Getting your theatre fix at home on World Theatre Day

Following the closure of theatres and cinemas across the UK due to the Coronavirus outbreak, production companies around the country are coming up with innovative new ways to ensure drama-enthusiasts don’t miss out.

red theatre curtain

If you had tickets to see a play, musical, dance production or opera over the next few months, you’ve probably been disappointed by cancellations over the last week or so.

Theatre provides a much-needed escape during times like these, so it’s especially important that alternatives are put in place to keep you distracted from the constant stream of news.

DIFFERENT

Thankfully, theatre companies across the UK are doing their best to ensure you can still access their performances, albeit in a slightly different way.

One of these companies – The National Theatre of Scotland – is providing isolated audiences with an alternative theatrical online programme across Scotland and beyond.

Called Scenes for Survival, the programme is a new season of digital artworks which will launch on online platforms and channels over the coming months. The project is being delivered in association with BBC Scotland and BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine project.

ACCESS

The programme has been curated with the aim of supporting the Scottish theatre sector and creatives throughout the current situation. Part of the programme is supported by high profile Scottish entertainment talent, which will also serve as a fundraising platform for those most financially affected within the theatre industry.

Performers and writers throwing their support behind the new initiative include Mark Bonnar, Alan Cumming, Greg McHugh, Greg Hemphill and Ian Rankin.

The National Theatre of Scotland will announce a call out opportunity for writers to be commissioned for short new pieces for the project, so make sure to keep an eye out on their website and social medias if this is an opportunity you’d be interested in.

HOME THEATRE

For other way to get your dose of theatre, there are various options. Here The Guardian has compiled some performances that you can watch from the comfort of your own home.

You can also catch some of your favourite musicals or performances on streaming platforms. Netflix currently offers Les Miserables, West Side Story, Grease Live and Fiddler on the Roof.

On Amazon Prime you can see Blood Brothers, Little Shop of Horrors, or the Australian Ballet’s Swan Lake included with Prime, or various others which you can rent or buy. You can also catch some of your favourite comedians’ stand-up shows across streaming services.

How are you keeping busy in self-isolation? Get involved with our #EnableCommunity and let us know over on Twitter and Instagram.

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