Within the extraordinary diversity of London's theatre scene (there are over 100 theatres in the capital, including 50 in the West End), the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company compete for audiences with commercial West End theatres, repertory companies, 'off-West End' productions and fringe theatres.

The Royal National Theatre's three auditoria (The Olivier, The Cottesloe and The Lyttleton) allow productions of different scale, from classics to new writing, whilst the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing primarily Shakespeare and based out of Stratford-upon-Avon, performs in a range of venues including the Barbican.

From May to September, the Globe Theatre, stages open air productions of Shakespeare and his contemporaries and there are also outdoor summer performances at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park.

Ranging from the inspired to the insane, Fringe theatre is performed in dozens of local venues, including the King's Head which is the oldest pub-theatre in London and the Finborough Theatre.

Theatre tickets in the West End cost between £15-45 and can be purchased in advance from the theatre Box Office. Alternatively, for purchases on the day of the performance, there is a booth on the south side of Leicester Square, called 'TKTS', which is open Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00 and Sun 12:00-15:00. This is the official Society of London Theatre's booth and visitors should avoid touts and other outlets in the area.

The booth sells mainly half-price tickets, although some tickets have 25% discount and some are full-price tickets. When only full-price tickets are available for that night's performance it is advised to visit the actual theatres Box Office as tkts charge a booking fee and this is not the case at Box Offices.