I'm Not Running by David Hare

I'm Not Running is an explosive new play by David Hare, premiering at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinema.

Pauline Gibson has spent her life as a doctor, the inspiring leader of a health campaign. When she crosses paths with her old boyfriend, a stalwart loyalist in Labour Party politics, she's faced with an agonising decision.

What's involved in sacrificing your private life and your piece of mind for something more than a single issue? Does she dare?

Hare was recently described by the Washington Post as 'the premiere political dramatist writing in English'. His other works include Pravda ansd Skylight, broadcast by National Theatre Live in 2014.

Image photograph (Sian Brooke) by Felicity McCabe

Showing As Live on 5 February from recording on 30 January

Richard Eyre's beautiful production provides the perfect setting for Verdi's opera about a courtesan who sacrfices all for love.

Music: Giuseppe Verdi Director: Richard Eyre Conductor: Antonello Manacorda

Violetta Valery: Ermonela Jaho Alfredo Germont: Charles Castronovo Giorgio Germont: Placido Domingo

From the thrill of unexpected romance to a heartbreaking reconciliation that comes too late - Verdi's La Traviata is one of the most populkar of all operas. Alfredo falls in love with the courtesan Violetta in glamorous Paris society, but underneath the surface run darker undercurrents, leading to a tragic ending. The opera's wealth of melodies includes the famous Brindisi and the exuberant 'Sempre libera' - both showing the lyricism of Italian opera at its most immediately appealing. Richard Eyre's production for the Royal Opera brings out all the emotional colour, from the giddy discovery of love, through painful confrontation to the inevitable conclusion. Lavish period sets and costumes enhance the reality of a moving story based on true life.

Approximate runningg time: 3 hours 35 minutes, including two intervals

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Love and friendship triumph in Carlos Acosta's vibrant production of this dazzling opera.

Choreography: Carlos Acosta After: Marius Petipa Music: Ludwig Minkus Arranged and Orchestrated by: Martin Yates

Cervantes's story of the bumbling knight Don Quixote has inspired countless artistic interpretations. Marius Petipa choreographed this sparkling ballet about the encounters of the Man from La Mancha and his faithful squire Sancho Panza. At its heart are virtuoso roles for the lovers Basilio and Kitri. Carlos Acosta chose this joyful classic for his first production for the Royal Ballet. His vibrant staging brings together the whole Company in such roles as exuberant villagers, passionate gypsies and even fantasy flowers. The story follows Don Quixote's picaresque journey to do deeds in honour of his imaginary noble lady, Dulcinea. Sunny, charming, funny and touching - Don Quixote is a ballet as full of uplifting emotion as it is of astonishing ballet technique.

Approximate running time: 2 hours 45 minutes including one interval

Christof Loy directs a star-studded cast of singers, including Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tezier, in Verdi's epic opera, conducted by Antonio Pappano.

Music: Giuseppe Verdi Director: Christof Loy Conductor: Antonio Pappano

Donna Leonora: Anna Netrebko Don Alvaro: Jonas Kaufmann Don Carlo di Vargas: Ludovic Tezier

Leonora falls in love with Don Alvaro, but when her father forbids her marriage, a fatal accident triggers a drama of obsession, vengeance and tragedy. Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Netrebko star in Verdi's epic La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny), an opera which demands the very best of singers for its powerful music and the fullest theatrical treatment for its story of bitter revenge pursued across miles and years. This production comes to the Royal Opera in a sensational staging from Amsterdam packed with colour and action. It is directed by Christof Loy and conducted by Antonio Pappano, Music Director of the Royal Opera.

Apprioximate running time: 4 hours 15 minutes, including two intervals

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Experience the decadence and elegance of 1870s Paris in David McVicar's spectacular production of Gounod's best-loved opera.

Music: Charles-Francois Gounod Director: David McVicar Conductor: Dan Ettinger

Faust: Michael Fabiano Mephistopheles: Erwin Schrott Marguerite: Diana Damrau

There are many versions of the story of Faust, whotrades his soul with the Devil for youth and power, but Gounod's opera remains one of the most constantly enthralling. Michael Fabiano stars as Faust, with Diana Damrau as his beloved Marguerite and Erwin Schrott as the diabolical Mephistopheles. Virtuoso leading roles, a large chorus, sensational sets, ballet and an ecstatic finale make this the epitome of theatrical spectacle - the lavish scale of French grand opera is wonderfully in evidence in this production by David McVicar, set in 1870s Paris. Above all, the music includes sevral of popular opera's most recognisable numbers, performed by a cast of great international singers and the Royal Opera Chorus.

Approximate running time: 3 hours 45 minutes including one interval

Sung in French with English surtitles

All My Sons by Arthur Miller directed by Jeremy Herrin Broadcast live from The Old Vic in London, Academy Award-winner Sally Field (Steel Magnolias, Brothers & Sisters) and Bill Pullman (The Sinner, Independence Day) star in Arthur Miller's blistering drama All My Sons. America, 1947. Despite hard choices and even harder knocks, Joe and Kate Keller are a success story. They have built a home, raised two sons and established a thriving business. But nothing lasts forever and their contented lives, already shadowed by the loss of their eldest boy to war, are about to shatter. With the return of a figure from the past, long buried truths are forced to the surface and the price of their American dream is laid bare. Jeremy Herrin (NT Live: This House, People, Places & Things) directs a cast including Jenna Coleman (Victoria), and Colin Morgan (Merlin).

Showing As Live on 21 May, recorded on 16 May

Two recent works and one world premiere showcase the contemporary face of The Royal Ballet.

Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Crystal Pite Music: Ezio Bosso, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki (and tbc)

The contemporary face of the Royal Ballet is shown in works from three of today's leading choreographers. Christopher Wheeldon's 'Within the Golden Hoour' is based around seven couples separating and intermingling, to music by Vivaldi and Bosso, and lit with rich colours suggested by sunset. Crystal Pite's 'Flight Pattern', revived for the first time, uses a large dance ensemble and Gorecki's familiar music from his 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs' for a poignant and passionate reflection migration. Between them, a new work by Sidi Larbi Chekaoui, created on the Royal Ballet, has its premiere to bring the contemporary truly up to date.

Approximate running time: 3 hours 15 minutes, including two intervals

Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers encounter passion and tragedy in Kenneth MacMillan's 20th-Century ballet masterpiece.

Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan Music: Sergei Prokofiev

Shakespeare's enduring love story is known the world over. Since its 1965 premiere with the Royal Ballet, Kenneth MacMillan's 'Romeo and Juliet' has become a modern ballet classic. The choreography captures the emotions of the young couple as they fall in love, despite the barriers that finally bring about the story's tragic end. Each revival gives opportunities for new dancers to interpret the doomed lovers. The whole Company brings the colour and action of Renaissance Verona, where a busy market all too quickly bursts into sword fighting, and a family feud leads to tragedy for both the Montagues and the Capulets.

Approximate running time: 3 hours 15 minutes, including two intervals