Famous names to star in plays streamed by National Theatre
GILLIAN ANDERSON and Tom Hiddleston will star in the next tranche of plays to be streamed by the National Theatre, as bosses announced they will pay artists involved.
Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch and One Man, Two Guvnors with James Corden have already aired on the theatre’s YouTube channel after it had to close its doors.
The theatre said it had been “surprised and delighted at the generous donations” received from people watching productions online.
Artists involved in the productions will now be offered payment, following an agreement with the union Equity, although those who do not need the money can turn it down.
Executive director and joint chief executive Lisa Burger said: “When we launched National Theatre At Home last month, we wanted to offer audiences the opportunity to engage with theatre during this time of isolation while we were unable to welcome them to the South Bank or into cinemas.
“We have been absolutely thrilled by the response from viewers enjoying the productions from right across the globe, and we have also been surprised and delighted at the generous donations we’ve received since closure.”
Fans will now be able to see productions by other theatres as part of National Theatre At Home.
That includes Hiddleston in the Donmar Warehouse production of Coriolanus, and Anderson in the Young Vic and Joshua Andrews coproduction of the Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Other titles include Inua Ellams’s play Barber Shop Chronicles ,a co-production with Fuel and Leeds Playhouse.