Building on the success of the National Theatre Collection, with 71% of UK state secondary schools now signed up to access this digital resource, an additional 10 theatre productions have been added to the platform for schools, colleges and the education sector worldwide in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing and ProQuest.
FREE for UK state-funded schools and FE colleges, the National Theatre Collection celebrates the best of British theatre and provides access to high-quality recordings of world-class productions from the NT and other leading UK theatres. Private schools and international education institutions will need to top up their subscriptions to access the new productions.
Since the digital resource was launched in September 2019, productions have been streamed over 2.4 million times reaching educational institutions in 52 countries including Sweden, USA, Peru and Indonesia.
The new collection of productions include:
Plays from exciting contemporary playwrights including James Graham’s This House, a timely, moving and funny insight into the workings of British politics and Inua Ellams’ acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles (co-production with Fuel and Leeds Playhouse) and Three Sisters (co-production with Fuel)
- 20th century American dramas including Arthur Miller’s blistering All My Sons (Old Vic and Headlong) directed by Jeremy Herrin and starring Academy Award-winner Sally Field and Bill Pullman and A View from the Bridge (Young Vic) directed by Ivo van Hove and starring Mark Strong and Nicola Walker
- Striking new adaptations of European classics including a new version of August Strindberg’s Julie by Polly Stenham with a cast including Vanessa Kirby and Eric Kofi Abrefa and The Seagull, a new version by David Hare as part of Chichester Festival Theatre’s Young Chekhov trilogy
- Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth directed by Rufus Norris, Director of the NT, and starring Anne Marie Duff and Rory Kinnear
- Especially for younger audiences, I Want My Hat Back, an adaptation of Jon Klassen’s children’s picture book classic suitable for primary school age
The National Theatre Collection now has 40 available productions ranging from Greek classics to literary adaptations, many of which are regularly studied at secondary/degree level. A further 10 titles will be added in February 2022. Accompanying written and filmed learning resources complement the school curriculum and include rehearsal diaries, archive materials and interviews with cast and creative team members to explore the craft behind the stage.
Alice King-Farlow, Director of Learning at National Theatre said, “The National Theatre Collection has been a vital resource for many schools and colleges over the past year and we are delighted to expand this offering with a new collection of brilliant productions in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing and ProQuest. We want to ensure access to the arts as part of a rich and broad education for every young person across the UK and through theatre, we hope to inspire students to be curious, learn new skills and develop new perspectives to explore the world around them”.
Elizabeth Ransome, teacher at Chorlton High School in Manchester said “The National Theatre Collection is a great resource as both an educational tool and an end of term treat. The Collection has helped our students to engage with drama whilst also developing their use of oracy, storytelling and creative writing skills. As a drama teacher we have had to think outside the box this past year to adapt teaching, but with resources like this we are managing to get students to experience drama and theatre as much as possible”.
Schools and educational establishments can sign up to access the National Theatre Collection here
