19 June 2020 - National Theatre announces its last five free-to-stream plays
National Theatre Live’s free-to-stream plays will come to an end in July
Laura Richards (Time Out, 11/06/2020)
For many, the National Theatre’s calendar of weekly free-to-stream plays has been a highlight of lockdown, a cultural saviour and an escape from the humdrum of staying at home.
The first production to air for free on YouTube as part of the National Theatre at Home series was the James Corden-starring seaside romp ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, which premiered all the way back on April 2 and drew an audience of 2.5 million viewers. Ten productions later, the roster of plays has clocked up more than 12 million views. But alas, the lockdown fun has to stop somewhere.
National Theatre announces last titles in their at home series
Joe Campbell (Voice online, 16/06/2020)
The National Theatre has announced a further five productions that will be streamed as a part of the National Theatre at Home series.
Established in April to bring culture and entertainment to audiences around the world during this unprecedented period, National Theatre at Home has so far seen 10 productions streamed via the NT’s YouTube channel, with over 12 million views to date.
Leah Harvey on Small Island: 'We are sharing the story of why our country is the way it is'
Arifa Akbar (The Guardian, 16/06/2020)
Did you read Andrea Levy’s Orange prize-winning novel before coming to this production?
I had an interesting journey leading up to this play; I auditioned for a part in the TV adaptation of Levy’s The Long Song and as part of the research for that I watched [the TV adaptation of] Small Island on iPlayer. A few months later, I was auditioning to play Hortense in this production. I picked up the book and couldn’t put it down. It was quite an adventure to go on. I was reading it in the knowledge that I’d be playing this character so I was looking for secret nuggets for the part.
Unfortunately, I never met Andrea Levy, which I’m always going to be sad about. When I did a workshop in October 2018 she was too ill to be there but she was deeply involved in this adaptation. She wanted Rufus Norris to direct it and Helen Edmundson to adapt it.
BWW Review: SMALL ISLAND, National Theatre At Home
Aliya Al-Hassan (Broadway World, 18/06/2020)
It could not have been better timing for The National Theatre to screen Small Island, Andrea Levy's epic and incredible story. This sellout 2019 production was due to return this autumn, but is now screened as part of The National Theatre At Home series.
Levy never got to see how her novel translated so powerfully onto the stage as she sadly died just before rehearsals started. Her 2004 book is poignant, moving and warm, and the themes of love, racism and prejudice set among the Windrush generation could hardly feel more prescient. Helen Edmundson's adaptation is faithful to these qualities and creates an epic of a production.