Presidents at The National

President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy leave a performance of Mr. President at The National in 1962.

President Truman and his wife attend a performance at The National.

Mrs. Bush talks to a cast member from a production at The National.

President Reagan thanks the audience for attending the reopening of The National in 1984.

President Carter speaks with the cast after a performance of Hello, Dolly!
Behind the Scenes

Cab Calloway (left) and Pearl Bailey staring in the all-Black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1967.

Theatre staff prepare for a show in the lounge of the theatre.

Stage hands work the hemp and sandbag rigging system. The rigging system was modernized in 2017.

Members from the original cast of West Side Story. West Side Story premiered at The National in 1957.

Photograph of the cast of Fiddler on the Roof, which had its pre-Broadway tryout at The National in 1964. Zero Mostel (center) starred as the original Tevye.

The cast takes a bow after a production in the theatre.

Photograph of a bus tour outside the theatre. Today, The National is still a spot on many DC bus tours.

Pennsylvania Avenue is busy out front of The National in the late 1800s.
Playbills and Programs

An early program from The National.

Early ticket prices from the mid-1800s for the theatre.

National Theatre program from the 1835 centennial.

Drawing of The National from 1922.