A high definition digital presentation of Alan Bennett's critically acclaimed The Habit of Art captured live from the stage of the National Theatre, London as part of the pilot season of NT Live, in which the National Theatre broadcasts performances of plays onto cinema and performing arts center screens worldwide.
The Habit of Art is as much about the theatre as it is about poetry or music. Chronicling a fictionalized meeting between Benjamin Britten and W. H. Auden, it looks at the unsettling desires of two difficult men and at the ethics of biography. It reflects on growing old, on creativity and inspiration, and on persisting when all passion’s spent: ultimately, on the habit of art.
"Bennett the maestro returns with a multi-layered masterpiece." -Independent, ★★★★★
THE HABIT OF ART
Benjamin Britten, sailing uncomfortably close to the wind with his new opera, Death in Venice, seeks advice from his former collaborator and friend, W. H. Auden During this meeting, they are observed and interrupted by, amongst others, their future biographer and a young man from the local bus station.
For more information about The Habit of Art, download a PDF e-program and synopsis of the play.
Performance length: 2 hours, 35 minutes with one intermission.
Please Note: The Habit of Art contains content of an adult nature and is not suitable for children under the age of 15.
Frances de la Tour
Richard Griffiths
John Heffernan
Alex Jennings
Elliot Levey
Adrian Scarborough
Stephen Wight
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Designed by Bob Crowley
Lighting Design by Mark Henderson
Music by Matthew Scott
Sound Design by Paul Groothuis
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntlive
NT Live is funded in partnership with Arts Council England and NESTA and supported internationally by Travelex. NT Live events are distributed outside the U.K. through New York-based BY Experience, Inc.
Pictured right: Richard Griffiths as Fitz (WH Auden), Adrian Scarborough as Donald (Humphrey Carpenter) and Alex Jennings as Henry (Benjamin Britten). Photo by Johan Persson.
