Photos

Photos: 40 years of the Olivier Theatre at the National

Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen and Imelda Staunton are some of the famous faces to have taken to the stage

Will Longman
London London's West End

The Olivier Theatre at the National is celebrating its 40th birthday today.

Designed in the 1970s, the theatre was one of the first to use a drum revolve stage and a sky hook flying system. These initial proposals took ten years to commission.

Take a look through our gallery to see some of the famous faces who have taken to the stage there, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Imelda Staunton, Rory Kinnear, Felicity Kendal and Simon Callow.

Currently, David Hare's versions of the Chekhov's Ivanov, Platonov and The Seagull run at the theatre, and Peter Shaffer's Amadeus opens on 26 October.

There are tours conducted of the Olivier and the entire National on a regular basis. These include Backstage Tours, Architecture Tours, Costume Tours and Family Tours.