The Royal National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge

In the years from 1963, before the south bank complex was completed in 1976, the National Theatre Company, as it was then usually termed, was based at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo .

It houses three separate auditoria:
     The Olivier Theatre (named after the theatre's first artistic director, Sir Laurence Olivier ), the largest space, is the main auditorium, and was modelled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus ; it has an open stage and a fan-shaped audience seating area for about 1,160 people. The stage is made up of a rotating cylinder enclosed by an additional rotating ring. The cylinder also rises up and down out of the stage to allow for scenery changes.

     The Lyttelton Theatre (named after Oliver Lyttelton , the first chairman of the Theatre) has a proscenium arch design and holds up to 890 people.

     The Cottesloe Theatre (named after Lord Cottesloe, chairman of the South Bank Theatre Board) is a small adaptable studio space holding up to 300 people, depending on the seating configuration.

The National Theatre presents a highly varied programme, including Shakespeare and other classics, new plays by leading contemporary playwrights, and revivals of classic musicals. Each theatre can run up to three shows each in repertoire or repertory , thus further widening the number of plays which can be put on during any one season.

The National Theatre's foyers are open to the public, with a large theatrical bookshop, restaurants, bars and exhibition spaces. Backstage tours run throughout the day, and there is usually live music in the foyer before performances.

The Brutalist style of the National Theatre has sometimes been described as an obstacle preventing the general public from embracing the building. However a recent lighting scheme illuminating the exterior of the building, in particular its fly tower s, has proved very popular.

Artistic directors