Teachers and students of drama or literature as well as theatre buffs will be happy to know that NIE Library has expanded its National Theatre Collection. The National Theatre (NT) is short for the Royal National Theatre in the UK, which is the site of many acclaimed theatrical performances and famous productions.
Filmed Live Theatre
The newly launched National Theatre Collection 2 will include 20 filmed performances – ten performances launched this past September, and a further 10 will be launched in February 2022 to complete the collection. This supplements the first collection, which features a compilation of 30 live performances from the past ten years of NT's broadcasts, as well as archive recordings previously unseen outside of NT's archives.
This collection is available on Drama Online, an award-winning digital library that offers filmed live performances and film adaptations for drama and literature students, professors, and teachers.
Famed for its top quality productions, NT offers the National Theatre Collection which is designed for teachers and educators, with filmed live productions of curriculum-relevant plays. These provide students the opportunity to experience the stage as a live audience in the heart of London would. Each performance is accompanied by synchronised transcript that allows viewers to access and search through the content easily.
Synchronised auto scrolling of the transcript
What’s in Collection 2?
In this new volume, users can look forward to new video productions that include turn-of-the-century plays, contemporary plays, and musical theatre to name a few. September’s initial launch offers the following productions:
Hedda Gabler: This modern production by Patrick Marber features Ruth Wilson in the title role, Rafe Spall as Brack, Chukwudi Iwuji as Lovborg and Kyle Soller as Tesman.
Julie: Carrie Cracknell directs this new version of Strindberg’s play set in contemporary London, with a cast that includes Vanessa Kirby and Eric Kofi Abrefa.
The Seagull: Chekhov’s masterly meditation on how the old take revenge on the young is both comic and tragic, and marks the birth of the modern stage.
Three Sisters: Chekhov’s iconic characters are relocated to a 1960s Nigeria on the brink of the Biafran Civil War, in this bold adaptation by Inua Ellams.
A View from the Bridge: Ivo van Hove directs this stunning production of Arthur Miller’s tragic masterpiece which features Mark Strong as Eddie Carbone.
All My Sons: From the Old Vic, Jeremy Herrin directs Sally Field and Bill Pullman in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama which sees the American dream laid bare.
Barber Shop Chronicles: For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world. Directed by Olivier award-winning director Bijan Sheibani, this hilarious and insightful new play leaps from Peckham to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra.
This House: A timely, moving and funny insight into the workings of British politics. It's 1974 and to a backdrop of infighting and backstabbing the political parties battle to change the future of the nation.
Macbeth: Rufus Norris directs Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff in Shakespeare's most intense and terrifying tragedy.
I Want My Hat Back: Based on Jon Klassen's children's picture book classic, this production will support courses in theatre for young audiences as well as musical theatre.
Other than the National Theatre Collection, NIE Library's current subscription includes access to the video libraries of The RSC Collection, Shakespeare's Globe on Screen, and Stage on Screen. With a total of 97 live plays to choose from, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to enjoying quality live performances from the best theatre companies globally.
You can access these performances and more by accessing Drama Online here.