N A T I O N A L T H E A T R E T R I P : A L O O K B E H I N D T H E C U R T A I N

by Xavier V, 5ème

On Tuesday 23rd May, the 5èmes went to have a backstage tour of the National Theatre

It taught us many things about the theatrical world

Inside, there are three different theatres: The Olivier, The Lyttelton and The Dorfman theatres. The Olivier theatre is the biggest theatre of the three, it is a proscenium arch theatre with a fan shaped auditorium, as it has 1100 seats at an angle of 114 degrees The designers chose this angle because it is the angle of the human's perspective of view, so anyone on the stage wouldn’t have to turn their heads towards the audience as they can see the entire scene from their seat

The guides showed us a variety of different props that the actors and crew use For example if a character is drinking alcohol in the play, the prop master would get a can of beer, empty it, then cut off the top and put a smaller soda can inside so that way the actor won’t be drinking alcohol on stage. They also have these fake pies which you can take a piece out of which is held in by magnets

They showed us many other things like all the areas which they build props for the stage in, as well as many other things.

It was a fun experience and I recommend you go see a play there if you haven’t already been The backstage tour is also worth a look and it is an exciting way of discovering the venue And, you could also educate your parents about the different facts inside (which is always an incentive)