// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
National Theatre to mark 50 years on South Bank
The Grade II listed building divided opinion when it opened but is now regarded as a landmark of brutalist architecture
The National Theatre is marking 50 years of its South Bank home with a free outdoor installation telling 50 stories from the building's history.
Stories Start Here: 50 Stories for 50 Years will open on the Queen's Walk in October 2026. The wooden structure is inspired by the amphitheatre seating of the Olivier Theatre and faces the building itself.
Visitors will be able to sit and listen to memories, anecdotes and reflections from actors, writers, directors, designers, past and present staff, and audience members.
A story station inside the theatre will print the stories on eco-friendly paper as a memento, and the recordings will be available worldwide through the Bloomberg Connects app.
Construction of the theatre began in 1969, and the building took seven years to complete.
The theatre is also launching an apprenticeship named after its architect, Sir Denys Lasdun, offering training in the mechanical and electrical engineering skills needed to maintain the building.
It will run through the NT Skills Centre, which the theatre said trains thousands of people across the UK each year in partnership with Bank of America.
Indhu Rubasingham, director and co-chief executive, said the building had been "a place where artists, audiences and communities have come together to share stories".
The company was based at the Old Vic for 13 years before moving into its purpose-built home, which was constructed between 1969 and 1976.