Phedre in High Definition

Talk about breaking the fourth wall!

The UK’s National Theatre and Cineplex Entertainment have joined forces to give theatre aficionados across Canada a royal treat over the coming months.

Starting Thursday, June 25, the National Theatre will broadcast a four-part series of plays via sattelite (and in HD) to select Cineplex screens across the country.

The first in the series, Jean Racine’s Phédre, stars Helen Mirren in the title role.

The National Theatre is renown for its major innovations in live performance and theatre. This creative use of technology is sure to offer new entertainment options to people who don’t have the means or time to travel far.

Other plays in the series include Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well (Oct.1, 2009); Nation, based on the novel by Terry Pratchett (Early 2010), and The Habit of Art, a new play by Alan Bennett.

Advanced tickets and theatre locations for Phédre are now available at www.cineplex.com/events, as well as at participating theatre box offices.

— Simone Castello