Synopsis
Welcome to our collection of conversations recorded live from the National Theatre stages, including interviews with actors, directors and playwrights.
Episodes
-
Curious Incident: Farewell to the West End
29/06/2017 Duration: 29minCelebrating the final week of performances in the West End, this exclusive platform brings together the original Olivier and Tony Award®-winning creative team of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, including the director Marianne Elliott, playwright, Simon Stephens, Lighting Designer, Paule Constable, Designer, Bunny Christie, Video Designer, Finn Ross, Movement directors: Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, Sound Designer Ian Dickinson and composer Adrian Sutton.
-
Jan Ravens: Difficult Woman
28/06/2017 Duration: 57minOne of Britain’s best loved impressionists, the BBC’s Dead Ringers star debuts her new one woman show with special guest appearances from Theresa May and Hillary Clinton to name but a few.
-
The Reality Gap
21/06/2017 Duration: 45minA panel discussion exploring 'The Reality Gap'; the distance between what established politicians tell voters and the perceived realities of everyday people in the US and UK. The discussion is in association with Squint theatre company and will be chaired by Squint Artistic Director Andrew Whyment, with contributions from a panel of expert political commentators including BBC Newsnight's Gabriel Gatehouse, Sarah Churchwell and David Goodhart. 2016 was a year of political change on both sides of the Atlantic. Squint theatre company were up close to events in America, travelling over 4,000 miles interviewing voters from across the political divide to research their forthcoming production. On the week of the UK's general election, they have brought together expert political commentators to discuss how cognitive dissonance, broken promises and the erosion of trust led to the election of Donald Trump. Squint is a London-based theatre company that asks big questions about the world through exhilarating and provoc
-
Nicholas Hytner: Balancing Acts
25/05/2017 Duration: 34minNicholas Hytner reveals the inside story of his 12 years at the helm of the National. This is a story about actors, writers and directors; about directing new plays like The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors; films like The Madness of King George; about probing Shakespeare from every angle and reinventing the classics; and about coming up time and again against the challenge of reconciling art and commerce. With candour, intelligence, humour and insight borne from experience of extraordinary successes and lunatic failures, he explores the biggest questions facing the creative industries right now. Chaired by Simon Russell Beale.
-
The National Theatre Podcast
22/05/2017 Duration: 53sWe have a new show! Here's some information about the brand new National Theatre Podcast, with episode one available to download now.
-
Ugly Lies The Bone: Ferrentino and Rubasingham
10/03/2017 Duration: 27minWriter Lindsey Ferrentino is joined by director Indhu Rubasingham to discuss the European premiere of Ugly Lies the Bone.
-
Denzel Washington on Fences
02/03/2017 Duration: 23minDirector and actor, Denzel Washington discusses his new film Fences adapted from the play by August Wilson.
-
Ruth Wilson on Hedda Gabler
21/02/2017 Duration: 32minThe actor reflects on the challenges and rewards of playing the title role in Hedda Gabler.
-
Ivo van Hove and Patrick Marber on Hedda Gabler
08/02/2017 Duration: 23minDirector Ivo van Hove and writer Patrick Marber discuss this new version of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler with Kirsty Wark.
-
Alexander Zeldin on LOVE
11/01/2017 Duration: 22minThe writer-director Alexander Zeldin talks to Samira Ahmed about his new play, LOVE.
-
A Poem For Every Night Of The Year
08/12/2016 Duration: 46minThe live recording of readings from A Poem For Every Night of the Year, including joyous, magical, dramatic and humorous poems in the journey through history and human experience. Allie Esiri’s new anthology is a journey through a calendar year, highlighting key moments and dates with a poem for every night, by writers such as Maya Angelou, Robert Burns and Benjamin Zephaniah. With guest readers Kate Duchêne, Hattie Morahan, Giles Terera and Samuel West.
-
Michael Longhurst on Amadeus
01/12/2016 Duration: 22minDirector Michael Longhurst discusses his new production of Peter Shaffer’s play, Amadeus, with Kate Mosse.
-
David Hare and John Simenon on The Red Barn
28/11/2016 Duration: 28minPlaywright David Hare discusses his new play, The Red Barn, adapted from Georges Simenon’s novel La Main, with John Simenon, who reflects on his father’s literary legacy. La Main is published as The Hand by Penguin Classics on 6 October, part of its long-term project to bring the Belgian writer to a British audience.
-
A Pacifist's Guide To The War On Cancer: Bryony Kimmings
10/11/2016 Duration: 28minBryony Kimmings, director of this Complicite co-production, A Pacifist's Guide to the War on Cancer, talks to comedian Jenny Eclair about the new musical as it arrives at the National. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/a-pacifists-guide-to-the-war-on-cancer
-
NT: 40 Years as a Space for Plays
28/10/2016 Duration: 36minOn this date in 1976, the National Theatre’s new building on the South Bank was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen. Paule Constable (lighting designer and NT Associate), Richard Pilbrow (Laurence Olivier’s lighting director and theatre consultant), and Steve Tompkins (co-founder of Haworth Tompkins Ltd, architects on the NT Future project) explore the process of the architectural design of the three NT theatre spaces, and celebrate the creativity of the theatre designer over the last 40 years with the practical experiences of working onstage. Chaired by Gavin Henderson, Principal of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
-
Alexander Technique in the Theatre
17/10/2016 Duration: 25minAs her memoir, Touching Lives, is published, Sue Laurie reflects on thirty years of learning, training and teaching the Alexander Technique – an integral part of the inner workings of the National Theatre and RSC. She talks about the huge impact that Alexander Technique has on voice, body and mind for actors, directors and puppeteers, and her own indomitable passion for theatre with actor Michelle Terry (NT: Cleansed, London Assurance) and director Ian Rickson (NT: Evening at the Talk House, The Red Lion), who calls her work ‘invaluable during rehearsal… almost imperceptible yet with palpable results’.
-
Sean O'Casey by his Daughter
29/09/2016 Duration: 26minDirector Shivaun O’Casey, the playwright’s daughter, reflects on his life and work, including his play, The Plough and the Stars, in a conversation with Fergal Keane, award-winning journalist and Special Correspondent with BBC News.
-
Jonathan Kent on Young Chekhov
21/09/2016 Duration: 31minAs the Chichester Festival Theatre’s trilogy of Chekhov’s Platonov, Ivanov, and The Seagull comes to the National, director Jonathan Kent discusses the productions with Genista McIntosh. #YoungChekhov
-
Helen McCrory on The Deep Blue Sea
16/09/2016 Duration: 29minThe actor reflects on the challenges and rewards of playing Hester Collyer in The Deep Blue Sea.
-
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour: Vicky Featherstone and Lee Hall
08/09/2016 Duration: 27minThe director and writer discuss this new musical, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, and its journey to the National. #OurLadies https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/our-ladies-of-perpetual-succour