Building on a Shakespeare portfolio that includes the Arden Shakespeare playtexts and the Royal Shakespeare Company films of live productions, Drama Online now offers almost 40 Shakespeare playtexts, 100 hours of Shakespeare live theatre performances, 24 hours of Shakespeare films and eight hours of Shakespeare instructional videos, from partners including BBC Films and The Hollow Crown.
Developed in partnership by Bloomsbury Publishing and Faber & Faber, Drama Online was created as a response to the need for a high-quality online research tool for drama and literature students, professors and teachers. The study resource now features over 2,300 titles from 800 playwrights, and is the only resource to combine exclusively available playtext content and scholarly publications with filmed live performances, film adaptations and audio plays.
Expanding on the original Shakespeare’s Globe on Screen collection from 2016, the new collection includes the first production from the indoor Jacobean theatre, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, in 2014. Last month’s launch featured four films of live productions, namely The Duchess of Malfi (2014), Measure for Measure (2015), Richard II (2015) and The Merchant of Venice (2015).
Three more films will be added to the collection in October and two more in 2019, showcasing the Globe’s two unique playing spaces on London’s Bankside; each performance transports viewers directly into the standing yard.
Chui-Yee Cheung, Head of Film Distribution, Shakespeare’s Globe, commented: “We are delighted that the collection of Globe on Screen titles now available on Drama Online continues to grow. Our filmed productions not only offer a rich catalogue of valuable learning resources for schools, but also an opportunity to see and experience the iconic Globe theatre from classrooms and libraries around the world.”
