Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England no.749504. And we make it for everyone. The National Theatre was designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley, and was officially opened by the Queen in 1976. It was founded by Laurence Olivier. The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. There are also rehearsal spaces on site, and workshops for set construction and painting, costume construction and prop making. The Royal National Theatre is a registered charity no.224223. National theatre, national treasure Whatever you think about the architecture (I like it), the National Theatre is an essential institution and puts on challenging large-scale theatre that nobody else does. At the National Theatre in London, we make world-class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and inspiring. It is a publicly funded performing arts hub, comprising of three auditoriums - The Olivier, The Lyttelton, and the small Dorfman Theatre (formerly Cottesloe). Registered Office: Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain.