Shakespeare’s Globe Travels to Cinema Screens Around the World

Arts Alliance Media to distribute series of acclaimed Shakespeare plays to cinemas from June 2011

Arts Alliance Media (AAM), the leading European distributor of alternative content, has announced a deal with Shakespeare’s Globe to bring a series of the best Shakespeare performances to cinemas across the UK and Ireland. The series will launch in cinemas globally from this June with over 250 cinemas in the USA already lined up to take part through NCM Fathom. The Shakespeare in Cinema series will initially feature four performances recorded during the 2010 ‘Kings and Rogues’ season – The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, and Henry VIII.

Founded by the pioneering American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, the Globe is a faithful reconstruction on London’s South Bank of a 16th Century open-air playhouse. Shakespeare’s Globe is home to one of the most successful theatre companies in the country, with a worldwide reputation for performance excellence. Combined with its international education department and exhibition, Shakespeare’s Globe is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s work, as well as a focal point for the study of Shakespeare in performance.

Dominic Dromgoole, Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe said “With the advent of new technology it is now possible to see and hear theatrical productions in the cinema with a wonderful sharpness and clarity. We are delighted that these productions will be finding new audiences, who can experience Globe shows as if they were in the building.”

Elizabeth Draper, Arts Alliance Media’s VP of Alternative Content Distribution, added “The superb digital cinema picture and sound quality that viewers can experience in their cinemas brings them even closer to the action of these world-class productions, all for the price of a cinema ticket. We’re delighted to be working with one of the most highly regarded Shakespeare companies in the world, and look forward to making the Shakespeare Cinema Series experience a truly unique one, for theatre and cinema lovers, and students, worldwide”.

The series will launch from the end of June with The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s brilliantly constructed farce often described as the forerunner to today’s sitcoms, bringing a “delightful” (The Guardian) show with “warmth and sparkle” (Financial Times) to screens. Audiences can enjoy the entertainment of Christopher Benjamin’s Falstaff in Christopher Luscombe’s production which The Daily Telegraph “cannot recommend...too highly”.

Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, performed at the Globe for the first time in 2010, and described by the Daily Telegraph as “one of this popular theatre’s finest achievements” continue the series through 2011. Featuring an Olivier Award winning performance from Roger Allam, Part 1 combines compelling power politics with the hilarious antics of Falstaff, Shakespeare’s greatest comic creation, with Part 2 including some of the greatest dramatic moments in Shakespeare. Also featuring the acclaimed Jamie Parker, William Gaunt and Oliver Cotton, and directed by Dominic Dromgoole, The Stage called it “spellbinding”.

The season continues with a rare opportunity to see Henry VIII, famous in its own day as Shakespeare’s most sumptuous and spectacular play, and little-performed in the present day. A performance of Henry VIII on 29 June 1613 was responsible for burning down the original Globe Theatre. A new production in 2010 directed by Mark Rosenblatt and featuring Dominic Rowan, Miranda Raison and Anthony Howell, is a gorgeous pageant of masques and royal ceremony, and was described by the London Theatre Blog as “an absolute triumph for the Globe”.

More details of the screenings, including currently confirmed UK venue details and release dates can be found at http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/on-film. More cinemas and more territories will be added to the list in the coming weeks.

Arts Alliance Media Contacts: Kate Pidgeon
Arts Alliance Media Ltd
T: +44 (0)20 7751 7512
F: +44 (0)20 7751 7505
kate@artsalliancemedia.com

About Arts Alliance Media: Arts Alliance Media, based in London with offices in Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Oslo and Berlin, is the worldwide leader in digital cinema, offering a complete range of services, as well as VPF financing solutions. These services include installation, maintenance and support for digital cinema systems, software solutions developed in-house, management and delivery of content to cinemas, and alternative content and live events. Currently AAM has over 3,000 screens signed up in multiple territories, including with many leading exhibitors across Europe, and has Virtual Print Fee agreements in place with all six Hollywood studios. AAM’s strategic partnership with Arqiva allows exhibitors to benefit from satellite delivery of content. The company’s digital cinema lab has mastered over 1500 titles to date and shipped over 50,000 prints. Arts Alliance Media was founded in 2003 by Thomas Høegh. Arts Alliance Media Directory page Arts Alliance Media Web Site

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