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

Comedies

  • London Assurance: 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: Sienna Miller stars alongside Jack O'Connell and Colm Meaney in Tennessee Williams' searing, poetic story
  • The Cherry Orchard: 'Beautifully skewed, melancholic and haunting.' The Stage
  • Consent: 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: 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: 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: Billie Piper won an Olivier Best Actress award for her performance in Lorca's achingly powerful masterpiece

Shakespeare Plays

  • Coriolanus: An award-winning performance from Tom Hiddleston in the title role
  • Hamlet: 'Tremendous. Rory Kinnear's performance is superb' The Times
  • Julius Caesar: 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: 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: 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: 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: 'Aflame with passion. A picture of exultant feminism.' The Observer
  • Peter Pan: Sally Cookson directs this 'dazzling production' (Radio Times) of JM Barrie's classic
  • Small Island: 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: 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: Adapted by Don Taylor into a gripping political thriller with a cast including Jodie Whittaker and Christopher Eccleston
  • Medea: '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

The National Theatre Collection is supported by Richard and Kara Gnodde, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Sidney E. Frank Foundation, The Attwood Education Foundation, The Candide Trust, The Cranshaw Corporation for Mrs. Robert I. MacDonald, Barbara G. Fleischman, Linda Hackett, The Michael Marks Charitable Trust, and members of the NT Collection Syndicate.