https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=virtual-theater-home-librarian
by Melanie Kletter
Sep 25, 2020 | Filed in COVID-19
The pandemic has had a huge impact on the performing arts, and the theater community has been particularly hard hit. Broadway shows are dark until at least 2021, and thousands of theaters around the world have been closed since March, many of which have no plans to re-open anytime soon.
However, the show must go on. Even in the midst of the pandemic, theater companies of all sizes have adjusted their plans and are coming up with creative ways to show their work this season. Theater fans now have numerous ways to access performances and can check out shows that otherwise may have been too expensive or difficult to attend in person. Some companies are staging their shows outdoors, and there are all sorts of interesting productions available to view online, many of which are free or low cost. Companies are livestreaming performances, recording their shows for virtual on-demand viewing, and reaching into their archives to make pre-recorded performances available. Some theater groups are using advanced technology to create immersive and innovative digital experiences.
We have rounded up here a small selection of the many interesting theater productions now available for online viewing, including some on-demand options and some you can watch virtually as they are performed live. We aren't including Netflix and Amazon Prime, though both of those on-demand streaming services also have a number of recorded theater productions available for viewing.
Shakespeare On Zoom
Since the shutdown in March, a British group called The Show Must Go Online has been presenting free weekly Zoom readings of Shakespeare’s plays in what is believed to be the order in which they were written. It has now reached the set of shows written in the early 17th century. New productions are posted every Wednesday on YouTube, and previous readings can also be accessed there. Among the classics it has already performed are Othello, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet.
Virtual Readings
Summit Playhouse, a community theater in New Jersey, will host a series of virtual readings that will be broadcast live as they are being performed. The plays that will be read are Proof (Oct. 10), The Gin Game (Oct. 17), 4,000 Miles (Oct. 24), and Dinner with Friends (Nov. 4). For more information and to purchase tickets, go to the summitplayhouse.org.
Pride and Prejudice: A Virtual Play
Lifeline Theater, a Chicago company that reimagines literary works, is streaming an interpretation of the classic Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. Tickets are pay what you will, and each ticket holder is entitled to watch the play from Thursday through Sunday. For more info, head to lifelinetheatre.com.
Live and On Demand Improv
The well-known improvisational theater company Second City has a weekly comedy show that can be viewed live via its website, secondcity.com. Tickets for these shows cost $15 each. The Chicago-based company also has a free weekly sketch comedy series called The Last Show Left on Earth, which is available to stream on demand for free on YouTube.
A Virtual Theater Festival in L.A.
A new festival called Together LA: A Virtual Stage Festival is scheduled to take place over three weekends in October. This festival will showcase short works from 34 L.A. theater companies that were produced digitally and were made to be seen virtually. This free event is being presented by two L.A. performing arts organizations: Alternative Theatre Los Angeles (ATLA) and LA Stage Alliance (LASA).
12 Angry Men and Women
The Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn focuses on work related to people of African descent. It recently performed 12 Angry Men…and Women: The Weight of the Wait, which was adapted from the 2012 book, 12 Angry Men: True Stories of Being a Black Man in America Today. Four actors—two men and two women—recently performed the show in front of a Black Lives Matter mural in Brooklyn and it was recorded. This show can now be accessed on demand on the Billie Holiday Theatre YouTube channel.
Theatre Row Live Performances
Theater Row, a collection of theaters in New York City, runs a free weekly series called TRLive! that can be streamed live each Thursday night on its Facebook page. A different artist or company is featured each week, and the performers have included Broadway actors and well-known entertainers.
An Online Company
Thirdwing is a new virtual theater company based in New York that creates plays that are designed to be streamed. Viewers pay a fee to join, and there are a few different shows currently available on demand on its website. The shows are created using multiple cameras to capture the full performance. The company also plans to stage live shows when it is able to.
Kid's Theater
La Mama, an experimental theater in New York City, has started a new initiative called La Mama Kids Online which presents free weekly performances and workshops online for kids. A new performance is presented and live-streamed each week, and past performances can be viewed on demand on the site.
The Show Must Go On
The YouTube Channel The Show Must Go On! has a plethora of clips from Broadway musicals, as well as some full-length performances. The site is a collaboration between musical theater impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber and Universal. Each Friday evening, a new full-length performance is added to the site; each one stays up for 48 hours.
A Broadway Streaming Service
BroadwayHD is a streaming service that records and distributes live theater performances. It is currently streaming more than 50 shows, including Kinky Boots, Cats, Bye Bye Birdie, and many more. This is a subscription service, so viewers need to pay to join, and there are different packages available.
Playbill Listings
The theater publication Playbill runs a comprehensive online weekly round-up of virtual and live theater productions as well as a streaming calendar listing performances planned for coming weeks.