Theatre News

West End War Horse to be broadcast to cinemas for first time

The acclaimed production will be showing through NT Live on 27 February

Galloping on: War Horse in the West End
Galloping on: War Horse in the West End

The National Theatre’s multi-award-winning production of War Horse will be broadcast live to cinemas for the first time from the New London Theatre on 27 February 2014 as part of National Theatre Live.

Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse tells the story of a young boy called Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, who is requisitioned to fight for the British in World War I.

Directed by Tom Morris and Marianne Elliott, the show features acclaimed puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing and galloping horses to life on stage.

NT Live is an initiative by the National Theatre to broadcast live performances onto cinema screens around the world. According to the venue, since its first season in June 2009 over 1.8 million people have experienced the work of NT Live in 700 cinemas in 25 countries, with over 300 venues in the UK.

As part of the National's 50th anniversary celebrations, a series of 'encore' screenings – of Frankenstein, Hamlet and The Habit of Art – will be shown in October and November.

First seen at the National in 2007, War Horse is currently marking its sixth year on the London stage and is now on a tour of the UK and Ireland.

A German language production entitled Gefährten opens in October 2013 at the Theater des Westens in Berlin, and a North American production continues to tour throughout 2013 and 2014.

The Broadway production of War Horse, which ran at the Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater earlier this year, won six Tony Awards.

War Horse is adapted by Nick Stafford and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company.