East

Metamorphosis

12+ • 1h 45m

Steven Berkoff's iconic adaptation of Franz Kafka’s novella, which tells the tale of a travelling salesman who is transformed into an insect, is brought to life in this highly physical and visually striking production. Captured live at the Parco Theater in Tokyo, this landmark performance is in Japanese with English subtitles. Considered one of Berkoff’s masterpieces and performed multiple times since it first appeared in 1969, Metamorphosis combines elements of sound, physicality and minimalist design to recreate Kafka’s absurdist world on stage.

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

All Ages • 1h 37m

Sir John Eliot Gardiner leads the London Symphony Orchestra, his Monteverdi Choir and three talented actors from the Guildhall School in Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed as part of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. To mark the celebrations, Gardiner produced a special version of the work, featuring some cuts to the original movements, in order to focus ‘on the world of the fairies and the human lovers.’

The Nutcracker

All Ages • 1h 48m

This all-time ballet favourite reaches its 25th anniversary in Peter Wright's glorious production.When one of her Christmas presents comes to life, Young Clara is swept into a fantasy adventure where she meets an exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy, a chivalrous Prince and the mysterious Drosselmeyer amongst a whole host of classic characters, performed by the world-renowned Royal Ballet.

The Suicide

12+ • 2h 49m

Sergey Zhenovach's staging of Nikolai Erdman's banned Soviet-era comedy centres around a young, unemployed man desperate enough to contemplate ending it all. This production was captured by Stage Russia HD at The Theatre Art Studio in Moscow. The play, originally written in 1928 and unproduced until 1990, forms a link in Russian literary history between the satirical mastery of Nikolai Gogol and the post-World War II Theatre of the Absurd.

The Poltergeist

Guidance 15+ • 1h 12m

Sasha (Joseph Potter) was destined to take the art world by storm. At the age of fifteen pop stars wanted his paintings, and a new exhibition was going to make him a millionaire. But now he lives in a run-down flat with his out-of-work boyfriend, serves in a stationers, and no one’s even heard of him… what went wrong? Philip Ridley’s darkly comic new play is about art, family, memory, and being haunted by the life we never lived.

Jane Eyre

Guidance 12+ • 2h 6m

Orphan Jane Eyre journeys from a cruel childhood to life at Thornfield Hall, where she meets the mysterious Mr Rochester and unearths a terrible secret in Charlotte Brontë's gothic masterpiece. Led by Kelsey Short's heart-breaking performance, Blackeyed Theatre’s captivating adaptation gives this romantic classic a new lease of life.

West

Guidance 15+ • 1h 5m

Set in the ‘Swinging ‘60s’, Steven Berkoff’s West follows Mike in his battle with a rival gang, and his struggle to remain true to himself, despite his circumstances. Adapted for television in 1984, Berkoff’s play, inspired by ‘Beowulf’, features the same characters as East, both of which explore the difficulties of growing up in London’s working class communities.

The Tempest

Guidance All Ages • 2h 25m

Thought to be Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest follows a deposed ruler marooned on a remote island, who uses magical arts to enact her revenge. Stratford Festival casts Martha Henry as the complex and flawed Prospero in this visually stunning production.

Henry VI: Wars of the Roses

Guidance All Ages • 2h 41m

In the Royal Shakespeare Company's adaptation of Henry VI Part III (Henry 6th Part 3), the turbulent court rivalries for the English crown come to a climax as the families of Lancaster and York meet on the battlefield. Director Owen Horsley concludes his thrilling trilogy.

Wise Children

Guidance 15+ • 2h 17m

Directed by Emma Rice, Wise Children follows Nora and Dora Chance – twin chorus girls with colourful pasts – celebrating their 75th birthday and reflecting on their family and careers in this extravagant tale of theatrical joy and pain. Captured live at York Theatre Royal in 2019, Angela Carter’s last novel comes to life in this unique and musical adaptation full of Shakespeare, scandal, and mischief.