Missing the Magic of Theatre?
Well, now you can stream the magic right from your sofa!
It's a strange time we are in at the moment and many of us might start feeling the strain of being trapped inside. You might be missing the outside world, but we do have a few things that can help you scratch that theatre itch (whilst helping to keep the industry alive!).
But what streaming platforms are there?
Good question. Netflix, NowTV, Amazon Prime and Disney+ all have some of our favourite musicals films and plays online, but what if you want to see the stage show itself?
Below we have a few theatre streaming services to keep you toe tapping away to irresistible musical numbers or fully engrossed in some of the best plays of recent years.
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Digital Theatre
Chocked full of plays, and the odd musical, dance or opera. Digital Theatre offers a great variety of content. With a host of plays from the likes of The Old Vic and the RSC, this is a great and ever growing service.
Subscribe for £9.99 and month or rent shows individually here
Broadway HD
Get access to a number of big Broadway shows such as 42nd Street, Kinky Boots and Falsettos. Whilst it is an American service, fear not! You can use this service internationally but you can get more information here. To watch some of the absolute classic Broadway musicals and plays, BroadwayHD is a must!
$8.99 a month of $99.99 a year. But there's also a limited free trial to give you a taste here.
Globe Player
Now if you're a Shakespeare aficionado, this may be the perfect streaming service for you. It holds the best of Shakespeare's Globe! It also includes interviews with big industry names as well as a whole host of foreign language productions with English subtitles. It also has a great amount of free content as well as paid.
You can rent or own productions such as Hamlet for £4.99/£12.99 and even gift a show to someone else here.
Marquee TV
Featuring work from the RSC, Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera House and a selection of other companies. There are some great productions such as Richard III featuring David Tennant.
You can get a 30 day free trial, then it is £8.99 per month or £89.99 per year here.
The Theatre Cafe
Right now is a difficult time for everyone and the folks at the Theatre Cafe have come up with a fantastic idea to support performers during this time. They will be live streaming paid-for concerts with some well known West End faces such as Layton Williams, Lucie Jones and Aimie Atkinson.
Tickets are just £7.50 and can be purchased here.
The Wind in the Willows
The producers of the 2017 West End production at the Palladium have decided to make The Wind and the Willows available online and completely free! They only ask for a small donation to help support during this difficult time, which is an absolute bargain!
You can stream it for a small cost of £4.99 here.
Eugenius! The Musical
You can now see the incredible hit Eugenius! in its entirety on Facebook or YouTube. Whilst originally meant as a reference video for the creative team, they decided, you know what? Let's bring the joy of live theatre to your home!
You can see the YouTube version here.
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House have also decided to release some of its archives, for free, to the public and will be releasing something new weekly!
You can check out their YouTube channel for all their amazing content here.
National Theatre
The National Theatre have also decided to start releasing a fantastic selection of some of their best loved shows over the years. Recent releases include One Man, Two Guvnors with James Corden and the critically acclaimed Antony & Cleopatra starring the incredible Sophie Okonedo and Ralph Fiennes. They'll be doing so every Thursday at 7pm BST to watch for the week ahead!
You can find these releases on their YouTube channel here.
Bristol Old Vic
Direct from the South West, the Bristol Old Vic have announced a season featuring five acclaimed productions, including the West End hit, The Grinning Man.
Running from 29th May to 3rd July, with further info here
The Old Vic
The Old Vic are planning on releasing recordings of archived Old Vic productions to coincde with the launch a new resources hub lead by two of the venue's ambassadors, Claire Foy and Matt Smith. These will be launched on the theatre's YouTube channel. The first treat will be A Monster Calls directed by Sally Cookson.
This will be available from the 5th of June until the 11th of June with more information here