Royal National Theatre, formerly (1962–88) National Theatre , a partly subsidized complex of British theatre companies that was formed in 1962. It was given a permanent home at the South Bank arts complex in the Greater London borough of Lambeth in 1976. In 1988 Queen Elizabeth II gave permission for the company to add “Royal” to its name.
In 1848 the idea of a national theatre was proposed by the publisher Effingham Wilson, and the lack of such a theatre had become a concern of many theatrical professionals by the early 20th century. However, successive attempts to raise funds and build a home for such a theatre were stymied for various reasons, including World Wars I and II. After World War II the south bank of the Thames was chosen as the site for the proposed national theatre, and in 1951 the building’s cornerstone was laid. Then in 1962 a National Theatre company was finally established, with Sir Laurence Olivier as director. The Old Vic company provided the nucleus of actors, and the National Theatre took temporary residence at the Old Vic theatre, opening on October 22, 1963, with a production of Hamlet. A mixed repertoire of classic and modern productions directed by such distinguished English and foreign directors as George Devine, Peter Wood, Peter Brook, Franco Zeffirelli, and Jacques Charon rapidly brought the National Theatre to prominence in world drama.
In February 1976 the National Theatre gave its final performance at the Old Vic theatre and later that year moved to its new home along the Thames. The company was directed by Olivier (1963–73), Sir Peter Hall (1973–88), Richard Eyre (1988–97), Sir Trevor Nunn (1997–2003), and Nicholas Hytner (from 2003).