The Stage

Hytner disputes Lloyd Webber subsidy claims

Published Tuesday 10 February 2004 at 14:05 by Sally Bramley

Nicholas Hytner has reacted to claims by Andrew Lloyd Webber that subsidised producers have a significant advantage over their commercial rivals by saying that the benefits are shared by both sectors

Following comments from Lloyd Webber made in The Stage that commercial producers are having difficulty competing with subsidised colleagues, Hytner said hit shows such as Jumpers and His Dark Materials in fact provided a boost for West End trade.

He said: “What we are essentially doing is returning the National to the position it was in 15 years ago. I don’t think that there is any real impact on West End business. Good business for us is good for business generally. It is not part of our remit to be looking after business in the West End. Our subsidy has to be for our audience.”

At the launch of National’s new season, Hytner also confirmed plans to raise £5 million to refurbish the theatre studio, to allow the creation of more new in-house productions.

He said: “It is the one piece of real estate we own and it is a couple of years away from being uninhabitable. The studio has been more and more important for providing a repertoire for the National Theatre, so we are launching a fundraising drive to find £5 million to upgrade it and up the capacity. At the moment, we cannot play with dance and music in there and it is not sound proofed. We cannot play with new technology in there either. We are going to have a go at making the studio more productive.”

But Hytner said they were not going to alter the “down and dirty” ambience of the space, where shows such as the hit His Dark Materials were created.

Among the new work coming to the National this season will be Alan Bennett’s new play The History Boys and Stuff Happens, David Hare’s forthcoming play about the Iraq war so called after a quote from US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The Travelex £10 season will begin in April with Stephen Rea starring in Cyrano de Bergerac and will also be extended briefly to the Lyttelton for a production of The Permanent Way, which transfers from a sell-out run in the Cottesloe. His Dark Materials will return to the Olivier from December 2004 to March 2005. The cast is to be announced.