Digital Theatre Plus Celebrates International Women's Day 2018

We are shamelessly sharing a mailshot sent to us by one of our biggest subscriptions, Digital Theatre Plus.  It comes from their Community Manager, Alesha Tatum Howe:-

Digital Theatre+  wants to take this moment on International Women's Day to celebrate the contributions made by women on stage, backstage and behind the scenes.

At Digital Theatre+, their curation of the 900+ resources on the platform includes a commitment to diversity. This means you and your students have access to productions, interviews and study materials from famed practitioners and academics, including from the industry's leading women.

What to watch on International Women's Day A fascinating exchange between Harriet Walter and Professor Carol Rutter – an in-depth discussion of ‘Shakespeare’s Women Today’ and female roles, Shakespeare’s language and musicality, gender-blind casting, sexuality in performance, and a whole lot more. Our insightful interview with Complicite Co-Founder Annabel Arden and Artistic Director Catherine Alexander. DT+'s treasure trove of interviews with some of the most skilled and creatively courageous women in theatre. Just some we recommend watching today include: Juliet Stevenson, Imelda Staunton, Julie Walters, Zoe Waites, Meera Syal, Vicky Featherstone, Alecky Blythe, Katrina Lindsay and Imtiaz Dharker. There are some many inspirational women featured on DT+, but we hope you enjoy these recommendations with your students and colleagues on this significant day. Let us know what you and your students enjoy watching on Twitter! Happy International Women's Day.

Now available on DT+ Eric Bentley at 100: On Brecht, Theatre, Politics and Writing

An interview with Bertolt Brecht's closest collaborator

"Digital Theatre Plus is proud to announce the release of an exclusive two-hour interview with Eric Bentley, conducted in New York in 2015 by Professor Anna Furse, Head of Theatre and Performance at Goldsmiths University. It provides a unique insight into the life and work of Bentley, Bertolt Brecht’s closest collaborator." "Brecht did believe in himself, his talent. He was a Brechtian! But I'm not." "One of Brecht’s strongest advocates, Eric Bentley introduced Brecht to the English-speaking world, and is often referred to as his offstage other.  This interview sheds significant light on the specifics of translating Brecht’s writing, the enduring power of his work, and the ideas and politics of a remarkable moment in history." Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland can view this interview via our DT+ subscription.  Access the interview with Eric Bentley here. (You'll need to use institutional login, aka Shibboleth, with your username and password, if you are off-campus.)

Theatre's biggest stars speak exclusively to Digital Theatre Plus

THEATRE LIVES How They Got To Where They Are ... Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland know that we're proud to subscribe to Digital Theatre Plus, because there's so much great content.  Here's a taster of what's new on the website:- DT+ are proud to announce that Theatre Lives, a series of exclusive in-depth conversations with some of the biggest names in theatre, is now available exclusively on the platform. In this series of revealing 40 to 60-minute interviews, Fiona Lindsay (Creative Director, Digital Theatre+) speaks candidly with practitioners about their educational backgrounds and the shaping of their careers. The series includes conversations with: Adrian Lester Juliet Stevenson Michael Grandage Julie Walters Imelda Staunton As part of the Theatre Lives series, DT+ subscribers will get access to all 5 full interviews, adding to the 340 video and audio productions, 200 interviews and 80 study guides already available. RCS staff and students can access all this material by visiting our e-resources website and clicking on the link they'll find there!  (You'll need to use your institutional login if you're not on campus.  Find the Royal Conservatoire in the list of colleges and universities, then use your usual login.)  Search on THEATRE LIVES.

We mentioned Costume? So did Digital Theatre Plus!

OUT NOW - ON COSTUME CUTTING - MICHAL SHYNE 

Today DTP release their interview with Michal Shyne, Costume Cutter at Theatr Clwyd. Michal discusses what initially drew her into the world of theatre costume and how a cutter negotiates between period, design, fabric, performance requirements and actors' tastes. Explore Cast and Creative Interviews

 

AND NOW AVAILABLE - BBC COLLECTION - SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED

This week DTP released a further list of titles as part of their partnership with BBC Active, expanding the list of curriculum-mapped texts and insights available on Digital Theatre+.

Along with expanding their collection Shakespeare's Histories ever further, they now proudly release the full first season of the BBC's Shakespeare Uncovered series, in which theatrical heavyweights, including Sir Trevor Nunn, Joely Richardson and Jeremy Irons, share insights and enquiries into their favourite plays.  Explore the BBC Collection. 

Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland can ask at the library for login instructions.  

We're the friendly, helpful Whittaker Library, here to help our performers and creatives with their literature, music and other information needs. 

Archived BBC Recordings - Available thro' Digital Theatre Plus

Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland have more new electronic content available from Digital Theatre Plus - this time from the BBC Archives!

• Digital Theatre Plus  (from RCS Electronic Resources page)

If you're part of the RCS community, login is automatic from within campus buildings, but please ask at the Library for details of how to access off-site.

"Kicking off our partnership with BBCActive, Digital Theatre+ is proud to present the first batch of archived BBC productions.
Subscribers to DigitalTheatre+ can access a canonical collection of works including Cymbeline, starring a young Helen Mirren, see Fiona Shaw tackling the iconic title role in Ibsen's classic Hedda Gabler and enjoy John Webster's masterpiece The Duchess of Malfi."

BBC Shakespeare Archive - and Digital Theatre Plus

You know how we love Digital Theatre Plus, here at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.  And there's interest in Shakespeare too, of course.  So we welcome the news that Digital Theatre Plus has struck a deal with the BBC Shakespeare Archive. Read more about it here, in The Stage. We look forward to watching this unfold.

Meanwhile, our readers can access the BBC Shakespeare Archive resource via our e-resources pages.  

• Digital Theatre Plus - hyperlink for RCS users.  Staff and students of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland should contact the Whittaker Library for login details.
• BBC Shakespeare Archive - RCS readers will need to use their RCS login.
• You may also be interested in a recent DTP study guide to a play by a far older playwright - Sophocles' Antigone.  Find the link here. 
• Another interview - with Robert Hastie, Associate Director of Josie Rourke's acclaimed 2011 production of Much Ado About Nothing.  Find the link here.

Learning to Write - Talking with Sam Shephard on Digital Theatre Plus

 
https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/study-guides/sam-shepards-family-trilogy

Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland benefit from our library subscription to Digital Theatre Plus.  Here's the latest offering!  As described online ...

This extensive insight into Sam Shepard's 'Family Trilogy' has been created for Digital Theatre Plus by Ed Madden. Ed is a freelance theatre director, creative associate at the Gate Theatre, and co-founder of new writing company Walrus. 

Ed's work has featured at Warwick Arts Centre, the National Student Drama Festival and Latitude Festival, and achieved sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and Camden People's Theatre. 

Read more of Ed's work in our The Crucible Study Guide and our Death of a Salesman Study Guide.

Out Now: an Interview with Dominic Cooke

Director Dominic Cooke has a wealth of experience in staging both classic and contemporary theatre, having worked at the RSC before an eight-year tenure as Artistic Director of new writing playhouse the Royal Court.

On Digital Theatre Plus, Dominic talks of his surprise at being approached by Sam Mendes to bring four Shakespeares to the small screen in The Hollow Crown, why directing Shakespeare is a particular craft, and what a theatre director can bring to film.

Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland have access to this interview through our Digital Theatre Plus subscription.

On campus, here's the direct link.  Off campus, please use the special RCS login available from the library.  Then select Digital Theatre Plus on our e-resources page.

Cross dressing and gender fluidity - Shakespeare

"Cross-dressing and gender fluidity are classic tropes of Shakespearean drama that have stood the test of time and performance.
"Reflecting on his starring role as Kate in Propeller Theatre's all-male production of The Taming of the Shrew, Simon Scardifield explores the challenges of tackling one of theatre's most iconic female characters, as one of the boys."

Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland can access this interview with Simon Scardifield through our Digital Theatre Plus online subscription.