Following the first ever live 4K theatre broadcast, National Theatre Live and Sony is pleased to announce the production of War Horse was seen by over 155,000 people around the world (120,000 people in the UK alone). This tops National Theatre Live’s previous live audience record of 110,000 people who saw The Audience with Helen Mirren, broadcast from the West End in June 2013 (80,000 of whom were in the UK).
On February 27th 2014, National Theatre Live (NT Live) broadcast War Horse live from the New London Theatre to cinemas across the world. The broadcast was filmed on six Sony F55 cameras and projected using a Sony 4K projector, ensuring cinema-goers enjoyed the best possible 4K viewing experience.
The recording is now available as a 4K DCP allowing many 4K enabled cinemas to also show encore screenings. 36 Vue Cinemas in the UK are showing the theatrical production of War Horse on Sony 4K projectors throughout March.
David McIntosh, VP at Sony Digital Cinema Europe, said: “Our collaboration with National Theatre Live pushed the technology boundaries by being able to project the first ever live 4K theatrical broadcast. Our aim was to allow people to watch the award-winning production of War Horse without having to travel the West End – the live production resulted in an audience of 155,000 people watching from around the world.”
About War Horse
Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse is the powerful story of a young boy called Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, who has been requisitioned to fight for the British in World War I. Caught in enemy crossfire, Joey ends up serving on both sides during the war before landing in No Man’s Land, while Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home. A remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, War Horse features ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing and galloping horses to life on stage, seen by over 4 million people worldwide the broadcast of War Horse will be seen in over 1000 cinemas in more than 30 countries.
About National Theatre Live
National Theatre Live is an initiative by the National Theatre to broadcast live performances onto cinema screens around the world. Since its first season, which began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phédre starring Helen Mirren, over 2 million people have now experienced the work of National Theatre Live in cinemas worldwide. In addition to the recent record-breaking broadcast of The Audience starring Helen Mirren as The Queen (winner of two 2013 Olivier Awards, including the Best Actress award for Mirren), recent broadcasts have included the Manchester International Festival production of Macbeth with Kenneth Branagh in the title role, Nicholas Hytner’s acclaimed production of Othello with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear, and the Donmar production of Coriolanus with Tom Hiddleston, in the title role.
War Horse is currently celebrating its sixth year at the New London Theatre in the West End, and is also on a successful tour of the UK and Ireland. A German language production entitled Gefährten is running at the historic Theater des Westens in Berlin, a North American production continues to tour throughout 2014, and a Dutch language production is will open soon at the Royal Theatre Carre in Amsterdam running until September as part of the Holland Festival, and will then tour to five Cities in the Netherlands. The Broadway production of War Horse was the winner of six Tony Awards including a Special Tony Award for Handspring Puppet Company.
Based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse is adapted by Nick Stafford and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company. Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, it is designed by Rae Smith, lighting is by Paule Constable and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick. The puppetry directors are Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, with video design by 59 Productions Ltd, song-making by John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.
War Horse is produced in the West End by the National Theatre and National Angels.
www.warhorseonstage.com
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