Drama fans who missed Shakespeare’s Globe’s 2011 productions of All’s Well That Ends Well, Much Ado About Nothing and Doctor Faustus, have a second chance to catch the shows when they come to the big screen.
The trio of productions, which feature performers including Me And Orson Welles’ Janie Dee, Nurse Jackie’s Eve Best and Doctor Who’s Arthur Darvill, will be released around the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the USA this autumn.
Shakespeare’s romantic comedy All’s Well That Ends Well, the tale of a marriage entered into with a couple of seemingly insurmountable conditions, opens in the UK from 26 September starring Dee.
It is followed, from 10 October, by another of the Bard’s favourite gigglers, Much Ado About Nothing, which stars Best alongside Charles Edwards as a pair of sparring would-be lovers.
Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, which opens on UK screens from 24 October, stars Doctor Who good guy Darvill in a far more demonic role, that of Mephistopheles, the devil summoned by the unfortunate title character who chooses to sell his soul.
Speaking about the season of on-screen shows, Shakespeare’s Globe’s Artistic Director Dominic Dromgoole said: “With the advent of new technology it is now possible to see and hear theatrical productions in the cinema with a wonderful sharpness and clarity. We are delighted that these productions will be finding new audiences, who can experience Globe shows as if they were in the building.”
Shakespeare’s Globe is one of a number of venues and productions taking advantage of new technologies to spread their work and encourage new audiences. The National Theatre’s NT Live scheme broadcasts performances to cinema screens around the world, as does the Royal Opera House’s cinema season, while Digital Theatre continues to make productions available for download via the internet.
For more information about the Globe on Screen season, visit its website.