RSC's HENRY IV PART 1 Filmed for 'Live from Stratford-upon-Avon' Tonight

Tonight at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Stratford-upon-Avon home, the RSC's Henry IV Part I will be filmed for "Live from Stratford-upon-Avon," the RSC program that screens the world's greatest classical theatre company from Shakespeare's home town around the world through a continued partnership with Picturehouse Entertainment. It will be seen in US cinemas from June 3 - July 3, and will be seen in 315 UK cinemas live tonight, with further screenings there tomorrow.

RSC Artistic director Gregory Doran directs both Henry IV Parts I and II. He said, "My productions of Henry IV Parts I and II are the next steps in our exploration of Shakespeare's history plays and I am very excited to see them being beamed live from our main stage in Stratford-upon-Avon this week. It is important for us to ensure that, although visiting Shakespeare's home town and seeing his work in our theatres is a unique experience for our audiences, we can share this with as many people as possible - and capture those moments on screen. It is especially rewarding to know that we can show US audiences our latest work here in Stratford and that they can join us when they are screened via Picturehouse Entertainment in cinemas across the States. We always love touring our productions to US theatre audiences, but in the meantime we can enjoy the fact that they will be with us via the big screen this summer, watching the adventures of Prince Hal and Falstaff, and then later this summer,Two Gentlemen of Verona."

This year also marks the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.

Henry IV Part I and Henry IV Part II opened to raves last month in Stratford-upon-Avon.

These broadcasts follow on the success of Doran's production of William Shakespeare's Richard II with David Tennant which was seen by 130,000 people in 14 countries. These three productions can be seen from June-October 2014 in North America. There will be Richard II revival screenings at 45 cinemas across the US in May and June.

Gregory Doran directs Henry IV Parts I and II in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with Antony Sher playing the infamous knight Falstaff, alongside Jasper Britton as Henry IV, Alex Hassell as Prince Hal and Paola Dionisotti as Mistress Quickly.

The other productions will be shot and broadcast as below:

Henry IV Part II
Captured live Wednesday June 18, 2014
Exclusive dates in US Cinemas July 5 - August 4, 2014

The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Captured live Wednesday September 3, 2014
Exclusive dates in US Cinemas September 20 - October 20, 2014

Henry IV Part I cast includes: Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Prince John/Francis); Martin Bassindale (Peto); Jasper Britton (King Henry IV); Antony Byrne (Worcester); Sean Chapman (Northumberland/Earl of Douglas); Paola Dionisotti (Mistress Quickly); Jonny Glynn (Gadshill); Nia Gwynne (Lady Mortimer); Alex Hassell (Prince Hal); Jim Hooper (Sir Richard Vernon); Youssef Kerkour (Westmoreland); Sam Marks (Poins); Keith Osborn (Scroop); Leigh Quinn (Traveller); Joshua Richards (Bardolph/Glendower); Antony Sher (Sir John Falstaff); Simon Thorp (Sir Walter Blunt); Trevor White (Hotspur) and Simon Yadoo (Chamberlain).

Several of the cast and all of the creative team for these productions were also part of Doran's recent production of Richard II. The production is designed by Stephen Brimson Lewis with lighting by Tim Mitchell. The music is composed by Paul Englishby with sound by Martin Slavin. The Movement director is Mike Ashcroft and the Fight director is Terry King.

These two productions will be joined in July by The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare's early exuberant romantic comedy about friendship and betrayal, directed by Simon Godwin who is an Associate Director at the Royal Court and at Bristol Old Vic.

The productions will then tour the UK before transferring to the Barbican Theatre in London from 29 November 2014 -24 January 2015.

For cinema listings and booking visit http://onscreen.rsc.org.uk/ to sign up for updates and follow the creation of the production online in the run up to the screening.

Made in Stratford-upon-Avon - Seen around the world. Everyone at the Royal Shakespeare Company, from actors to technicians, milliners to musicians, plays a part in creating the world seen on stage. The work begins its life at the Stratford workshops and theatres and is shared with audiences across the world through touring, residencies, cinema broadcasts and online activity. Wherever the RSC is experienced, audiences experience work that is made in Shakespeare's home town. Shakespeare has been performed and celebrated in Stratford for centuries and the RSC has trained generations of the very best theatre makers since the Company was founded in 1961, pioneering contemporary approaches to Shakespeare's plays, as well as staging the work of those who inspired him and the work of today's playwrights. www.rsc.org.uk

Picturehouse Entertainment is the distribution arm of Picturehouse Cinemas, the owner and operator of 21 Picturehouse Cinemas and programming agent for a further 49 venues across the UK. Since its launch in 2010, Picturehouse Entertainment has distributed a diverse range of alternative content to cinemas throughout the UK and internationally. This includes live satellite broadcasts of seasons from world-class arts organizations, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Bolshoi Ballet and the National Theatre, and special one-off events such as Stephen Fry's talk, The Fry Chronicles, and David Bowie is happening now transmitted from the V&A's sell-out exhibition. Picturehouse Entertainment's feature film releases include BAFTA winner The Imposter, Shane Meadows' The Stone Roses: Made of Stone, Ben Wheatley's A Field in England and the forthcoming The Pervert's Guide to Ideology featuring Slavoj Žižek, in cinemas from 4 October 2013.

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