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Friday, September 26, 2025
Filmed National Theatre Productions Coming to U.S. Schools via Educational Theatre Association
Playbill: The Educational Theatre Association has partnered with London's National Theatre to bring more than 70 films of their productions to EdTA member educators for use in the classroom across the U.S. The program will allow EdTA members to show their students productions from the National's stages for free.
10 comments:
Eliana Stevens
said...
I think that it is amazing that there are organizations that are working on making theater more acceptable and affordable to educators. Not only are these shows going to be available for education but it will also give them access to educational materials and will help them build a curriculum. This is a huge resource and help for children's theater all over the world. Children around the world deserve to have access to the arts, even if they do not pursue the arts as a career, the arts are monumental to the growth and development of children, it gives them confidence, problem solving skills, community bonding, and a creative outlet. This program will also allow the educators the chance to show their classes the performances, giving the chance for the children who maybe can’t afford to attend live theater or don’t have the access to see these shows, they will now have the chance to experience live theater from their classrooms and their homes.
The National Theatre is a leader in our industry. They push the boundaries of what we think theatre can be, and the fact that they are opening up their catalog of proshots to American Schools is amazing! I had the pleasure of seeing Dear England at the National Theatre last year, and it was outstanding! They used video and projections in a way that I have never seen before. I think that some of the most innovative theatre happens in London, and I believe that it will be super beneficial for American theatre lovers and aspiring artists to have a chance to be inspired by their incredible work. On top of all that, this is a huge step towards making theatre more accessible. Students will be able to witness some of the advanced techniques that are taking our industry by storm. The debate over streaming theatre and creating proshots is a big one. In this case, it is a no brainer.
This is really exciting news. I think that access to the Arts in public education is really important. Not only does it create an appreciation for the arts, which I think that everybody in life deserves to have, but it also gives people more tools to access empathy, and to talk about their feelings, and all the other things that we think we know that theater is capable of. I think the theater is one of the least accessible mediums for the average person, partially because of the price point, partially because of the idea of the price point, but also more basic issues like physical location or other barriers to access. I think that for me personally, even growing up in an area that did have some amount of local theaters, we didn't really have anything that I knew of that I could go to to experience new works at a cheaper price point. I am of the mind that having things available online does not ruin the experience of going to see them in person, so I think that this could do an excellent job at expanding access.
The theatre industry can only grow through getting more students across the world invested in doing theater, whether it be acting or the technical aspects. Being able to see national theatre productions like this may be the inspiration that many need to follow their dream of theatre, rather than stopping at high school. I think that the inclusion of additional educational details will greatly help with conveying to students how they might go about making something of a similar caliber some day. Theatre like any profession in the arts can be very difficult to get into due to the high costs and lack of reliable income so it’s important to ensure that the next generation of theatre students have a clear view of their future so they aren’t caught unawares. I think that this program will help revitalize the theatre industry and bring many new ideas and perspectives to it.
As a theatre student at CMU, this initiative from the Educational Theatre Association making over 70 filmed productions from the National Theatre available to U.S. school classrooms strikes me as incredibly powerful. Having high-quality, professional theatre productions accessible in the classroom means students can experience work that they might never have the chance to see live, but that still informs and inspires their understanding of performance, design, storytelling, and craft. The inclusion of productions ranging from Jane Eyre, Peter Pan, Small Island, Frankenstein, and more gives a range of styles and voices that can help students see what’s possible artistically and technically. What excites me most is that each filmed work comes with educational materials, giving teachers the tools to integrate these productions into their curricula in meaningful ways, not just as “watch it and move on,” but as deep learning opportunities. This feels like a way of leveling the field: even schools without large theatre budgets or access to touring shows can still bring world-class theatre into their teaching. It also challenges me to imagine what it would look like to design with both live and filmed work in mind, how staging, lighting, set, and even acting translate differently on screen versus in person, and what we lose or gain in each format. Ultimately this shows how technology and resources can expand access and enrich education in theatre, if used thoughtfully.
I think this is such a great and exciting opportunity for visual and performing arts educators around the US. The US is so big and so many places do not have the funding or infrastructure for getting students exposed to the arts. I think especially about rural areas and how often times visual and performing arts programs are the first to go with budget cuts. Having come from a large city, I had the opportunity to be exposed to a lot of live entertainment. I think back to when I got to see the first national tour of Hamilton in my city. I wasn’t even interested in theater at that time but after seeing the show the only thing I could talk about for like weeks after was how cool I thought the stage looked (and look where I ended up). Exposure is so important for students and I really hope there will continue to be opportunities like this for the coming generations of artists.
I love any program working to make theater more accessible, especially to younger audiences. It is so vitally important to keep the arts within reach of students, and giving classroom access to these recorded productions is a huge part of that. When I was in elementary school, I remember a single field trip- a performance at the Denver Center. I don’t even know what the production was, actually, I just remember being really excited about it. Not everyone went though; a handful of kids from every class stayed back, which I didn’t understand until later. Having the opportunity to make seeing performances accessible to more people is a fascinating thing; it means that a group of kids who stay back can still enjoy theater. The arts should not be a matter of money, but a matter of expression and an outlet for community.
This is super exciting to hear as the National Theatre productions are so cool and awesome to watch and such a good example of the scale and innovation that theater can possess. I have always considered getting myself a subscription to the National Theatre proshot streaming service, though I have yet to, though hopefully when I have more of a disposable income I will. I really would like to watch the recent Importance of Being Earnest production or Andrew Garfield’s Angels in AmericaI think it is great that they are pairing up with the Educational Theatre Association as I think accessibility in theater is huge (love was PBS Great Performances have allowed) and it is not feasible to think that that many US people can go see shows in London when they perform. I am very happy about this adventure and am excited to see how it goes and the fruits it will bear.
This is a brilliant idea and I am so happy to see something like this being followed through on. I have written a lot of comments and spent a lot of time on making professional theatre more accessible and the benefits of using theatre educationally. Not everyone lives in a palace where theatre is strongly present and not everyone can afford to go see shows. On top of that not everyone is motivated to go see the performing arts. Taking filmed productions and putting them in front of kids early on would be monumental. This is one of those things people talk about and recognize the benefits of but never actually do. And I imagine this took a lot of work and the logistics were complicated. I applaud the people that put in the work and I hope this is something that is successful so it can be implemented in other places. I would love to be involved in this kind of work one day.
I love this decision! Introducing different forms of art to students is incredibly important in many ways. I think not only exposing students to good theatre is beneficial, but showing them what options they have to be involved in making art is very important as well. Expression is crucial for young people, and theatre is a unique and powerful way to express oneself. Allowing students to learn how to express themselves through these different mediums of art is very beneficial in the long run. It’s especially helpful to present this opportunity at younger ages in educational settings. Working the content of the productions into the curriculum is super interesting too. It makes classes extra engaging for students while being able to prioritize learning. I wonder if there will be more programs in the US like the NY Public Library’s Theatre on Tape and Film collection. I think it would be received relatively well, but could receive some backlash considering how many politicians attempt to ban books with any topics regarding diverse identities.
10 comments:
I think that it is amazing that there are organizations that are working on making theater more acceptable and affordable to educators. Not only are these shows going to be available for education but it will also give them access to educational materials and will help them build a curriculum. This is a huge resource and help for children's theater all over the world. Children around the world deserve to have access to the arts, even if they do not pursue the arts as a career, the arts are monumental to the growth and development of children, it gives them confidence, problem solving skills, community bonding, and a creative outlet. This program will also allow the educators the chance to show their classes the performances, giving the chance for the children who maybe can’t afford to attend live theater or don’t have the access to see these shows, they will now have the chance to experience live theater from their classrooms and their homes.
The National Theatre is a leader in our industry. They push the boundaries of what we think theatre can be, and the fact that they are opening up their catalog of proshots to American Schools is amazing! I had the pleasure of seeing Dear England at the National Theatre last year, and it was outstanding! They used video and projections in a way that I have never seen before. I think that some of the most innovative theatre happens in London, and I believe that it will be super beneficial for American theatre lovers and aspiring artists to have a chance to be inspired by their incredible work. On top of all that, this is a huge step towards making theatre more accessible. Students will be able to witness some of the advanced techniques that are taking our industry by storm. The debate over streaming theatre and creating proshots is a big one. In this case, it is a no brainer.
This is really exciting news. I think that access to the Arts in public education is really important. Not only does it create an appreciation for the arts, which I think that everybody in life deserves to have, but it also gives people more tools to access empathy, and to talk about their feelings, and all the other things that we think we know that theater is capable of. I think the theater is one of the least accessible mediums for the average person, partially because of the price point, partially because of the idea of the price point, but also more basic issues like physical location or other barriers to access. I think that for me personally, even growing up in an area that did have some amount of local theaters, we didn't really have anything that I knew of that I could go to to experience new works at a cheaper price point. I am of the mind that having things available online does not ruin the experience of going to see them in person, so I think that this could do an excellent job at expanding access.
The theatre industry can only grow through getting more students across the world invested in doing theater, whether it be acting or the technical aspects. Being able to see national theatre productions like this may be the inspiration that many need to follow their dream of theatre, rather than stopping at high school. I think that the inclusion of additional educational details will greatly help with conveying to students how they might go about making something of a similar caliber some day. Theatre like any profession in the arts can be very difficult to get into due to the high costs and lack of reliable income so it’s important to ensure that the next generation of theatre students have a clear view of their future so they aren’t caught unawares. I think that this program will help revitalize the theatre industry and bring many new ideas and perspectives to it.
As a theatre student at CMU, this initiative from the Educational Theatre Association making over 70 filmed productions from the National Theatre available to U.S. school classrooms strikes me as incredibly powerful. Having high-quality, professional theatre productions accessible in the classroom means students can experience work that they might never have the chance to see live, but that still informs and inspires their understanding of performance, design, storytelling, and craft. The inclusion of productions ranging from Jane Eyre, Peter Pan, Small Island, Frankenstein, and more gives a range of styles and voices that can help students see what’s possible artistically and technically. What excites me most is that each filmed work comes with educational materials, giving teachers the tools to integrate these productions into their curricula in meaningful ways, not just as “watch it and move on,” but as deep learning opportunities. This feels like a way of leveling the field: even schools without large theatre budgets or access to touring shows can still bring world-class theatre into their teaching. It also challenges me to imagine what it would look like to design with both live and filmed work in mind, how staging, lighting, set, and even acting translate differently on screen versus in person, and what we lose or gain in each format. Ultimately this shows how technology and resources can expand access and enrich education in theatre, if used thoughtfully.
I think this is such a great and exciting opportunity for visual and performing arts educators around the US. The US is so big and so many places do not have the funding or infrastructure for getting students exposed to the arts. I think especially about rural areas and how often times visual and performing arts programs are the first to go with budget cuts. Having come from a large city, I had the opportunity to be exposed to a lot of live entertainment. I think back to when I got to see the first national tour of Hamilton in my city. I wasn’t even interested in theater at that time but after seeing the show the only thing I could talk about for like weeks after was how cool I thought the stage looked (and look where I ended up). Exposure is so important for students and I really hope there will continue to be opportunities like this for the coming generations of artists.
I love any program working to make theater more accessible, especially to younger audiences. It is so vitally important to keep the arts within reach of students, and giving classroom access to these recorded productions is a huge part of that. When I was in elementary school, I remember a single field trip- a performance at the Denver Center. I don’t even know what the production was, actually, I just remember being really excited about it. Not everyone went though; a handful of kids from every class stayed back, which I didn’t understand until later. Having the opportunity to make seeing performances accessible to more people is a fascinating thing; it means that a group of kids who stay back can still enjoy theater. The arts should not be a matter of money, but a matter of expression and an outlet for community.
This is super exciting to hear as the National Theatre productions are so cool and awesome to watch and such a good example of the scale and innovation that theater can possess. I have always considered getting myself a subscription to the National Theatre proshot streaming service, though I have yet to, though hopefully when I have more of a disposable income I will. I really would like to watch the recent Importance of Being Earnest production or Andrew Garfield’s Angels in AmericaI think it is great that they are pairing up with the Educational Theatre Association as I think accessibility in theater is huge (love was PBS Great Performances have allowed) and it is not feasible to think that that many US people can go see shows in London when they perform. I am very happy about this adventure and am excited to see how it goes and the fruits it will bear.
This is a brilliant idea and I am so happy to see something like this being followed through on. I have written a lot of comments and spent a lot of time on making professional theatre more accessible and the benefits of using theatre educationally. Not everyone lives in a palace where theatre is strongly present and not everyone can afford to go see shows. On top of that not everyone is motivated to go see the performing arts. Taking filmed productions and putting them in front of kids early on would be monumental. This is one of those things people talk about and recognize the benefits of but never actually do. And I imagine this took a lot of work and the logistics were complicated. I applaud the people that put in the work and I hope this is something that is successful so it can be implemented in other places. I would love to be involved in this kind of work one day.
I love this decision! Introducing different forms of art to students is incredibly important in many ways. I think not only exposing students to good theatre is beneficial, but showing them what options they have to be involved in making art is very important as well. Expression is crucial for young people, and theatre is a unique and powerful way to express oneself. Allowing students to learn how to express themselves through these different mediums of art is very beneficial in the long run. It’s especially helpful to present this opportunity at younger ages in educational settings. Working the content of the productions into the curriculum is super interesting too. It makes classes extra engaging for students while being able to prioritize learning. I wonder if there will be more programs in the US like the NY Public Library’s Theatre on Tape and Film collection. I think it would be received relatively well, but could receive some backlash considering how many politicians attempt to ban books with any topics regarding diverse identities.
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