In an unprecedented move, the Nation Theatre, headed by Nicholas Hytner has announced it’s intention to film four productions this year. The move, likely to cause palpitations in the theatrical orthodoxy, is aimed at increasing the profile of British theatre, the National and perhaps most importantly, bringing a new audience to productions that are, by definition, only ever seen by the few.
The plan is to film one performance of each of the four selected productions and stream it directly to up to fifty independent cinemas throught Britain and broadcast to up to a hundred more worldwide. This would have the advantage of minimising the disruption to the production whilst providing a massive amount of coverage and interest. The audience to the filmed performance are thought to be offered discount tickets for their forebearance.
Another consequence of this move, one obviously considered by the theatre, is that the streamed performance is only going to be available to independant cinemas in Britain, giving a much needed cash injection to the independents whilst reminding the public that the multiplex is not the totality of the cinema world.
Helen Mirren, who will be treading the boards for the first time in six years, is the first actor to offer approval of the project and will be fronting the PR campaign, set to begin in April.
Commenting on the project, Hytner said, “If (Laurence) Olivier’s productions had been available in Manchester when I was a teenager, I would have gone every time,” which means for the first time London theatre tickets might be bringing in revenue from Bristol to Botswana.
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