The best of British theatre on a cinema screen near you

A photograph of the camera rehearsal for Small Island, featuring a camera operators filming three actors standing on stage.

For over 15 years, we’ve given our audience the best seat in the house.

We film unmissable theatre live from Britain’s most exciting stages and screen it in thousands of cinemas around the globe. Our productions have been seen by an audience of over 12 million people.

Find out what’s screening near you

One performance. An audience of millions. All from the best seat in the house.

National Theatre Live captures the magic of every moment on stage. It lets you get up close, delve deeper and take in the spectacle. No wonder left unseen.

Wherever you are in the world, from Tyneside to Tokyo, you’ll find a cinema near you, where your emotions can escape and run freely with the very best of British theatre.

Explore our full programme

Screen our plays at your venue

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How do we do it?

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We film our plays in front of a live theatre audience, but optimise everything for the big screen so it’s the next best thing to being there.

The actors on stage deliver their performances as they normally would any other night. But to make sure everyone watching in a cinema has the best seat in the house, we tailor the position of our cameras to capture each production and work closely with technical teams to make sure every element on stage such as lighting, hair and make-up look fantastic on the big screen.

Want to know more?

Browse our frequently asked questions here.

Our home is at the National Theatre

We make world-class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and inspiring. And we make it for everyone. We hope you can visit us soon.

Sky Arts logo

Sky Arts is the proud sponsor of National Theatre Live in the UK