The National Theatre is providing high-quality online recordings of 24 renowned productions, so teachers and pupils can still get their theatre fix while at home.
Following the Government’s announcement that all UK schools will close due to the Coronavirus epidemic, the National Theatre has made several productions, including Macbeth, Peter Pan and Frankenstein, available online.
Schools will be able to share log-in details with pupils to watch performances suitable for both Primary and Secondary students, with a further six productions expected to be added soon.
Pupils and teachers at state schools can watch the collection at home for free, with independent schools being included in a free trial period until the end of May.
Alice King-Farlow, director of learning at the National Theatre, said: “Given the unprecedented challenges we are all currently facing across the globe, we want to ensure that pupils, teachers and academic institutions are supported during this time and can continue to have access to a range of learning resources during the school closure period.
“The National Theatre Collection is an invaluable resource and with thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing, we are able to open up access to pupils and teachers across the UK and ensure young people will be able to continue to explore world-class productions and all aspects of theatre-making.”
What’s on?
- Shakespeare set texts including Macbeth, Othello, Twelfth Night and King Lear in unique modern stagings.
- Literary adaptations such as Frankenstein, Treasure Island, Peter Pan and Jane Eyre.
- A range of theatrical styles and genres from Greek tragedies like Medea and Antigone to 20th century hits such as The Cherry Orchard, The Deep Blue Sea and Yerma.
- Examples of good design and theatre-craft in productions such as One Man, Two Guvnors and Les Blancs.
- Adaptations of Romeo and Juliet and The Winter’s Tale created specially for Primary-aged children.
All recordings are accompanied by learning resources to help pupils understand the craft behind British theatre including rehearsal insights and short videos, plus other features such as scene-by-scene selections and synopses, theme and key word searches.
Some additional digital learning resources
As well as its range of shows on offer, the company is also providing:
- National Theatre Talks – a collection of conversations recorded live from National Theatre stages.
- New Views online playwriting course - forming part of the annual New Views playwriting competition for 14-19 year-olds, the programme by playwright Jemma Kennedy covers topics including narrative, dialogue and stagecraft with video, audio and excerpts from plays.
- Downloadable resource packs for anyone interested in discovering more about productions staged by the National Theatre.
- Other video collections to help children understand how theatre is made.
For more information about the National Theatre, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
