5 world renowned theatres you can watch at home for Free.
With hundreds of theatres and opera houses around the world having to close their doors during these unprecedented times, a new online world of theatre is emerging. This really is an opportunity to watch some world class performances that you might not have had the opportunity to see before.
Some of the theatres are offering performances at specific times so do check the dates to make sure you don’t miss out!
Here is a round up of some of our top picks on offer in the coming weeks…
The Bolshoi Ballet
The Moscow theatre first opened its doors in 1776 and for the first time in history it is streaming recordings of some of its top opera and ballet performances captured live on stage, including The Nutcracker, The Tsar’s Bride and Boris Godunov
The “Golden Collection” will include some of the Bolshoi’s most popular productions: The Tsar’s Bride (April 1 – still available), Marco Spada (April 4), Boris Godunov (April 7) and The Nutcracker (April 10). These upcoming performances will go live at 7pm Moscow time (17.00 UK time) and will be available online for 24 hours.
Performance dates
April 1st – The Tsar’s Bride
April 4th – Marco Spada
April 7th – Boris Godunov
April 10th – The Nutcracker
Watch here
National Theatre Live
In the UK, National Theatre Live, which records and broadcasts stage shows from London’s West End to cinemas worldwide, is unveiling a new at-home initiative amid the closure of cinemas.
Beginning on April 2nd , audiences can watch a number of NT Live’s live-captured productions for free via the National Theatre’s YouTube channel.
Every Thursday at 3pm Eastern time (7pm UK time), a production filmed in front of an audience in the theatre will be streamed and then be available on demand for seven days.
Performance dates
April 2nd – One Man, Two Guvnors, featuring James Corden’s Tony Award-winning performance
April 9th – Jane Eyre
April 16th – Treasure Island
April 23rd – Twelfth Night
Watch here
Sadler’s Wells Facebook Premiers
The Sadler’s Wells facebook premieres launched on Friday 27th March (World Theatre Day), with an exclusive online screening of Deluxe by BalletBoyz.
Each Facebook Premiere will launch on a Friday and is then available to watch for 7 days.
Next in the series is balletLORENT’s spectacular family production, Rumpelstiltskin: an enchanting dance-theatre fairytale adaptation, Rumpelstiltskin in a special matinee screening for family audiences.
Other upcoming performances include a new version of Wilkie Branson’s dance for camera installation TOM, which would have formed part of Sadler’s Wells’ Digital Edition in April
Performance dates
Deluxe BalletBoyz March 27th
balletLORENT April 3rd
TOM Date to be announced
Watch here
Shakespeare’s Globe Player
The iconic playhouse Shakespeare’s Globe is the next theatre to step up into this brand new world offering fantastic high-quality content for free. The venue will be releasing 40 free titles over the next month to be watched on it’s GlobePlayer. Of the 40 plays , 6 will be main-stage productions accompanied by 34 that were created as part of the venue’s epic “Globe to Globe” series of international performances.
Watch here
Royal Shakespeare Company
As part of the BBC’s initiative to keep bringing the arts to audiences during lockdown the RSC will broadcast six of their recent productions on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer:
The full list of productions is below but the dates of broadcast are yet to be announced.
Macbeth (2018), directed by Polly Findlay with Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cusack
Hamlet (2016), directed by Simon Godwin with Paapa Essiedu
Romeo and Juliet(2018), directed by our Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman
Much Ado About Nothing (2014), directed by Christopher Luscombe
Othello (2015), directed by Iqbal Khan with Hugh Quarshie and Lucian Msamati
The Merchant of Venice (2015), directed by Polly Findlay