IF YOU want to see the best of London’s theatre land without making the journey to the capital, then head for Bridgwater instead.

The smart new McMillan Theatre is showing two productions by The National Theatre, one of which will be beamed live to the 350 seater venue.

The first broadcast is Shakespeare’s comedy, As You Like It, on February 25 at 7pm. This is the first time in over 30 years the production has come to the National Theatre and sees Rosalind (played by Rosalie Craig), banished in exile with her father, the Duke. Rosalind and her cousin Celia leave their lives in the court behind them and journey into the Forest of Arden and falls spectacularly in love.

That’s followed by the Hangmen on March 6, 7pm, (not live). Following a sell-out run at London’s Royal Court Theatre, Olivier and Academy Award® winner Martin McDonagh (The Pillowman, The Cripple of Inishmaan, In Bruges) returns to the West End with Matthew Dunster’s award-winning production. Set in a small pub in the northern English town of Oldham, Harry (David Morrissey – The Walking Dead, State of Play) is something of a local celebrity. The play follows the second-best hangman in England and what he does on the day hanging is abolished.

National Theatre Live launched in June 2009 with a broadcast of the National Theatre production of Phèdre with Helen Mirren. The company has since broadcast more than 20 other productions.

These broadcasts have now been experienced by over 3.5 million people in more than 1,100 venues around the world, including 550 in the UK alone.

Past National Theatre broadcasts have included Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Sam Mendes’ King Lear with Simon Russell Beale.

Though each live broadcast is filmed in front of a live audience in the theatre, cameras are carefully positioned throughout the auditorium to ensure that cinema audiences get the best seat in the house view of each production. Where these cameras are placed is different for each broadcast, to make sure that cinema audiences enjoy the best possible experience every time.