National Theatre announces ‘Romeo & Juliet’ as its first original film for television
Harriet Clifford
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
The National Theatre (NT) has announced it is creating a new 90-minute filmed version of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ for television, reconceiving the play that was originally going to run for theatre audiences in the NT’s Olivier theatre from Summer 2020.
Sebastian Nevols
Starring Josh O’Connor (The Crown, Emma., God’s Own Country) and Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl, Judy), the play will be filmed in the NT’s Lyttelton theatre, temporarily transformed into a studio.
Romeo & Juliet is adapted for screen by Emily Burns and directed by NT Associate Simon Godwin (Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night). The cast includes Fisayo Akinade, Deborah Findlay, Tamsin Greig, Lucian Msamati and Shubham Saraf.
Although the NT has been broadcasting stage productions to cinemas for over a decade through its National Theatre Live programme, this will be the first time that an original production for screen has been created in its South Bank home.
The play will premiere in 2021 in Sky Arts (UK) and PBS (US), with Sky Arts having gone free-to-air this September, meaning that it is now available for everyone on Freeview channel 11 in the UK.
Rufus Norris, director and joint chief executive of the National Theatre, said, ‘Realising the Lyttelton theatre would need to remain shut to audiences during this time has been really difficult and meant we found ourselves in a unique set of circumstances.
‘I wanted to find a way to use that space to create something exciting and special for audiences, that utilised the exceptional skill and craft of the National Theatre’s teams, freelancers and creative associates, and that could reach as many people as we can.’
Simon Godwin said, ‘This has been a uniquely challenging time for the industry and so I have huge respect for Rufus and the team for meeting this challenge with creativity and deciding to use the Lyttelton theatre in this way for filmed work; I think it’s a genius idea and I’m honoured to be able to create the first film.
‘I think I speak for myself, the creative team and the cast when I say how delighted we are to be focusing all our creativity into this version of Romeo & Juliet once more. Some ideas are staying, lots of new ones are coming in - I’m very excited about this new genre, combining film and theatre, and bringing together the remarkable talents of those industries.
‘And the world will get to see Josh as Romeo and Jessie as Juliet, it had to happen!’