London's National Theatre, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary October 22, is offering a birthday present to audiences ages 16–25.
Sixty tickets for 60 performances of its productions on all three stages of the National as well as the Noël Coward and Prince Edward theatres in the West End—3,600 tickets in all—will be made available to 16–25 year olds for free via the National website October 2 beginning at noon BST. Productions include The Father and the Assassin, Death of England: Closing Time, The Effect, The Confessions, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Dear England.
On October 19 audiences of all ages will be treated to a free worldwide stream of the National's 2022 production of Shakespeare's Othello. The initiative, called Take Your Seats, will allow anyone, anywhere in the world a chance to enjoy the groundbreaking production directed by Deputy Artistic Director Clint Dyer.
Olivier Award winner Giles Terera plays Othello, and Rosy McEwen is Desdemona in the acclaimed production, which was filmed live on the Lyttelton stage. Othello will premiere on YouTube October 19 at 2 PM ET and will be free to watch until October 22. The Shakespearean tragedy will subsequently be available for free streaming on National Theatre at Home through October 26. Othello will then join over 70 plays on that platform available to rent or watch via subscription. Audiences will also be able to watch the production with audio description and British Sign Language.
National Director Rufus Norris says, "I’m thrilled to be celebrating 60 years of this extraordinary creative
institution by giving audiences the chance to see our productions for
free. Audiences are at the heart of everything we do, and throwing open
our physical doors to young people and our virtual doors to everyone,
wherever they may be in the world with Take Your Seats, is the perfect
way to celebrate. Clint Dyer’s Othello is an astonishing
interpretation of a play that has seen five different productions
throughout our history and encapsulates the progression of the National
Theatre over the past six decades."
Executive Director Kate Varah adds, "In its 60th year, the National
Theatre has transferred a record number of shows to the West End,
ensuring our work reaches even more audiences. The expansion and reach
of the National Theatre around the U.K. since its foundation in 1963 has resulted in 85% of all secondary schools across the U.K. accessing the National Theatre Collection, the free streaming platform for schools. Last year over 42,000 children and young people participated in National Theatre Learning activity. The National Theatre at 60 is a thriving and vital part of our cultural life."
Visit NationalTheatre.org.uk.
