Permission to add the "Royal" prefix to the name of the theatre was granted in 1988,[5] but the full title is rarely used. The theatre presents a varied programme, including Shakespeare, other international classic drama, and new plays by contemporary playwrights. Each auditorium in the theatre has run up to three shows in repertoire, thus widening the number of plays which can be staged during any one season, though this model was revised after March 2020 to stage plays in straight runs until such time as the previous practice could be resumed.