Drama Online - National Theatre Collection
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National Theatre Collection 1

Drawing on 10 years of NT Live broadcasts, alongside high-quality archive recordings never previously seen outside of the NT's Archive, the National Theatre Collection 1 offers 30 filmed performances.

Watch trailers for several of the films in this collection here.

Also available: National Theatre Collection 2 and National Theatre Collection 3


Gillian Anderson wearing glasses starring in the production of A Streetcar Named Desire
The production of Small Island featuring CJ Beckford and Leah Harvey who are sat on stage, facing each other and talking
Rory Kinnear holding a skull in the production of Hamlet

Audio-described (AD) versions and British Sign Language (BSL) versions of some films are available.

Comedies

London Assurance AD
Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw star in this new version of Dion Boucicault's classic comedy

One Man, Two Guvnors
Tony Award-winning James Corden plays Francis Henshall in the hilarious West End and Broadway hit

She Stoops to Conquer
Directed by Jamie Lloyd with a cast including Cush Jumbo and Katherine Kelly

20th Century Classics and Modern Plays

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof AD
Sienna Miller stars alongside Jack O'Connell and Colm Meaney in Tennessee Williams' searing, poetic story

The Cherry Orchard AD
'Beautifully skewed, melancholic and haunting.' The Stage

Consent AD
Nina Raine's powerful, painful, funny play which sifts the evidence from every side and puts justice herself in the dock.

The Deep Blue Sea AD
Starring Helen McCrory, Time Out described it as 'Stunning. Exquisitely sad. Beautifully judged.'

Les Blancs
This theatrical search for the soul of post-colonial Africa features Danny Sapani as Tshembe

A Streetcar Named Desire AD
Starring Gillian Anderson, Ben Foster and Vanessa Kirby, The Daily Telegraph called it 'An absolute knock-out. Raw, emotional and deeply unsettling.'

Translations
Brian Friel's modern classic, a powerful account of nationhood, described by The Guardian as 'A flawless production. A culture-clash masterpiece'

Yerma AD
Billie Piper won an Olivier Best Actress award for her performance in Lorca's achingly powerful masterpiece

Shakespeare Plays

Coriolanus AD
An award-winning performance from Tom Hiddleston in the title role

Hamlet
'Tremendous. Rory Kinnear's performance is superb' The Times

Julius Caesar AD
Ben Whishaw and Michelle Fairley play Brutus and Cassius, David Calder plays Caesar and David Morrissey is Mark Antony.

King Lear
Starring Sir Derek Jacobi and directed by Tony Award winning Michael Grandage, The Telegraph said it was 'The finest and most searching Lear I have ever seen.'

Macbeth
First performed as part of the National Theatre's series of Shakespeare for younger audiences

Othello AD
Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear jointly won the Evening Standard Best Actor Award for their performances in the iconic roles of Othello and Iago.

Romeo and Juliet (2017)
Bijan Sheibani's thrilling production brings the greatest love story of all time alive for a new generation

Twelfth Night AD
Tamsin Greig as a transformed Malvolia, in a new twist on Shakespeare's classic comedy of mistaken identity

The Winter's Tale
The perfect introduction to Shakespeare for younger audiences

Literary Adaptations and Inspirations

Frankenstein AD
Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller each play Victor Frankenstein and his creation in these two performances of Danny Boyle's smash-hit production

Jane Eyre AD BSL
'Aflame with passion. A picture of exultant feminism.' The Observer

Peter Pan AD BSL
Sally Cookson directs this 'dazzling production' (Radio Times) of JM Barrie's classic

Small Island AD
The Guardian described this adaptation of Andrea Levy's Orange Prize-winning novel as 'One of the most important plays of the year.'

Treasure Island AD
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure brought to life in a thrilling adaptation by Bryony Lavery

wonder.land
Inspired by Lewis Carroll's tale of Alice, this musical is a coming-of-age adventure for the online generation

Greek Classics and World Historical Drama

Antigone AD
Adapted by Don Taylor into a gripping political thriller with a cast including Jodie Whittaker and Christopher Eccleston

Medea AD
'Extraordinary. Helen McCrory ascends to greatness' The Sunday Times

Dara
Shahid Nadeem's epic tale of the dispute that shaped modern-day India and Pakistan

UK State Schools Provision

The National Theatre Collections are available to state-funded schools, sixth form colleges and FE colleges in the United Kingdom, free of charge. UK independent schools and secondary/high schools worldwide can request a trial and subscribe to the collection through JCS Online Resources: info@jcsonlineresources.org.

Find out more here

Learning Hub

You can find more resources for schools and teachers on the National Theatre’s Learning Hub. Search by key stage, subject, theatrical style or practitioner and discover an ever-growing library of short films, Learning Packs and digital exhibitions.

Find out more: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/learn-explore/schools/teacher-resources/

National Theatre Collection

The National Theatre’s mission is to make world class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and inspiring – and we make it for everyone. The National Theatre Collection is available to state-funded schools and FE colleges in the United Kingdom free of charge, and for a fee to independent schools and HE institutions, bringing the very best of British theatre to teachers, students and learners worldwide. Here on Drama Online students can watch a range of extraordinary productions from Shakespeare and Greek tragedy to literary adaptations and classic comedies, all made by world-class theatre-makers. Students can also make use of the expanding bank of learning resources provided by the National Theatre, to help them dive deeper into the productions.

Based on our research, we know the National Theatre Collection is a valuable classroom resource, with 1.3 million pupils already utilising the Collection yearly. Our aim is that all children in the UK will have the opportunity to watch a National Theatre production before they leave school.

Lead philanthropic support from Richard and Kara Gnodde. NT Collection is made possible in primary schools by the Hearn Foundation, as the Principal Funder of the Primary Schools Programme. NT Collection is also supported by The Attwood Education Foundation, Delta Air Lines, Mike Staunton, The Michael Marks Charitable Trust, The Oakley Charitable Trust, and The Eyre Family Foundation. Creative Careers enabled by TikTok. New York City Public Schools access is generously supported by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.