Despite the closure of theatres across the country, there are still ways to enjoy performance art from home. Below are five options to give you your theatre fix.
1. National Theatre at Home (Pictured above)
Every Thursday at 7 pm National Theatre streams a performance for free on their YouTube channel. Each play is available to stream for one week and then swapped out for the next show-stopping performance.
The Tony Award-winning One Man, Two Guvnors, and Jane Eyre have already had their YouTube debut and Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night is available to stream until April 30, starring Tamsin Greig (Friday Night Dinner) as Malvolia.
Next up is Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle, available to stream from April 30, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Johnny Lee Miller (Trainspotting).
You can find the National Theatre’s YouTube channel.
2. Shakespeare’s GlobePlayer
GlobePlayer will be providing six plays to watch for free including a 2013 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and last year’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
The performances rotate every two weeks which started with Hamlet (2013) and made way on April 20 for the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet (2009).
GlobePlayer is also offering a series of 11 short films for free that were created to celebrate 400 years since Shakespeare’s death in 2016.
All of the above can be found on the GlobePlayer website.
3. Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Show Must Go On
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s YouTube channel, The Show Must Go On, is streaming some of his famous works. Every week one of his renowned musicals will start streaming from 7 pm and then be available to watch for 48 hours.
This Friday Andrew Lloyd Webber is taking a short break from streaming his musicals and is posting the full concert from his 50th birthday instead. The 1998 performance from the Royal Albert Hall will be on The Show Must Go On for 48 hours from 7 pm Friday May 1st.
There are also several trailers and clips available to watch on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s YouTube channel.
4. Oscar Wilde Season on Marquee TV
If you are an Oscar Wilde fan now is the time to sign up to Marquee TV. The streaming site is hosting Oscar Wilde Season with Classic Spring Theatre Company in which four of Oscar Wilde’s plays are available to stream on the site.
Among the plays added to Marquee TV’s library are The Importance of Being Earnest and Lady Windemere’s Fan.
Marquee TV also offers a wide range of performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as many other theatrical, dance and musical performances.
Marquee TV offers a 14-day free trial for new users and is then either £8.99 a month or £63.99 for the whole year.
5. BBC’s Culture in Quarantine
The BBC has a lot on offer to keep everyone entertained at home during the lockdown. The BBC has created Culture in Quarantine which is a collection of a range of different arts including cinema, theatre and dance for you to watch for free from the comfort of your own home.
If that wasn’t enough, BBC Two also offers a collection of theatre shorts on Performance Live. One performance worth watching is Suri Krishnamma’s The Way Out, the entirety of which was filmed in a single unbroken shot.
All of the above are available through the BBC’s website.