National Theatre announces final set of free streamed productions

The National Theatre has announced that it is bringing its at-home streaming service to an end next month, as it reveals the final five shows that will be broadcast.

NT productions including Amadeus, Small Island, Les Blancs and The Deep Blue Sea will be streamed for free alongside the Bridge Theatre’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

NT at Home launched in April, and has so far streamed 10 productions on its YouTube channel for free, attracting more than 12 million viewers.

Joint chief executive Lisa Burger said: "During what has been such an isolating time for many people right across the world it has been wonderful to be able to share these productions with both new and existing audiences, and to have the opportunity to showcase the exceptional creative talent working in our industry."

"The support we, and our partner organisations have received, not only in terms of donations, but through messages of thanks has been so encouraging," she added.

The NT said that it planned to announce further digital activity beyond the free streamed productions.

The final five shows will be broadcast on YouTube each Thursday between June 18 and July 16, beginning with the 2019 adaptation of Andrea Levy’s Small Island, which is being broadcast to coincide with Windrush Day on June 22.

Each show will be offered alongside additional YouTube content for audiences to further engage with the work. For Small Island and Les Blancs, NT dramaturg Ola Animashawun will curate content that explores the plays in the context of current conversations around race, and how they can provide "meaningful and timely contributions to that discourse," the theatre said.

NT at Home dates:

June 18 – Small Island by Andrea Levy, adapted by Helen Edmundson and directed by Rufus Norris
June 25 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, directed by Nicholas Hytner
July 2 – Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Yaël Farber
July 9 – The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan, directed by Carrie Cracknell
July 16 – Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, directed by Michael Longhurst