Digital Theatre Plus

The University of Cambridge now has access to the e-resource Digital Theatre Plus.

Digital Theatre Plus captures the moments before the curtain rises and after the curtain falls, providing valuable insight into the play making process. We share the hidden drama of the weeks, days, and hours before ‘lights up’ on stage. By revealing the world of the rehearsal room, dressing room, backstage and beyond, our documentaries and interviews introduce theatre as a vibrant, exciting art form through a familiar and accessible medium.

On 13th November Digital Theatre Plus launched a collection of full-length productions from Shakespeare’s Globe. The first title in the collection is ‘Romeo and Juliet‘ (directed by Dominic Dromgoole and starring Ellie Kendrick and Adetomiwa Edun as the title characters, seen in the image above). The next productions to be added to the collection will be ‘As You Like It‘ and ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’.

Other Collections that are available are: Gran Treatre del Liceu, Royal Opera House, Broadway Digital Archive and National Jewish Theater.

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The resource allows to you watch key scenes and speeches, and full productions, in high-definition, as well as providing detailed study guides that give information on the story, characters, context and people behind the productions. The study guides are written by

There are also filmed interviews with producers, directors, writers and more giving an insight into what goes in to getting a production to the stage and careers in the theatre.

Why not try the e-resource out? A film version of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’ will be released in cinemas on 25th December. Digital Theatre Plus offers you a full performance of ‘Into the Woods’ recorded at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre so you can watch the fairytale characters go into the woods each time they head offstage. There are detailed guides on the music, lyrics and book of Sondheim’s ‘classic’ musical.

Or maybe you would like to know what Doctor Who and his assistant would look like performing Shakespeare? Digital Theatre Plus has the full performance of the 2011 West End production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ starring David Tennant as Benedick and Catherine Tate as Beatrice. Here’s a snippet from the Evening Standard review of this production:

Once a sparky double act in Doctor Who, David Tennant and Catherine Tate are reunited here in an effervescent interpretation of this pacy, sexy Shakespeare comedy.

Their chemistry is vibrant, and as the habitually bickering Beatrice and Benedick they spar with a lovely zing.

Director Josie Rourke, who next year takes over at the Donmar Warehouse, demonstrates her increasing aptitude for working with large casts and hallowed texts. Set in the Eighties at a naval base in Gibraltar, her production of this play about rumour, honour and deception ripples with originality.

Digital Theatre Plus is available via this link on or off campus and can be accessed also from the eresources@cambridge pages.

 

Note: this resource may initially identify you as being part of Edinburgh University. This is being looked into and is just a labelling issue as you will have been identified as being a part of the University of Cambridge via your Raven login.