How many times have you felt peckish while enjoying a performance in the Esplanade Theatre? At NT Live screenings you won't go hungry, because you're allowed to bring your snacks from the foyer bar into the venue! (But try not to annoy your fellow audience members with loud munching.)

Okay, so they won’t actually be physically present on stage—but you’ll still get a chance to ogle at your favorite actors up close on screen, performing in front of a live audience.

Remember Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller going toe-to-toe on screen as the scientist Frankenstein and his creature at Esplanade in 2014 and 2017? And in 2018, The Walking Dead’s David Morrissey stormed the screen as Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, while Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Shakespeare in Love) turned in a heartbreaking performance as a faded showgirl in Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical Follies.

When compared to acting for television and film, stage acting is a whole different game with immense demands on the performer. It’s a great opportunity to compare how actors work across contexts from film studio to live theatre.

NT Live seasons at Esplanade have featured works of theatre from some of the best writers of all time. Shakespeare’s classic Julius Caesar got a contemporary update as a political thriller, while musical theatre fans lapped up Follies, by the wizard of the modern musical Stephen Sondheim, known for the alchemy of his infectious music and witty, intelligent lyrics.

This isn’t just a single static camera that only shows a fixed view of the stage. NT Live’s dynamic “cinematography” tracks the movements of performers as they move about the space. Occasionally, the cameras pan across audience members and pick up some movement and ambient noises, further emphasising the sense of watching a live production. This dynamic camera echoes the kinds of continuity editing found in film and television. By importing the visual language of the cinema into theatrical broadcasts, NT Live brings the best of both worlds into the 21st-century theatre space. So you don’t need to worry if you’re getting a good seat—you’re getting all of them.

What's more, if you’re impressed by one-take music videos and movies—think of the music video for Halsey’s Sorry or Alexander Sokurov’s arthouse film Russian Ark (2002)—get this: NT Live shows are essentially one-take films! Everything that you watch onscreen, including multicamera shots, is done in a single take without any post-production edits. At the end of the day, whether viewed on screen or at the actual venue, the authenticity and humanity offered up by the theatrical experience still trumps cinema and television. While the latter two offer highly produced and finely edited films and shows, NT Live retains the grit and flaws of live theatre, which make the high points of the play ever more glorious. You might even be interested to watch some live theatre at Esplanade—check out what’s on.

What's more, if you’re impressed by one-take music videos and movies—think of the music video for Halsey’s Sorry or Alexander Sokurov’s arthouse film Russian Ark (2002)—get this: NT Live shows are essentially one-take films! Everything that you watch onscreen, including multicamera shots, is done in a single take without any post-production edits. At the end of the day, whether viewed on screen or at the actual venue, the authenticity and humanity offered up by the theatrical experience still trumps cinema and television. While the latter two offer highly produced and finely edited films and shows, NT Live retains the grit and flaws of live theatre, which make the high points of the play ever more glorious. You might even be interested to watch some live theatre at Esplanade—check out what’s on.