the prefix "Royal", but the full name is rarely used. The theater presents a varied program that includes both Shakespeare and other world classics, as well as new plays by contemporary authors. The presence of three halls allows you to increase the number of performances simultaneously shown, which makes it possible to significantly expand the repertoire for the season.
In June 2009, the theater launched the National Theater in live" (eng. National Theater Live, NT Live) is a project of broadcasting theater performances in cinemas, first throughout the country, and then around the world. To date, broadcasts are held in more than 2,000 cinemas in 50 countries around the world.
Base
The question of founding the National Theater was first raised in the middle of the 19th century, when melodramas and variety shows were the main theatrical entertainment in London. The need for a "serious theater" grew, and when he settled in the Gaiety Theater in 1879, it was decided to create an "exemplary theater" that would constantly pay tribute to Shakespeare, which would have the best British troupe and acting school.
The Shakespeare Memorial Theater was opened in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1879. His troupe was the New Shakespeare Company (now the Royal Shakespeare Company). Sir Herbert Beerbom Tree founded the Royal Academy in 1904. dramatic art at Her Majesty's Theatre. Thus, the capital was still left without a national theater. The London Shakespeare League, founded in 1902 to promote the Shakespeare National Theater (the project ceased to exist in 1916), even acquired land in the London Borough of Bloomsbury in 1913 for a building. Work was suspended due to the outbreak of the First World War. In 1910 George Bernard Shaw wrote short comedy"Dark Lady" The Dark Lady of the Sonnets), in which Shakespeare wanted to meet the Swarthy Lady, but instead meets Queen Elizabeth I and tries to persuade her to build a national theater to put on his plays. The comedy was part of a campaign to promote the National Theatre.
Finally, in 1948, London City Council offered a building site next to the Royal Festival Hall. (English) Russian (South Bank area). In 1949, the National Theater Act, which provided financial support, was approved by the Parliament.
The cornerstone was laid in 1951, and ten years later the Government announced that the nation could not afford the National Theatre. In response, the City Council waived the land rent and paid half the cost of construction. The government acted harshly to save money, trying to merge the three publicly funded companies at the time.
In July 1962 an agreement was reached and a board was set up to supervise the construction and a separate board to manage the National Theater Company and the rent of the Old Vic Theatre. On October 22, 1963, the National Theater Company performed its first performance, Hamlet. The troupe officially remained at the Old Vic until 1977, when the last hall was completed.
Building
The theater building was designed by the architects Sir Denis Lasdan, Peter Softley and the firm Flint & Neill. Construction work carried out by the company Sir Robert McAlpine.
Already during construction, the project caused ambiguous impressions among others. Architectural historian Mark Girourd described it as "an aesthetic of broken forms". Sir Nicholas Pevsner, in turn, found the concrete structures inside and out to be too heavy. Prince Charles quipped in 1988 that he had found "a cunning way to build nuclear power plant in the center of London so that no one would mind." But Sir John Betcheman, not being a lover of brutalist architecture, wrote Lasdan an enthusiastic letter in which he described the building as "inevitable and finished."
Despite the controversy, the theater building was included in the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historical Value in 1994 with a Level 2 rating (Important Buildings of Special Interest).
In September 2007, a statue of Laurence Olivier in the role of Hamlet was unveiled near the building in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the first artistic director of the National.
Inside the theater is large complex halls, technical rooms, rehearsal rooms, cinema halls. You can enter the National Theater from the embankment through the main entrance and through the terrace with. The theater is open to visitors from 10 am to 7.30 pm when performances begin. Restaurants, book and gift shops, backstage tours, tutorials and educational lectures are available to visitors all the time. The modern halls of the theater are often used for performances by students of theater schools in London, and during the summer months numerous outdoor performances are held in front of the waterfront building. The building houses not one, but three stages (theater).
An interesting feature of the theater is the arrangement of dressing rooms for actors. They are arranged around an internal air and light shaft so that their windows face each other. Over the long years of the theater's existence, this has given rise to a special tradition. On the “opening night” (usually not an official premiere, but a pre-screening for the press), when the “openers” (actors involved in the first scene) are called on stage, the rest of the actors come up to the windows and knock loudly on the glass with their palms, thus expressing support and wishing good luck to those who will appear on the stage before the rest.
Olivier Theater
Named after the first artistic director, Laurence Olivier, the main stage of the National is built in the form of an amphitheater: a semi-circular, angled auditorium for 1,100 people frames the open stage, providing an excellent view from any point. In addition, with such a layout, the actor, who is at the forefront, can see the entire auditorium. In the center of the stage there is a rotating five-section circle, going down 8 meters below the level of the stage, which allows you to realize any ideas of the directors and provides a quick change of scenery in dramatic moments of fast plot development. Such a stage and the "flight" system above it initially caused a lot of controversy, and it took almost 10 years of approvals for the approval of the project.
Littleton Theater
The stage, named after Oliver Littleton, the first chairman of the National Theater Board, is built in the form of a proscenium and can seat 890 spectators.
Theater Dorfman
Dorfman is "the smallest, naked and most remodelable of the National Theatre's stages" with a capacity of 400 people. Prior to its closure for renovations in 2013, the stage was named after Lord Collesloe, chairman of the South Bank Theatres. After renovations in 2014, the theater was renamed in honor of Lloyd Dorfman, chairman Travelex Group, who donated £10m to the National Theatre.
Artistic directors
- Laurence Olivier (1963-1973) - the most sought-after and successful British theater and film actor of his time, he actually created the National Theater troupe, combining the troupes of the Old Vic and the Chichester Festival Theater. In addition to directing, Olivier appeared on stage in many successful productions. In 1970 he received a life peerage for services to the theater, in 1973 he resigned.
- Peter Hall (1973–1988) – assumed leadership to manage the theater's move to a building on the South Bank. Prior to the National Theatre, Hall was director of the Memorial Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, laying the foundation for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Under his leadership, the National continued to stage classical works with great success.
- Richard Eyre (1988-1997) - was Hall's deputy for a long time before taking the lead.
- Trevor Nunn (1997–2003) – came to the National from the Royal Shakespeare Company He brought populist notes to the repertoire of the theatre, staging musical performances on its stage for the first time.
- Nicholas Hytner (2003–2015) – Received a "promotion" while serving as Associate Artistic Director. Some of his successful productions have served as the basis for films. Among Hytner's innovations was a theater renovation project NT Future, project organization NT Live, as well as a scheme that allows visitors under the age of 26 to buy entry tickets 5 pounds for any performance.
- Rufus Norris (English) Russian (2015–) - since 2011 he was the deputy head of the National, staged a number of successful performances. It is noteworthy that it is the first since Laurence Olivier artistic director The National Theatre, which is not educated by the University of Oxbridge system.
National Theater Live
National Theater Live is a project of broadcasting the best performances of British theaters live and recorded in cinemas around the world. The project was initiated by the artistic director of the National Theater Nicholas Hytner.
