The UK’s National Theatre is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, on 22 October 2023.
And to mark the occasion they have announced a free UK and worldwide screening of Othello, directed by the National Theatre’s Deputy Artistic Director, Clint Dyer.
The initiative, called Take Your Seats, will allow anyone, anywhere in the world, to enjoy this ground-breaking National Theatre production for free.
The free screening will take place on Thursday 19 October 2023 at 7pm BST on YouTube, and will be free to watch until 22 October 2023. It will then be available to stream for free on the National’s platform National Theatre at Home, until 26 October.
Othello stars Olivier Award winner Giles Terera as Othello, with Rosy McEwen as Desdemona, and was filmed live on the Lyttelton stage. The show ran at the National from 23 November 2022 to 21 January 2023.
Also part of the 60th birthday celebrations will be a present of 3,600 free tickets – 60 tickets for 60 performances – in October 2023 for 16–25-year-olds, including shows at the National Theatre’s Southbank complex, and their shows in the West End.
Productions will include The Father and the Assassin, Death of England: Closing Time, The Effect and The Confessions playing at the National Theatre, and the West End’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Noel Coward Theatre and Dear England at the Prince Edward Theatre.
Tickets for the productions will be made available to book for free via the National Theatre website on Monday 2 October 2023 from 12 – 6pm or whilst tickets last.
Rufus Norris, Director, National Theatre, said in a statement: “I’m thrilled to be celebrating 60 years of this extraordinary creative institution by giving audiences the chance to see our productions for free. Audiences are at the heart of everything we do and throwing open our physical doors to young people and our virtual doors to everyone, wherever they may be in the world with Take Your Seats, is the perfect way to celebrate. Clint Dyer’s Othello is an astonishing interpretation of a play that has seen five different productions throughout our history and encapsulates the progression of the National Theatre over the past six decades. With the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, we continue to break down barriers to accessing theatre through our flagship National Theatre at Home platform reaching over 170 countries around the world. I hope you will join me in marking this historic moment in our history. Here’s to the next 60 years!”
Kate Varah, Executive Director, National Theatre, said: “In its 60th year, the National Theatre has transferred a record number of shows to the West End, ensuring our work reaches even more audiences. The expansion and reach of the National Theatre around the UK since its foundation in 1963 has resulted in 85% of all secondary schools across the UK accessing the National Theatre Collection, the free streaming platform for schools. Last year over 42,000 children and young people participated in National Theatre Learning activity. The National Theatre at 60 is a thriving and vital part of our cultural life.”
Book tickets to The Effect at the National Theatre
Book tickets to Dear England at the Prince Edward Theatre
Book tickets to The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Noel Coward Theatre
