Since the world has been put on time out, theater companies are finding new and creative ways to bring their shows to you from the comfort and safety of your homes.
One example comes through the Royal Shakespeare Company who has partnered with Marquee TV to bring several performances to your homes. Not only does this include more than 400 dance, theater, and opera productions, but RSC has released some of their most coveted performances on the streaming service as well. Plays such as “Macbeth”, “Hamlet”, “Julius Caesar”, “The Tempest”, “Twelfth Night”, and many more are now available for streaming anytime. In addition, the platform also includes Saturday premieres where they air a new show that hasn’t been released on the platform yet.
In addition to RSC, National Theatre is also releasing some of their past productions online to the public while their doors remain temporarily closed. So far, they’ve made available on their Youtube channel “One Man, Two Guvnors”, “Jane Eyre”, “Treasure Island”, and “Twelfth Night”. A new play is temporarily uploaded onto their Youtube channel every Thursday, so keep an eye on their channel for some amazing theater performances that you’d normally have to travel or pay $30 to see at your local indie theater.
If you’re a musical buff, some good options to get your fix would be to subscribe to Broadway HD. They’ve added several titles to their selection over the years, including “Falsettos”, “Kinky Boots”, “Oklahoma”, etc. In addition, PBS also offers performances as well such as “The Sound of Music”. Andrew Lloyd Webber has started a Youtube channel called ‘The Show Must Go On’ where he has been making some of his musicals available for streaming every Friday night.
We’ve even seen some new monologues and plays being released not just in spite of the coronavirus, but also about life during the coronavirus. Skylight Theater Company, for example, has been releasing plays on Youtube including “Our First Honest Conversation”, a play about a couple talking to each other over video chat. Another great source for continuous quarantine content is the Instagram account 24hourplays, which has been releasing original monologues that actors have written & performed from their homes.