Digital Theatre Launches New Educational Website

Today, Tuesday 19 March, Digital Theatre Plus - a unique online theatre education resource for schools, colleges and universities - launches its new website www.digitaltheatreplus.com.

Digital Theatre Plus is an online learning resource from Digital Theatre, who work with the UK's leading theatre companies to capture the best of British theatre authentically onscreen. Digital Theatre Plus offers a new online approach to experiencing and learning about theatre, and can help break down the cost, time and geographic barriers faced by many educators and their students.

Complementing existing feature productions, from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic, Almeida Theatre, Royal Court and the West End, are feature-length interviews with some of the best-known actors and leading theatre practitioners working today.

New content and key features on the website include:

• Detailed study guides written by leading Contemporary Theatre academics and practitioners, with particular focus given to analysis of key scenes and speeches and the exploration of language, character, social and historical context
• In Your Space: a series of films containing practical theatre techniques that can be applied across a range of texts to help students connect to the core meaning of a play in a classroom. The series begins with Shakespeare in Your Space: Macbeth, a three part filmed resource, created in collaboration with Shakespeare Schools Festival, that gives examples of how to introduce the story, language and characters of a Shakespeare text to students using practical drama based exercises

Fiona Lindsay, Creative Producer, Digital Theatre Plus comments:

"Digital Theatre Plus is unique in that it offers a high-quality online theatre experience to young people all over the world, many of whom don't have the experience of live theatre whilst in formal education. The new Digital Theatre Plus website engages, excites and educates, helping students gain confidence, be more articulate and develop the ability to form opinions; all of which aid their learning across the curriculum."

Digital Theatre Plus currently reaches over 500,000 students in over 125 academic institutions worldwide complimenting the teaching of Drama and English at all levels from primary school through to university.

Testimonials from teachers:

Cath Collins, A-Level teacher, The Howard of Effingham School, UK:

"Digital Theatre Plus' resources are well pitched, easy to access and provide a rich context to each play that they capture. As an A-level literature teacher what was particularly interesting was being able to access the insight provided by the director. The resources and the productions have made the text, as a performance, far more tangible. I look forward to exploring future productions and resources!"

Phil Tong, Head of Drama, City of LonDon Freeman's School:

"Digital Theatre Plus makes a connection between the students work and the world of professional theatre. Such a positive reinforcement validates the work of the students and the discoveries they are making."

Hazel Ball, Head of Drama, The British School in The Netherlands:

"I was very impressed with the quality and variety of the performances and interviews that Digital Theatre Plus have on offer. All of the plays are being used by our school for a manner of different reasons. I am using several of the plays to make up items on our programme for our 6th Form Theatre Appreciation Society. This is aimed at students studying English Lit and Drama at A Level, also all doing IB as part of their English course and the TOK course. This is great this year as the students access these plays for free and get to watch them in the comfort of school rather than heading out into town to a theatre. In particular I will be using Kafka's Monkey with links to Brecht and Berkoff as practitioners study in GCSE Drama. One staff member has already started using All My Sons for the IOP requirement of the IB course. The feedback on the quality of production and availability of this resource has been brilliant. In addition to this, I plan on using the interview segments to add more "real" examples of the theory studied for both GCSE and A Level Drama. This helps in preparation for the students Devised and Scripted practical examinations."

For more information please visit: www.digitaltheatreplus.com

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