National Theatre has just announced the next collection of plays to be streamed on their Youtube channel for free over the next few weeks.

Following the coronavirus lockdown that has seen theatres around the world lower their curtains indefinitely, National Theatre has launched a Youtube channel dedicated to streaming productions that had been previously screened in cinemas globally as a part of National Theatre Live.

They kicked off their exciting programme on 2 April with Richard Bean’s ‘One Man Two Guvnors’ featuring a Tony Award-winning performance from James Corden, followed by Sally Cookson’s stage adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre’, Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’, and ‘Twelfth Night’ featuring Tamsin Greig as Malvolia in Shakespeare’s classic comedy.

TOM HIDDLESTON IN CORIOLANUS. © JOHAN PERSSON

Following stellar performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller who exchanged the roles of the Creature and Victor Frankenstein on two consecutive nights (30 April and 1 May, respectively) in Danny Boyle-directed ‘Frankenstein’, Gillian Anderson and Tom Hiddleston are now headlining the next carefully-curated selection of plays.

The streaming schedule for the following weeks is as follows:

7 May – ‘Antony & Cleopatra’, starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo, and directed by Simon Godwin.

14 May – Inua Ellams’ ’Barber Shop Chronicles’, with Fisayo Akinade, Hammed Animashaun, Cyril Nri and Sule Rimi.

21 May – Tennessee Williams’ ’A Streetcar Named Desire’, directed by Benedict Andrews and starring Gillian Anderson as Blanche, Ben Foster as Stanley and Vanessa Kirby as Stella. Fun fact: this is the fastest-selling show in Young Vic history.

28 May – James Graham’s ‘This House’, directed by Jeremy Herrin, and featuring Phil Daniels, Reece Dinsdale, Charles Edwards and Vincent Franklin.

4 June – the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Coriolanus, staged by former Artistic Director Josie Rourke and starring Tom Hiddleston, Alfred Enoch, Deborah Findlay and Mark Gatiss.

Each production will be screened live every Thursday at 7.00pm GMT, and will then be available on demand for seven days.

GILLIAN ANDERSON IN A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. © JOHAN PERSSON

Even though all productions will be streamed for free, National Theatre encourages viewers to donate what they can via Youtube. The money donated will be shared with the co-producing theatre organisations of each stream, including the Donmar Warehouse, Fuel, Leeds Playhouse and the Young Vic, which will help support them during this difficult period of closure.

Lisa Burger, Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive said, ‘I’m delighted that in this next collection of titles to be streamed as part of National Theatre at Home we are including productions from our NT Live partner theatres. When we launched National Theatre at Home last month, we wanted to offer audiences the opportunity to engage with theatre during this time of isolation while we were unable to welcome them to the South Bank or into cinemas.

‘This initiative wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a great number of artists for which we are incredibly grateful. We have been absolutely thrilled by the response from viewers enjoying the productions from right across the globe, and we have also been surprised and delighted at the generous donations we’ve received since closure. Whilst the National Theatre continues to face a precarious financial future, we now feel able to make a payment to all artists involved, as we recognise a great many are also experiencing a particularly challenging time at this moment. While theatres across the world remain closed, we’re pleased that we can continue to bring the best of British theatre directly into people’s homes every Thursday evening.’

When TV’s Emmy-winning ‘Fleabag’ ended in April 2019, the show’s loyal followers weren’t quite ready to accept that its eponymous heroine’s journey would end with season 2.

However, Phoebe Waller-Bridge surprised her fans last summer when she announced the play upon which the TV show is based would be back in theatres for a limited run in August. Unsurprisingly, the show was immediately sold out.

In light of the coronavirus crisis which has largely affected the industry, Waller-Bridge has decided to revive the play which will be available to view online for two weeks. All proceeds will go towards four charities dedicated to supporting those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including National Emergency Trust, NHS Charities Together, Acting For Others and Fleabag Support Fund, an initiative which will provide grants of £2500 to freelancers working in the theatre industry.

In the UK you can watch the show via Soho Theatre On Demand right now and it costs £4 (or more, if you wish to further support the causes). ‘Fleabag’ will also be made available to US audiences via Amazon Prime, starting Friday, 10 April.

PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE © JASON HETHERINGTON

Directed by Vicky Jones, the play, which originally premiered in 2013, was staged at the Edinburgh Fringe, at the Soho Theatre, off-Broadway and at the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End.

On the streaming initiative, Waller-Bridge commented: ‘I hope this filmed performance of “Fleabag” can help raise money while providing a little theatrical entertainment in these isolated times. Thank you to all our partners and to the creative team who have waived their royalties from this production to raise money for such vital causes in this unbelievably challenging situation.

‘All money raised will support the people throughout our society who are fighting for us on the frontlines and those financially devastated by the crisis, including those in the theatre community. Thank you in advance to those who donate. Now go get into bed with Fleabag! It’s for charity! Px’