Going behind the curtain can be an eye-opening experience. The sheer scale of West End theatres such as Drury Lane, the National or the Royal Opera House is hugely impressive and a backstage tour is a great opportunity to see the hidden world of costume departments, scene-building and technical magic.
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Theatre Royal Drury Lane
One of the grandest theatres in the world, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has recently undergone a multi-million pound restoration to take it back to its former 1812 glory. With a giant backstage area, and lots of hidden corners and entertaining stories, this is a great theatre tour.
Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5JF (Map)
Website
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National Theatre
Insight into the backstage life of the UK’s national theatre complex.
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX (Map)
Website
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Barbican Theatre
The Barbican’s popular backstage tours are back! Learn how the architects incorporated the theatre into the Barbican Centre’s design, peek into the stage wings, Green Room, orchestra pit and more – including the impressive fly tower.
Barbican Centre, London, EC2Y 8DS (Map)
Website
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Royal Opera House
A fascinating peek into the workings of one of the world’s great theatres.
Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD (Map)
Website
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Shakespeare’s Globe
A tour of the theatre and exhibition entry to the recreation of Shakespeare’s theatre.
21 New Globe Walk, London , SE1 9DT (Map)
Website
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Royal Albert Hall
Go backstage at one of the UK’s most historic buildings. Opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, this vast concert hall is steeped in history.
Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP (Map)
Website
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Dose the lion king have a backstage tour?
I would recommend anyone to have a tour of the Coliseum which has a fascinating history and grand, over-the-top interior. We were lucky to be the only two people on our tour and our guide, who was also an actress, gave us a wonderful insight into this unique building.
We also toured the Royal Opera House and even though we had a short time in the auditorium because of a rehearsal, we couldn’t fault any aspect of the visit particularly when Carlos Acosta strolled past us with all the hauteur that one would expect from someone so famous.
I’m looking for a backstage tour etc for pupils from my dancing school , hoping for Theatre Royal Drury Lane London, wondered about seeing a performance and then the tour or vice versa, is this possible please?
Thank you
I would give the Royal Drury Lane a miss. It’s not really a “backstage” tour, more of a history talk.
To be honest, the back stage tour of the Opera House, Covent Garden (which wasn’t ‘backstage’ at all really) was a little disappointing, although the guide was OK. I have heard that the National Theatre and Drury Lane tours are excellent.
hi sorry its not a review but a question, how do u book a back stage tour for drury lane as we r going in a few weeks to watch a show and thought it would be a good idea and how much do they cost on a saturday?
Hi Helen – visit the Back Stage Tours page of the Really Useful Theatres website (they own the Theatre Royal Drury Lane): http://www.reallyusefultheatres.co.uk/specials-vip-hospitality/offers/tours
can you please put on here the apollo victoria theatre
Sorry Aaron, the Apollo Victoria doesn’t currently run a regular scheduled backstage tour