Shakespeare and the National Theatre, 1963-1975: Olivier and Hall

The National Theatre's years at the Old Vic were the most Shakespearean period in its history, beginning in 1963 with Laurence Olivier's inaugural production of Hamlet, starring Peter O'Toole, and ending in 1975 with Peter Hall's production of the same play led by Albert Finney.

Between them lay performances that included Olivier's then-legendary, now deeply controversial, Othello, a celebrated all-male As You Like It, the visit of the Berliner Ensemble with Brecht's version of Coriolanus, Franco Zeffirelli's festive Much Ado about Nothing, and Tom Stoppard's classic offshoot, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.