Trip to the National Theatre

Joseph Reuben Timothy Perejel

UAL Professional Performance

On Friday the 18^th of September 2015, both the drama and musical theatre groups had went to the National Theatre where we had been lucky enough to be given a backstage tour as plays a big part during performances. We had explored the different departments that are in the National Theatre which helps contribute the performances such as the prop and costume department. Firstly we went to the largest theatre the National had.

The Olivier is one of 3 main theatres and one temporary theatre (it will be taken down in 2017) that the National Theatre holds. It is a semi-circled structured theatre with a grand capacity of 1,160, In addition it has a peripheral view of 118 degrees due to the fact that the architect thought that this may benefit those with stage fright and can help build confidence as standing right in the middle of the stage gives a full view of the audience to the actor.  It is said that the architect that had designed this had gained this inspiration from Ancient Greece with a few minor adjustments due to the location and equipment available. For example, the Drum Revolve where numerous sets can be used in just one performance. During an interval or intermission between scenes the drum revolve had a 30 metre depth below the stage where sets can be attached and changed which revolves  after the scenes with the set has completed.

Another additional feature that the Olivier also had was a tower where many objects or props that may be difficult to transfer on stage can be placed. For one performance, an actor was even harnessed from the tower as the performance required them to drop. The Olivier also has sound reflectors making the performance as engaging the audience as possible. Furthermore this creates a surround sound effect which at some points can make the audience really involved with what is going on in the performance even with a large capacity of people.

We were also lucky to take foot on the Olivier stage which felt incredible as the scale of the audience from the stage is absolutely breath taking. Behind all the amazement that takes place on the stage is an iron curtain. The iron curtain protects the stage from setting alight if an accident manages to occur and in addition to allow the audience members to leave safely. There is a prop table where all props are placed that are needed for the performance taking place. The objects on the table are never moved to allow the performers to know where their props are placed. There is also access to the dressing rooms and one positioned right backstage to allow performers who need to change costumes as they may be performing more than one character or they are in the next scene requiring a different costume.

National Theatre produces a lot of the performance’s sets and props, and in order to do this, they need departments.  There are different departments such as the set design, costume department and prop making. In the set design, it is said that production of the sets begins months before the performance takes place in the National. The Theatre reuses many recycled material which in I personally think is very efficient. Furthermore the material used is generally made of light objects such as polyester and plastic which allows those moving those moving various sets to adjust the positions quickly and efficiently.

In the costume department, accurate measurements are made to allow the performer to flow smoothly. The costume designers even go in to deeper detail where costume that is not even seen by the audience is made to allow the performer to feel more in character as quality to the Theatre is a must. Finally, the prop making department is quite freelance where the prop maker designers are assigned to make a prop from scratch and if they are not found some are just bought from online as the material to make them can be limited at times.

Another theatre that the National Theatre holds is the Lyttleton, a television style theatre where at the time that we attended, people were adjusting the lights in a very creative way due to the fact that the used a cross formation with numbers 1-11. This is used to make sure the lighting is in the correct position at the right time in the performance. As the National allows more than one performance to take place during the say, in every Theatre there are two sets of lights – one for each performance, which saves a lot of time rather than adjusting them constantly. The Lyttleton was the architect’s first and last design and they thought that the National should have a classic design where everyone is equal; this meaning a theatre without a royal’s box costing way more than average tickets. Furthermore, these Royal boxes blocked out the full sound and impact of the performance coming to the conclusion where the architect removed the idea of one being built.

Overall, I had found that the National Theatre is absolutely amazing and since its opening in 1976, it has made it really far with a successful reputation. Furthermore, I have watched a performance called ‘Home’ which was based on people who have come from rough backgrounds but share similar stories using music to express their feelings and emotions in a unique way which made the performance absolutely outstanding.