World-Class Theatre, Now Streaming to Your Classroom
A guide to accessing and using the National Theatre Collection through your EdTA membership.
As part of our new partnership with the National Theatre of London, EdTA troupe directors now have free access to the National Theatre Collection, a rich library of filmed productions and educational resources available through Drama Online. These professionally staged, dynamically filmed performances are both artistically inspiring and pedagogically versatile—ideal for theatre classrooms.
How to Access the Collection
- Log in to your EdTA account at myedta.schooltheatre.org.
- Visit your Personal Snapshot.
- Click the link to the National Theatre Collection. You will be taken to a page with more information and a direct link to the streaming platform.
- Contact us with any access issues.
What’s Inside the Collection
- Over 70 filmed productions, with more added annually.
- Performances span Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, literary adaptations, world drama, and contemporary classics.
- Productions are grouped into Collections 1, 2, and 3, with Collection 4 arriving in September. Each collection has a selection of shows, grouped by category.
- Each production includes tags for genre, author, theme, time period, and setting. Recommended ages appear in the description for each production.
- Supplemental short videos explore design, direction, performance, and more. Examples include:
- “Medea’s Dress: Making Blood and Mud” from Medea.
- “Creative Commentary with Rufus Norris” from Small Island.
- “Disguises” from Twelfth Night.
Ways Teachers Are Using It
Getting started can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to go it alone. We recommend using the Find Learning Resources button on each collection page, where all available productions live in alphabetical order along with their linked learning resources.
Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, and Hex, all offer strong examples of the different learning resources available for productions.
Looking for younger content?
- Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, and Romeo and Juliet are available in under-one-hour adaptations for young audiences.
- Peter Pan and I Want My Hat Back offer rich, imaginative staging for elementary and middle grade students.
Note: some of these titles have multiple productions in the collection, so check the age range recommended to ensure you’re on the intended one.
Teachers have had great success using:
- Full productions for in-depth analysis.
- Selected scenes to illustrate key concepts or launch a discussion.
- Supplemental videos for lessons on design, performance, or directing.
- Inspiration for devising and ensemble work.
A Note on Vetting Content
While the National Theatre provides recommended age ranges for each production, these guidelines were created for British audiences and may not reflect U.S. classroom norms. Some productions include mature themes or language.
Any production you plan to use in your classroom or with your students, as always, should be previewed in full and vetted in advance. You are the expert on what works for your community.
Accessibility Features
- Closed captioning available on all productions.
- Audio descriptions available for many titles, including Everyman and The Book of Dust.
Need Help?
Have questions about access or integrating the collection into your classroom?
Janie Slavens, our Educational Theatre Foundation Director, has been a longtime supporter of the NT Collection and is an incredible resource, eager to help answer your questions.
