The Library has recently added several new collections to its Drama Online portfolio. Drama Online provides access to over 2,300 playtexts and books, and we have now bought access to the following film collections, featuring leading actors such as Gillian Anderson, Simon Russell Beale, Adrian Lester, Mark Rylance, Stephen Fry, Tamsin Greig, Roger Allam and many more.
- Globe on Screen 1: 21 plays recorded live on the Globe stage in London.
- National Theatre Collection: thirty filmed performances of National Theatre productions.
- Royal Shakespeare Company Live Collection 1: 17 filmed performances of RSC productions.
In addition, we have also bought the 2020 updates of the Core Collection and Nick Hern Books, adding another 90 playtexts to our collection.
All the films and playtexts are individually catalogued and searchable via Library Search, or you can search/browse them all in various ways on the Drama Online site.
For example, using the options at the top of the screen, you can browse by title, author, genre and time period, or if you click Find Plays on the home page, you can add in other search filters, such as number of roles or scenes. Select Context and Criticism for access to a wide range of e-books about drama.
When viewing a playtext, click Play Tools to analyse the speaking parts and appearances of different characters throughout the play.
We hope you enjoy exploring the exciting new content!