A new season of plays, filmed live from various theatres in London, will be screened at select Ster-Kinekor and Cinema Nouveau theatres until the end of November. Cinema audiences and theatre lovers can watch innovative productions from some of Britain’s exciting playwrights, directors, actors, and stages, on the big screen as part of the NT (National Theatre) Live series.
“With NT Live productions showing on our cinema screens, local audiences get the opportunity to experience some of the best of British theatre in a theatre-like setting, as an extension of the live production’s audience,” says Lynne Wylie, chief marketing officer of Ster-Kinekor Theatres.
Following the season’s launch production of Yerma, the second play to be screened in cinema from 24 August, Dear England, stars Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) as England football coach Gareth Southgate in James Graham’s (Best of Enemies) gripping examination of nation and game in Dear England.
The country that gave the world the sport of football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t England’s men win at their own game? With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt, to take team and country back to the promised land.
Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Rupert Goold directs the play, which will be shown at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas on August 24, 25, 28 and 29.
(Warning: Dear England contains flickering or flashing lights that may affect those with photosensitive epilepsy.)
The third live theatre production isVanya. The brilliant Andrew Scott (Fleabag) brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) radical new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions.
Filmed live during its sold-out run in London’s West End, the production is presented by Wessex Grove, Gavin Kalin Productions and Kater Gordon. Its screens at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas on September 28 and 29 and October 2 and 3.
One of the most famous phrases from Shakespeare’s Hamlet — To be or not to be — is taken to new heights in the absorbing and exhilarating production of The Motive and the Cue. Sam Mendes (The Lehman Trilogy) directs Mark Gatiss as Sir John Gielgud directing Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton, playing Hamlet, in this funny new play, with Tuppence Middleton as the beautiful, spirited Elizabeth Taylor.
1964: Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director threaten to unravel.
The play was filmed live during a sold-out run at the National Theatre. This production shows on October 26, 27, 30 and 31.
The final production for this season is NYE. Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state and created the NHS. Confronted with death, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan’s deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his life; from childhood to mining underground, Parliament and fights with Churchill.
Written by Tim Price and directed by Rufus Norris (Small Island), it was filmed live from the National Theatre and will be released in select Ster-Kinekor cinemas on 30 November, and 01, 04 and 05 December.
On at Rosebank Nouveau in Johannesburg, Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn in Pretoria, Ster-Kinekor Gateway in Umhlanga and Ster-Kinekor V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Book your tickets here
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