David Hare: The National Theatre is not putting on enough plays

Playwright David Hare has called on the National Theatre to return to a repertory system, accusing the London venue of not presenting "nearly enough work".

Hare, a playwright, screenwriter and director whose work has received multiple West End and Broadway productions, shared his hopes for a revival of the European repertory model at the theatre in the Spectator on September 5.

He suggested that the National, which is preparing to welcome Indhu Rubasingham as its next director and joint chief executive in spring next year, was no longer a "library of world drama", in which audiences would "come to London for a week and see six plays".

Hare wrote: "The new practice is to offer only a couple of straight runs, sometimes first-rate. So there’s nothing to stop any random producer saying: ‘Hey, the Lyttelton seems to be empty this autumn, can I hire it to do one of my shows?’"

He continued: "The excuse given for abandoning repertory is that it’s too expensive. But that depends on your priorities. If you want it enough, you can budget to make it happen. The National Theatre isn’t presenting nearly enough work. Diversity thrives on amplitude. Just like the British economy, the theatre will only prosper by expanding."

He also said that if anyone argues "that actors will no longer stay a year and do four shows" they should be reminded that the "National isn’t there to surrender to the culture, it’s there to change it".

A spokesperson for the National Theatre said: "The National Theatre produces the same number of productions year on year as prior to the Covid pandemic, with an increased number of world premieres and musicals commissioned and developed in house by the National Theatre’s New Work Department.

"Post-pandemic, these productions have been shared in straight runs rather than in the repertory system for a number of reasons including cost saving. We are proud of the range of work our audiences can access live and digitally: this month alone, on the Southbank audiences can enjoy work from Shakespeare and Frank Galati’s adaptation of a Steinbeck classic, alongside new plays from Pulitzer prize-winner Katori Hall and Tanika Gupta."