Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1977 - 15

The main stage itself is 72 feet wide to the sound-proof
door which divides it from the side stage and 52 feet 6
inches from safety curtain to the similar door to the rear
stage. The height to the grid is 77 feet and under fly
floors 26 feet. Both the rear and side stages have scene
doors connecting to a large dock and thence to rehearsal
rooms, workshops and loading bay - all on the same
level. Paradoxically it is the Olivier with the largest
scenic stage of the three theatres which is at the higher
level and has therefore to use elevators to move scenery
in and out. There are however th ree rear stages separated
from the main stage by fire and sound reducing doors.
There is al so a large scene dock at that level.
Before taking a closer look at the Olivier we should go
outside and approach the National theatre as members of
the audience. The complex occupies a fine site on the
stretch of the river called King's Reach and where it
sweeps round to make a promontary for the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Hayward Gallery,
the National Film Theatre and now - downstream of the
Waterloo Bridge - the National Theatre.
The best way to approach it is on foot across the
bridge or along the Embankment and the National reveals
itself as a series of horizontal terraces beyond which the
fly towers rear themselves for all to see. The place is
constructed in fair-faced concrete - what else in this
age! Beloved of architects this material has not endeared
itself to the public but the concrete at the National is
friendly - at any rate when compared with the Queen

Elizabeth Hall nearby. That concert hall is reckoned to
be the finest (i.e. the ugliest) example of New Brutalism the concrete bunker style, now fortunately out of fashion.
The National can be entered at terrace level more or
less directly off the bridge or lower down at Embankment
level. The Lyttelton is at the lower level and off to the
right, while the Olivier is directly ahead at the higher level.
The theatres are alongside, not over, each other and each
has its own foyers, cloakroom, bars and buffet areas.
There is a small restaurant common to both.
The general effect with a dark purple brown carpet and
great concrete piers towering into the gloom is rather
sombre. The architecture is of the type that hides the
actual structure. Low ceilings and mezzanine floors interweave among the heights and at night the lighting is of a
low level with patches of darkness. Peopled with an
audience it all works well except that the small signs of
polished metal, indicating the toilets, are difficult to
espy and to interpret. A matter of some moment as the
sexes reverse at each floor level!
Another thing difficult to espy both by day and by
night is the river - though there are better glimpses to
be had from the Olivier foyers upstairs. To get the real
feel of the river and the city around with St. Paul's Cathedral on the skyl ine one has to go outside - decidedly
draughty for a lot of the year. One cannot help comparing this with the Sydney Opera House where one is so
aware of the harbour and the boats. On the other hand
unlike Utzon, Sir Denys Lasdun our architect began with

National Theatre seen from across the Thames. Olivier fly tower on left and L yttelton fly tower lower level righ t.

USITT

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

SUMMER. 1977

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