As you will be aware, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all theatres, cinemas and places of entertainment are currently closed for an extended period of time.
Throughout the Arts World, there has been a huge collective effort to maintain access to the arts to all, either through online streaming of productions, operas, musicals, workshops and classes. These have been put on by venues ranging from the National Theatre and Royal Opera House in London to more local venues such as the Oxford Playhouse and Pegasus.
LES BLANCS by Hansberry, , Writer – Lorraine Hansberry, Director-
Yaël Farber
, Design – Soutra Gilmour, Lighting – Tim Lutkin, Movement – Imogen Knight, The National Theatre, 2016, Credit: Johan Persson/
We have found the sheer amount and variety of performances and activities can sometimes be quite confusing and difficult to navigate. We have therefore tried to bring as many of these together on this page in order to try and make it easier to navigate.
Whilst the majority of these are free, they are only available to a limited period of time and the screening offers might change (for example, National Theatre At Home is making available a different production every week that can be watched at any point during that week). A few of those listed below are either pay per view or subscriptions which we have indicated with a ‘£’ sign.
If you come across any arts activities that might be of interest to others, please email us on boxoffice@abingdon.org.uk so that we can add them to this page.
Stay safe and take care,
The Amey Theatre Team
(Please note, this collection is as we have come across and found information online or in articles, we can not be responsible for the content on these sites. We recommend that the suggested age guidance, where applicable, is followed).
Online Streaming:
- National Theatre Collection (free/£) –
includes 30 high-quality productions, available worldwide to libraries, schools, universities and the wider education sector. - RSC – At Home with Shakespeare (free/£) – a selection of online resources and screenings of previous productions (including a link to a 30 day free trial on Marquee TV). There will also be links to free broadcasts on the BBC.
- Soho Theatre on Demand (free/£) – Experience the very best shows filmed live at Soho Theatre, London’s most vibrant producer of new theatre, comedy and cabaret.
- Shakespeare’s Globe (free/£) – they have fortnightly YouTube premieres for free or you can rent or purchase other productions from their Globe Player.
- Wise Children’s Lockdown – the digital home of Wise Children (the new theatre company of award winning Emma Rice) during the lockdown. There are a series of performances, podcasts and even their own internet radio station!
- Bristol Old Vic – At Home – Bristol Old Vic Theatre have created a hub of previous performances, activities and an open stage!
- The Old Vic – In Camera – A world premiere of Three Kings by Stephen Beresford written for and starring Andrew Scott. This scratch performance will be streamed live directly from the iconic Old Vic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop for five performances (29 July – 1 Aug). There is also a series of online activities and archived performances on their Your Old Vic page.
- Royal Opera House
– a series of free streams of past productions as well as masterclasses and behind the scenes videos. There are also broadcasts as part of the BBC’s Culture in quarantine, which are also listed on this page. - Sadler Wells – Digital Stage – a page with links to several online screenings of past Ballet Performances. There are also a host of family dance workshops.
- National Dance Company Wales – Kin: Connected – National Dance Company Wales (NDCWales) has recently launched its new online programme, Kin: Connected across its website and social media channels as part of the Company’s desire to create a community for dance online with audiences, participants and the sector.
- Northern Ballet – the Northern Ballet have created a pay as you feel digital season.
- Cirque du Soleil – CirqueConnect – every Friday, Cirque du Soleil are releasing a 60 minute special of one of their productions.
Workshops
- Sadler Wells – Family Dance Workshops for young families and Company of Elders workshops for older audiences.
- Pegasus Theatre – Pegasus Theatre, based in Oxford, are releasing a series of short workshops, from dance workshops, puppet making and magic tricks on their Facebook and Instagram pages as online SPARK sessions.
- Kiln Insight – Kiln Insight is a programme of ways for you to keep in touch, learn more about, and get involved in our artistic output. From exclusive interviews, webinars and filmed content, there’s something for everyone. This website is update regularly so keep checking back!
Activities
There is a list of events, activities and workshops here specifically for with children in mind. Some of these are repeated in the other categories.
Performances
Workshops and Activities
- Sadler Wells – have created a series of Family Dance Workshops on their YouTube channel.
- RSC – Home Learning – a series of resources and lessons on all things Shakespeare.
- The Royal Opera House – Learning Platform
-The Royal Opera House have developed an online platform with large numbers of lessons and home learning activities including building your own Royal Opera House stage! - Homeskool Beatbox Adventures with Shlomo – Kids and their grownups worldwide have been learning incredible beatboxing skills, finding their true voice and creating songs of their own. It’s a global experiment in music and technology! They’re also aiming to raise £2,500 for the NHS Together COVID-19 Appeal. They have superstar guests to inspire you every week including Basement Jaxx, Bastille, Bill Bailey, KT Tunstall, Jason Mraz and BBC Radio 1’s Dr Radha. The weekly lessons have now finished but you can still watch them!
- Bristol Old Vic – At Home – Bristol Old Vic Theatre have created a family arts hub full of activities and workshops.
- Madame Kalamazoo’s Magical Mail – Madame Kalamazoo is a mysterious storyteller who arrived from the Blue Moon at the start of lockdown. She writes funny daily stories for children and will send them to you for free via the National Theatre by email. The magical thing about her stories is that they have your children in them as the main characters!
Other (e.g. Banff Mountain Film Festival)
Photo Credit: Pete Wyllie
Banff Mountain Film Festival – Enjoy the epic Banff films from the comfort of your own sofa, while supporting the future of the Tour and some awesome environmental and mountain rescue charities. Watch live on 6 August, or later until 8 August. The team have also shared their favourite adventure podcasts for us to enjoy!
- ATOM Society – The ATOM Society have moved their programme of talks, lectures and seminars online. More information can be found here.
A little bit of everything
this small puppet series has a series of activities, stories and workshops to do at home. They also have several puppet performances on their YouTube page.
