British theatre has a continuous tradition from Shakespeare's Globe to today. The "West End" of London is the country's commercial theatre district, with about 40 venues; New York's Broadway is its closest international rival. Subsidised theatre includes the Royal National Theatre on the South Bank, the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Old Vic and the Royal Court.
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British musicals have travelled the world. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Evita have been performed in dozens of countries. The Olivier Awards, named after Sir Laurence Olivier, are the British equivalent of New York's Tony Awards.
You may be asked what the West End is, who composed The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber), or where the Royal Shakespeare Company is based (Stratford-upon-Avon).
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