The National Theatre announces its autumn season on the National Theatre at Home streaming platform, allowing audiences to watch our shows anytime, anywhere.
The exciting new season of shows is being accompanied by an invitation from the National Theatre to audiences to ‘Take Your Seats’ for a special free worldwide release of Othello on YouTube on 19 October in celebration of 60 years of entertaining and inspiring audiences around the world.
Available from today, the National Theatre’s enchanting new musical based on Sleeping Beauty Hex, kicks off the autumn season. Deep in the wood, a lonely fairy longs for someone to bless. But when her dream turns into a nightmare and blessing becomes a curse, she is plunged into a frantic, hundred-year quest to somehow make everything right. With book by Tanya Ronder, music by Jim Fortune and lyrics by Rufus Norris, this original, colourful and big-hearted musical delighted audiences last year on the Olivier stage and is suitable for audiences big and small.
Straight Line Crazy (The Bridge Theatre) will be available today to stream in the United States for the first time. Ralph Fiennes leads the cast as Robert Moses in David Hare’s blazing account of the most powerful man in New York.
Launching on 10 October is James Graham’s multi-award-winning new drama Best of Enemies (Second Half Productions, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Wessex Grove, Young Vic and Headlong). Inspired by the Documentary Film by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon, David Harewood (Homeland) and Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) play feuding political rivals in this blistering political thriller. In 1968 America, two men fight to become the next president. As beliefs are challenged and slurs slung, a new frontier in American politics is opening and television news is about to be transformed forever.
On Thursday 19 October audiences across the UK and around the globe are invited to join the National Theatre’s 60th anniversary celebrations with a special free worldwide stream of Othello, directed by the National Theatre’s Deputy Artistic Director, Clint Dyer. The initiative, called Take Your Seats, will allow anyone, anywhere in the world, to enjoy this groundbreaking National Theatre production for free. The stream will be free to watch on YouTube until 22 October, after which it will be available for free on NT at Home, until 26 October.
Take Your Seats brings audiences around the world together to enjoy the National Theatre for a one-night special watch-a-long in the comfort of their own homes. Olivier Award winner Giles Terera (Hamilton) and Rosy McEwen (Blue Jean) lead as Othello and Desdemona in Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy, directed by Clint Dyer (Death of England: Parts 1, 2 and 3). Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together. But as unseen forces conspire against them, they find their future is not theirs to decide. Filmed live on the Lyttelton stage, a version with audio description and British Sign Language will also be available. This release has made been possible by NT at Home’s partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Added to National Theatre at Home on the 7 November is Fleabag (Dry White, Soho Theatre and Annapurna Theatre), the award-winning play that inspired the BBC hit TV series, written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.
Also added in November will be the National Theatre’s 2023 revival of The Corn is Green, with Olivier-Award nominated, Nicola Walker (Unforgotten, The Spilt) playing the visionary Miss Moffatt. This semi-autobiographical play from Emlyn Williams’, directed by Dominic Cooke, follows Miss Lily Moffat as she arrives in rural North Wales, determined to help young local miners out of poverty by teaching them to read and write. But when she faces growing resistance from the community, she does everything in her power to forge the unruly Morgan Evans a new future.
To mark National Theatre’s at Home’s third anniversary on the 1 December, two titles join the platform, the 2022 production of The Crucible at the National Theatre with Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell (Yerma). Raised to be seen, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. Directed by Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet) this contemporary new staging was captured live from the Olivier Stage. Grenfell: in the words of survivors rounds up the new titles added to the streaming platform. A powerful new verbatim play from the testimony of residents at the heart of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Created from interviews conducted with a group of survivors and bereaved, this new play from Gillian Slovo (Another World: Losing our Children to Islamic State), is codirected by Phyllida Lloyd (The Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy) and Anthony Simpson Pike (The P Word).
All titles on National Theatre at Home are available with captions, and over 70% of titles are available with Audio Description. We continue to add to our British Sign Language titles with Othello this autumn.
National Theatre at Home is available at ntathome.com, with single titles to rent from £5.99 – £7.99, a monthly subscription for £9.99 or an annual subscription for £99.99.
Gift membership is also available as a one/two/three month or one-year subscription.
Bloomberg Philanthropies is Headline Sponsor of National Theatre at Home. National Theatre at Home is also supported by The Linbury Trust.
A full list of productions announced today are below:
Hex
Available now
book by Tanya Ronder, music by Jim Fortune and lyrics by Rufus Norris
original concept by Katrina Lindsay and Rufus Norris
Deep in the wood, a lonely fairy longs for someone to bless. When she is summoned to the palace to help the princess sleep, her dream turns into a nightmare and her blessing becomes a curse. Soon, she is plunged into a frantic, hundred-year quest to somehow make everything right.
Rufus Norris directs this vividly original retelling of the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ fairy tale with
music by Jim Fortune, book by Tanya Ronder, designs by Katrina Lindsay and
choreography by Jade Hackett.
A production from the National Theatre. Filmed by the National Theatre.
Straight Line Crazy
Available Now
by David Hare
Ralph Fiennes leads the cast as Robert Moses in David Hare’s blazing account of the most powerful man in New York. For forty uninterrupted years, Robert Moses exploited those in office through a mix of charm and intimidation. Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New York City’s workers, he created parks, bridges and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. Faced with resistance by protest groups campaigning for a very different idea of what the city should become, will the weakness of democracy be exposed in the face of his charismatic conviction?
A production from the Bridge Theatre. Filmed by National Theatre Live.
Best of Enemies
Available from 10 October 2023
by James Graham
Inspired by the Documentary Film by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon David Harewood and Zachary Quinto play feuding political rivals in James Graham’s multiple award-winning new drama. In 1968 America, as two men fight to become the next president, all eyes are on the battle between two others: the cunningly conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and the unruly liberal Gore Vidal. During a new nightly television format, they debate the moral landscape of a shattered nation. As beliefs are challenged and slurs slung, a new frontier in American politics is opening and television news is about to be transformed forever. Jeremy Herrin directs this blistering political thriller, filmed live in London’s West End.
Inspired by the Documentary Film by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon. A production from Second Half Productions, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Wessex Grove, Young Vic and Headlong. Filmed by National Theatre Live.
Othello
Available from 19 October 2023 on YouTube first, (22 October on National Theatre at Home) by William Shakespeare
An extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy, directed by Clint Dyer with a cast that includes Giles Terera, Rosy McEwen and Paul Hilton.
She’s a bright, headstrong daughter of a senator; elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He’s refugee of slavery; having risen to the top of a white world, he finds love across racial lines has a cost. Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together. But as unseen forces conspire against them, they find their future is not theirs to decide. A production from the National Theatre. Filmed by National Theatre Live.
Fleabag
Available from 7 November 2023 (UK only)
by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabag is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life. Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose. The hilarious, award-winning play that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series was captured live on stage from London’s West End in 2019.
Presented by DryWrite, Soho Theatre and Annapurna Theatre. Filmed by National Theatre Live.
The Corn is Green
Available from 1 November 2023 (Available with Welsh subtitles)
By Emlyn Williams
One person can make all the difference. Miss Lily Moffat arrives in rural North Wales, determined to help young local miners out of poverty by teaching them to read and write. Lily soon spots talent in the unruly Morgan Evans, but when she faces growing resistance from the community, she does everything in her power to forge him a new future. Emlyn Williams’ semi-autobiographical play, is given a bold new staging by director Dominic Cooke in its first London revival for 35 years.
Nicola Walker plays the visionary Miss Moffat. A production from the National Theatre.
The Crucible
Available from 1 December 2023
by Arthur Miller
A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller’s captivating parable of power with Erin Doherty and Brendan Cowell.
Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe from trial. Lyndsey Turner directs this contemporary new staging, designed by Tony Award-winner Es Devlin. A production from the National Theatre. Filmed by National Theatre Live.
Grenfell: in the words of survivors
Available from 1 December 2023
by Gillian Slovo
A powerful new verbatim play from the testimony of residents at the heart of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Six years on, interviews conducted with a group of survivors and bereaved reveal the impact of the multiple failures that led to a national disaster, asking: how do we stop this ever happening again?
Created from these interviews by Gillian Slovo (Another World: Losing our Children to Islamic State), the play is co-directed by Phyllida Lloyd (The Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy) and Anthony Simpson-Pike (The P Word). Startling and deeply moving, it explores the courage and resilience of an ill-treated community and their continued campaign for justice. A production from the National Theatre.
