What makes a King? What makes a father? Shakespeare’s monumental history play travels to the heart of family, duty and country. An innovative film, recorded with a live audience, of the Donmar Warehouse’s all-female stage production adapted from William Shakespeare’s two plays about King Henry IV, Prince Hal and Falstaff.

The bold, contemporary production is presented as if played by inmates of a women’s prison, and was described by critics as “unforgettable”. Directed for both stage and screen by Phyllida Lloyd, with Harriet Walter as Henry IV.

The Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy began in 2012 with an all-female production of Julius Caesar led by Dame Harriet Walter. Set in a women’s prison, the production asked the question, “Who owns Shakespeare?” Two further productions followed: Henry IV in 2014 and The Tempest in 2016, all featuring a diverse company of women. The Trilogy enthralled theatre audiences in London and New York and was shared with women and girls in prisons and schools across the UK. The film versions were shot live in a specially built temporary theatre in King’s Cross in 2016, and now offer screen audiences a unique access to these ground-breaking productions. Show less