Lyttelton Theatre, National

Lyttelton Theatre, National

The National Theatre is the home of the United Kingdom’s most renowned work and as a result is at the forefront of British theatre. But its home in South Bank does not just house one venue – it houses three, with the biggest taking the form of the Olivier Theatre and the smallest the Cottesloe. In between is the Lyttelton Theatre, which regularly stages a wide range of acclaimed shows featuring some of the best actors of their generation. As a result it is regularly playing the large crowds and will continue to present some stand-out performances well into the future.

Amongst the recent productions to appear at the venue was “The Habit of Art” by Alan Bennett, which features a play within a play and starred Richard Griffiths in a lead role when it appeared in 2010. The plot follows a group of actors rehearsing “Caliban’s Day”, which sees a fictitious meeting take place between WH Auden and Benjamin Britten. It ran at the venue from November 2009 to spring 2010.

Other shows to appear at the venue include “Time and the Conways”, which is one of the famous ‘time plays from writer J B Priestley. It ran in 2009 and follows characters meeting for a birthday celebration after the Great War, with the narrative skipping ahead to view the characters’ downfalls.

Another more recent show included “Season’s Greeting” in 2010, which saw Catherine Tate and others star in this seasonal comedy from Alan Ayckbourne.

The venue is named after the first Board Chairman of the National Theatre Oliver Lyttelton and whilst it does not boast a seating capacity of more than 1,000, like the Olivier Theatre, is can seat more than 800 and as a result a sizable audience regularly sits down to witness some memorable performances.