NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma will continue to offer the best of British theatre, featuring international stars like Benedict Cumberbatch and Erin Doherty this spring through a campus partnership presenting select showings of National Theatre Live productions at Gaylord Hall Auditorium.
National Theatre Live is a groundbreaking project broadcasting the best of British theatre to over 11 million people across 65 countries since its launch in 2009. Performances are recorded on the London stage, optimized for cinematic viewing, and broadcast to select cinemas worldwide. The showings at Gaylord Hall include performances that were previously broadcast and are now available to be shown through special partnerships such as this.
“The National Theatre is among the finest English-language theatres in the world,” said Seth Gordon, professor in OU’s Helmerich School of Drama, who has spearheaded the effort to bring NTLive to Norman. “Each of these filmed live performances provides our students and our entire community the ability to witness the work of the best actors, directors, designers, dramaturgs and technicians working in our art form today. This is a very rare and exciting opportunity, and I want to thank each of our co-sponsors for making this incredible opportunity possible.”
OU co-sponsors for the series include the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University Libraries, Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts and the Arts and Humanities Forum. The co-sponsors have made it possible for these showings to be presented at no cost to the public.
First to be presented will be the classic 1953 American play “The Crucible” on Sunday, Feb. 25. The newly created staging of Arthur Miller’s parable of power and its abuse features Erin Doherty (“The Crown”) and Brendan Cowell (“Yerma”) as John Proctor and Abigail Williams during the Salem witch trials.
Next is William Shakespeare’s venerated “Romeo and Juliet” on Sunday, April 7. This bold new film brings to life the remarkable backstage spaces of the National Theatre in London in which desire, dreams and destiny collide to make Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy shine. Directed by Simon Godwin, the play was shot over 17 days during the global pandemic and features rising stars Jessie Buckley (“Chernobyl,” “Fargo”) and Josh O’Connor (“The Crown,” “God’s Own Country”) as Juliet and Romeo.
The final showing for the semester will be one of the English language’s best-loved plays, William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” on Sunday, April 28. Directed by Lyndsey Turner, Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s “Sherlock,” “The Imitation Game,” “Doctor Strange”) takes on the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy.
All productions will be presented at 1 and 6 p.m., a modified time from the fall, on each of the dates listed, in the auditorium of Gaylord Hall, 395 W. Lindsey St., on the OU Norman campus. While admission is free to the public, limited seating is available. Parental discretion is advised.
For more information about the showings in Norman, visit calendar.ou.edu. For more information about National Theatre Live, including trailers, visit ntlive.com.
Provided photos courtesy of National Theatre Live.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. OU was named the state’s highest-ranking university in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent Best Colleges list. For more information about the university, visit ou.edu.
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