Billy the Kid

Beautiful Thing

Guidance 12+ • 1h 54m

This 20th anniversary production of Jonathan Harvey’s play about two working class teenage boys falling in love on a South East London council estate was captured by Digital Theatre live at the Arts Theatre in London’s Leicester Square. It was directed by Nikolai Foster and starred Suranne Jones as Sandra, a single mother trying to make the best for her and her sensitive son, Jamie. The production received wide critical acclaim and was revived again two years later.

Henry IV, Part 1

2h 48m

The second part of his history tetralogy, Shakespeare’s tale of power and politics is brought to life in this martial production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, the production transferred to the Barbican, London, as part of ‘King and Country: Shakespeare's Great Cycle of Kings’, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death."

Love's Labour's Lost

All Ages • 2h 20m

One of his earliest comedies, Shakespeare’s tale of love and courtship is brought to life in this Edwardian reimagining from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, this adaptation was paired with Love’s Labour’s Won (Much Ado About Nothing), with both productions featuring the same company of actors and set."

True West

Guidance 12+ • 1h 59m

Often hailed as Sam Shepard’s masterpiece, True West deconstructs the damaged relationship between two estranged brothers who are striving for success. Captured by Digital Theatre live at the Tricycle Theatre in London, Eugene O’Hare and Alex Ferns clash magnificently as brothers, Austin and Lee, in this character driven piece which cleverly combines comedy and chaos in two tension-filled acts.

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

All Ages • 1h 41m

Featuring the acclaimed mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, this triple header includes Hector Berlioz' Waverley overture, Les nuits d'été and Symphonie fantastique. Valery Gergiev showcases his opulent interpretation of Berlioz' landmark piece Symphonie fantastique, the story of an artist’s ‘hopeless love’, complete with waltzes, witches and a hallucinogenic nightmare.

Coriolanus

2h 44m

Thought to be his final tragedy, Shakespeare’s tale of political manoeuvring and maternal love is brought to life in this modernised production from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Captured live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Angus Jackson’s blood-soaked adaptation questions where authority should lie, while the various power players engage in hand-to-hand combat across the stage. Production photography by Helen Maybanks

Don Giovanni

12+ • 2h 43m

Mozart’s Don Giovanni was first performed in 1787, and was based on the story of the Spanish lothario, Don Juan. The title character seduces, deceives and murders his way through the opera, doing his utmost to experience life, and all that it has to offer, to the full. This production, captured by Digital Theatre at the Grand Theatre and Opera House in Leeds, was Opera North’s first Don Giovanni for seven years. It was critically commended for its ”refreshing” update and “outstanding” performances. It was directed by Alessandro Talevi and conducted by Tobias Ringborg.

King Lear

All Ages • 2h 36m

“How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!” Shakespeare’s epic tragedy is brought vividly to life in this Stratford Festival production, in which madness descends with brutal ferocity as kingdoms and families are irrevocably divided. Filmed live at the festival in 2015, Colm Feore stars as the ageing king while Sara Farb takes on the role of his banished daughter, Cordelia.

Henry VI: Part One Open Rehearsal Project

All Ages • 1h 57m

For the first time in its history, the RSC invites audiences into its rehearsal room for a unique insight into the making of a play. Directed by Gregory Doran and Owen Horsley, this production of Henry VI: Part One was filmed as a run-through performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first play in Shakespeare's trilogy sees rivals assert their claim to the throne at home and from abroad, laying the tensions for the War of the Roses.

The Red Shoes

Guidance All Ages • 1h 36m

Matthew Bourne’s double Olivier award-winning ballet The Red Shoes tells a spellbinding tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page lives to pursue artistic greatness as a dancer, but her ambitions become a battleground for the entangled relationships that drive her dreams. Based on Powell and Pressburger’s film of the same name, Matthew Bourne’s signature artistry creates a fresh, entrancing and heartbreaking adaptation, featuring Bernard Herrmann’s rich score. The Red Shoes was captured live at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2020.