The National Theatre has announced its autumn programme for schools across the UK, deepening its work with young people to support its continued ambition to reach every child in the UK before they leave school. Over 90% of state secondary schools are already signed up to access the National Theatre Collection to stream world-leading theatre directly in their classrooms.
Expected to reach over 1.4 million students across the UK over the next year, this varied programme of national tours, participatory activity, expert toolkits and digital resources aims to break down barriers to access to the arts in schools and ensure that young people nationwide, many experiencing theatre for the first time, can engage with world-class drama as they learn.
Over the past year, the National Theatre Collection’s global reach amassed over 6.7 million total pupil views across over 7,500 education institutions in 62 countries, making world-class theatre more accessible than ever. In a major step forward in realising the ambition to bring the world to the NT and the NT to the world, a new collaboration between the NT, Bloomsbury Publishing and Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) means public school teachers across the United States who are members of EdTA will have free, unlimited access to the National Theatre Collection via Bloomsbury’s Drama Online. The partnership aims to support the future of theatre education across the globe and bring the best of British theatre to new audiences, reaching an estimated 5,000 schools across all 50 US states and Washington DC.
Seven new plays are also now live on the National Theatre Collection on Drama Online in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing, bringing over 80 theatre productions and complementary learning resources to UK schools, colleges, universities and the wider education sector to enrich drama teaching and inspire students.
The new titles feature recent National Theatre hits including the joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest starring Ncuti Gatwa and Sharon D Clarke, Nye celebrating the life and legacy of Nye Bevan who transformed Britain’s welfare state starring Michael Sheen; an adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s best-selling children’s book Ballet Shoes; and Malorie Blackman’s Pig Heart Boy for primary.
Kate Varah, Co-CEO and Executive Director of the National Theatre, said: “Locally, nationally, internationally, our new and expanded programmes will reach over 1.4m young people across the UK this year alongside an estimated 230,000 students in the US. Designed to support educators and offer more access to school students everywhere, these innovative programmes all boost creativity, social skills and mental health. We know a rich creative curriculum fires imaginations, builds confidence, and inspires the next generation of theatre-makers, performers and audiences – and we are committed to devising new and innovative ways to widen participation so more can benefit.”
For more information, please visit nationaltheatre.org.uk
