David Farnor | On 16, Jul 2020

BritBox is treading the boards this summer with a new collection of plays, ballets, opera and more.

The streaming service, which is a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, is rapidly building a library of British TV box sets. In recent weeks, it has expanded that catalogue to include music concerts and documentaries, as well as BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lectures. Now, it’s going one step further with a deal to acquire the rights to productions from the Royal Opera, RSC and Donmar Warehouse.

With theatres and auditoriums showing no sign of reopening post-coronavirus outbreak, the new collection supports performing arts. It comprises 25 acclaimed RSC plays – including the 2016 production of King Lear starring Antony Sher, the 2013 production of Richard II starring David Tennant and the 2018 production of Macbeth starring Christopher Eccleston.

It also includes the Donmar Warehouse’s renowned all-female productions of The Tempest (2016), Julius Caesar (2012) and Henry IV (2014).

Ballet performances include Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty (2017) and The Nutcracker (2018), and Talbot’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2017), all performed by The Royal Ballet.

Operatic performances round off the collection, with Puccini’s Madame Butterfly (2017), Gounod’s Faust (2019), and Mozart’s Don Giovanni (2019) as performed by The Royal Opera launching on the service. Productions of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress (2010) and Madame Butterfly (2018) as performed at Glyndebourne Opera Festival will also be added.

The collection will arrive on 23rd July. Here’s the full rundown – or head this way for our guide to digital theatre streaming services in the UK.

Royal Shakespeare Company Productions

● Titus Andronicus (2017)
● Richard II (2013)
● Love’s Labour’s Lost (2014)
● Romeo & Juliet (2018)
● Henry V (2015)
● Julius Caesar (2017)
● Henry IV Part 1 (2014)
● Henry IV Part 2 (2014)
● The Merry Wives of Windsor (2018)
● Love’s Labour’s Won (“Much Ado About Nothing”) (2014)
● Othello (2015)
● The Merchant of Venice (2015)
● King Lear (2015)
● Macbeth (2018)
● Antony and Cleopatra (2017)
● Hamlet (2015)
● Coriolanus (2017)
● Troilus and Cressida (2018)
● The Tempest (2017)
● Cymbeline (2016)
● Two Gentlemen of Verona (2013)
● Twelfth Night
● As You like It (2017)
● Measure for Measure (2019)
● The Taming of the Shrew (2019)
● Timon of Athens (2018)

Donmar Warehouse

● Henry IV (2014)
● The Tempest (2016)
● Julius Caesar (2012)

The Royal Opera

● Gounod: Faust (2019)
● Mozart: Don Giovanni (2019)
● Puccini: Madama Butterfly (2017)

Glyndebourne Festival Opera

● Stravinsky: The Rake’s Progress (2010)
● Puccini: Madama Butterfly (2018)

The Royal Ballet

● Talbot: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2017)
● Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (2018)
● Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty (2017)

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