Tarantula

King Lear

Guidance 12+ • 2h 43m

King Lear is considered by many to be Shakespeare’s finest tragedy. Lear, in dividing up his kingdom to his three daughters, gradually descends into madness, ultimately bringing tragedy upon all concerned. This production was captured by Digital Theatre live at London’s Almeida Theatre as part of the 2012 World Shakespeare Festival. Directed by the Almeida’s Artistic Director, Michael Attenborough, it starred the award-winning Jonathan Pryce as a Lear said to be “electrifying naturalistic” by the Independent on Sunday, “changeable as the weather, warm and gentle, shaken and ferociously raging.”"

Lovesong

Guidance 12+ • 1h 35m

Lovesong intricately weaves the story of a couple in the first stages of their life together with the same couple as they approach the end of this story. A delicate mix of storytelling and physical theatre, this production was captured by Digital Theatre live at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. Directed and choreographed by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, it features an extraordinary collaborative performance from its cast; Edward Bennett, Sam Cox, Sian Phillips and Leanne Rowe.

Emerald City

Guidance 12+ • 2h 3m

Screenwriter Colin and his publisher wife Kate make the bold decision to move from Melbourne to Sydney, only to be seduced by the city’s infatuation with materialism, commercialism and success. This visually striking production was captured by Australian National Theatre Live at the Griffin Theatre in Sydney and shines a light on the 1980’s Australian film industry.

Decadence

Guidance 12+ • 1h 22m

Steven Berkoff and Joan Collins star in this 1994 film about two couples indulging in sexual relations: Steve, a wealthy husband who’s having an affair with posh socialite Helen, and Sybil, Steve’s wife, who is sleeping with a private eye hired to kill her husband. Based on Berkoff’s original stage play, this satirical study of 1980’s Thatcherite Britain explores the divide between the upper and working classes, utilising poetic language, physicality and camera techniques to paint a damaging portrait of high society. Contains strong language, adult themes, and content that some viewers may find offensive."

East

Guidance 16+ • 1h 53m

Steven Berkoff’s witty and brutal portrayal of growing up in London’s East End follows the lives of a working-class family through stories of sex, violence, dreams and desires. This 25th-anniversary production was captured live at the Vaudeville Theatre in London. With rich poetic language that parodies Shakespeare and an explosive physicality inspired by Berkoff's training with Jacques Lecoq, East vividly brings to life the struggles of each character using mime, movement, music and humour in this “elegy for the East End and all its energetic waste”.

The Blue Bird (Journey)

Guidance 12+ • 2h 50m

Two children embark on a whirlwind adventure to find the Blue Bird of happiness in part one of Boris Yukhananov's epic trilogy, based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s mystical play. Captured by the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in Moscow and presented in partnership with Stage Russia HD, this visually compelling production features the reminiscences of Russian actors Vladimir Korenev and Aleftina Konstantinova, and experiments with various theatrical traditions including Japanese Noh theatre.

The Blue Bird (Night)

Guidance 12+ • 2h 42m

Part two of Boris Yukhananov’s dazzling trilogy sees actors Vladimir Korenev and Aleftina Konstantinova weaving in and out of character as Tyltyl and Mytyl on the search for the Blue Bird of happiness. Captured by the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in Moscow and presented in partnership with Stage Russia HD, The Blue Bird (Night) continues the adventure, unifying reminiscences with a sensational display of song, dance and acrobatics. Contains adult content.

The Soap Myth

12+ • 1h 19m

More than a half century after World War Two, at the desperate urging of a passionate survivor, a young investigative reporter finds herself caught between numerous versions of the same story. Played out against the backdrop of deadline reporting and journalistic integrity, the critically acclaimed The Soap Myth by Jeff Cohen questions who has the right to write history — and what is our responsibility once we know the truth?

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.

The Adventures of Pericles

All Ages • 2h 21m

A rare gem from Shakespeare's canon, The Adventures of Pericles is given a new lease of life by Stratford Festival. Set sail with the Bard's forgotten hero, as he suffers through shipwreck, loss, intrigue, fatherhood and much more on his epic journey. The versatile Evan Buliung takes on the eponymous role, transforming and evolving before our eyes, while Deborah Hay achieves triple-threat status by performing all three major women in Pericles' life.