30 September 2019
The National Theatre Collection is a new streaming service, that draws on 10 years of NT Live broadcasts alongside archive recordings never previously seen outside of the NT 's Archive. The National Theatre Collection is available through Bloomsbury’s Drama Online digital library and as a stand-alone resource from ProQuest. ProQuest will also integrate the collection in its Theatre and Drama Premium.
The National Theatre Collection is being launched with 19 titles and will grow to 30 titles by March 2020. It features a wide range of works regularly studied at school and degree level. The collection is available via two models: a one-time payment for the full collection, or via an annual subscription. UK state-funded schools will be able to access the productions for free through the National Theatre Schools Collection, on Bloomsbury's Drama Online, from January 2020.
The collection includes:
- Greek classics such as Medea by Euripides, in a contemporary adaptation by Ben Power, directed by Carrie Cracknell with Helen McCrory in the title role
- modern stagings of Shakespeare, such as Twelfth Night, directed by Simon Godwin, with Tamsin Greig in the role of ‘Malvolia’ and Coriolanus directed by Josie Rourke with Tom Hiddleston in the title role
- 20th century classics such as Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs and the Young Vic’s production of Lorca’s Yerma, adapted and directed by Simon Stone with Billie Piper in the title role
- literary adaptations, such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein adapted by Nick Dear and directed by Danny Boyle, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller
- comedies such as She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith, directed by Jamie Lloyd with a cast including Cush Jumbo and Katherine Kelly and One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean, directed by Nicholas Hytner, and featuring James Corden