Cottesloe Theatre Auditorium

Photograph of the Cottesloe auditorium in 1977. Originally designed by Iain Mackintosh of Theatre Projects Consultants, it was redeveloped by Charcoal Blue in 2014 and re-named the Dorfman Theatre. The most flexible of the National Theatre auditoriums, it is a rectangular room, which can hold up to 450 people. On three sides of the room there are two levels, the circle and gallery, which look down on the pit. Performances can be staged in a conventional format at one end; in 'traverse', lengthways or across the space; or in the round. Everything is open to change except the circle and gallery, which are reminiscent of the inn-yards that preceded Shakespeare's stages as performance areas.

The Mysteries, designed by William Dudley and directed by Bill Bryden, is a version of the medieval English Mystery plays which tells the story of the Bible from the creation to the last judgement. It was presented in three promenade productions of 'The Nativity', 'The Passion' and 'Doomsday'.

Designed by William Dudley
Directed by Bill Bryden
Associate director: Sebastian Graham Jones
Adapted by Tony Harrison
Lighting by Laurence Clayton
Music by John Tams and The Home Service

‘The Passion’ premiered at London's National Theatre in 1977, with all three plays presented there in 1985. It later transferred to the West End.

Location: Cottesloe Theatre at the National Theatre, London.

Lengths:
The Mysteries - The Passion: 1 hour 50 minutes
The Mysteries - The Nativity: 2 hours 30 minutes
The Mysteries - Doomsday: 2 hours

Photograph from NT Publicity/building/auditoriums/Cottesloe