Unsurprisingly, my most popular posts in the last year have been how to find history and culture online. (And book lists, but duh, we all have more reading time!) While I think people are scrambling to find creative ways to stay entertained at home, they also want the things that they are missing. And theatre is definitely one of things many of us are missing. There is nothing like seeing a live theatre performance, but luckily it does translate well to an online medium. Thankfully, we have options now. Here are 5 places you can find online theatre performances, to get your fix!
If you are going to say, “I would prefer to go to the actual theatre rather than watch it at home”, I’m going to stop you right there. Most of us cannot get to an open theatre right now, even if we wanted to. However, there are many people who cannot normally go to the theatre at any time. They might have accessibility issues that make it difficult or impossible, or financial barriers, or any number of issues. If you only want to watch theatre live, this post isn’t for you.
Tips Before You Watch Theatre Online
– Make sure that you can’t find what you want on a service you already subscribe to. For example, there are several Royal Ballet productions that are available on multiple streaming services.
– Check for a free trial- some services offer a free 7 day trial, some don’t. (It is worth checking!) It does appear that the free 30 day trial has gone the way of the dinosaurs, but even a week is helpful.
– Before you subscribe, look around the whole catalogue. If there is a lot that you want to watch, it may be worth it to get an annual subscription, which is normally cheaper than a monthly subscription in the long run.
The Globe Theatre- The Globe Player
If you are a fan of Shakespeare, The Globe Theatre is definitely a perfect fit for you. Originally built in 1599 in Southwark, the current Globe Theatre was rebuilt in 1997. (It’s roughly 225m from the original theatre.) As you might guess, they stage Shakespearean plays and productions (as well as others from the period). In the spring of 2020, I was able to watch a few different Globe productions, and they were incredible quality. (I go with the comedies, myself- and more so than ever with the state of the world!) Although Shakespeare can sometimes feel overwhelming, it is so much more enjoyable and easier to understand when you see it rather than reading it. (I’ve got to say, in terms of online theatre performances, the Globe is my favourite- so well done!)
And if you are a parent or a teacher looking for something for your children or students to watch, the Globe also has a learning section, with different materials and workshops. (Some are free, some are paid.)
Monthly/Annual Subscription: No monthly or annual subscription with the Globe Player, you can rent or purchase individual productions. Prices range from £10.99 to £12.99 to purchase a show, but they also have bundles of three themed productions for £25 to £30 to buy. (Rentals are £5.99.)
Marquee TV
Once again, I’m not a Marquee TV affiliate but I cannot stress how much I love this streaming service. (If anyone from Marquee is reading this and interested, I am available…) If you are only looking at getting one streaming service for theatre, I would go with Marquee TV. It has theatre performances from the Royal Shakespeare Company (and a few from the Globe!), several Oscar Wilde productions, and often has different events where you can purchase a separate ticket for. Marquee also has many different ballet productions, opera, contemporary dance, and even some documentaries.
If you want to know more about Marquee TV, you can find my full post here!
Monthly/Annual Subscription: Regularly Marquee TV is $10.99 CAD monthly and $109.99 annually, but there are often sales. I signed up for $55 CAD for a year (half priced), and it currently is 30% off the annual price in February 2021. (There is often an offer.) Something to consider: the separate ticketed events can be quite expensive, typically upwards of $40 CAD.
The Royal National Theatre- National Theatre At Home
The Royal National Theatre is also offering streaming productions online, but in a slightly different way. They currently have a limited number of productions that you can watch with your subscription, and it looks like they may swap them at or add more at a later date. Many of the current productions are Shakespearean, but they do have others, as well- Angels in America is currently an option. They do offer a 30 production collection that UK state schools can view for free, so teachers, this may be helpful to you!
Monthly/Annual Subscription: It gave me the rate in CAD- the monthly price is $17.30 CAD, and the annual price is $173.10 CAD. (I believe that is £9.99 and £99.99 for the year.) I find that this service is quite expensive for the limited catalogue in my opinion. However, if you are one of those people who loves the National Theatre or has always wanted to see one of their productions, it would be worth it to subscribe for a month or two.
Broadway HD
As the title implies, Broadway HD does offer many different musicals. However, it also includes different theatre productions, several from the Royal Shakespeare Company, ballets, concerts, operas, and documentaries. If you are looking for the newest Broadway productions, you won’t find them- I do find that the Broadway productions are rather old. However, they do offer quite a wide variety across many different performing arts, and they are adding more to their catalogue. This service is definitely best for people who want a little bit of everything. One big thing to note though is that production availability varies by the regions, so you may not be able to watch everything.
Monthly/Annual Subscription: It is $8.99 monthly, or $99.99 annually. Because there are only minimal savings for an annual plan and it’s a somewhat limited catalogue, I would do monthly rather than annual.
Netflix/ Prime Video/ Disney+, etc
I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you of all of the regular streaming options out there. If you want a pro-shot theatre production (ie. you are looking at a recording of a stage), you probably won’t find many on Netflix or Prime. However, you can find the movie adaptations, and different musicals. Because most of us can’t afford to subscribe to every service available, it really helps to check the ones you already have before looking elsewhere. (Hamilton on Disney+ being the obvious recommendation here.) Prime Video actually has a fairly sizeable catalogue, and several add-on channels that you might be able to find theatre on. (Yes, you have to pay an additional fee for each channel but you do get a 30 day free trial for each channel first.)
Monthly/Annual Subscription: Each service has their own charges and varying plans- check directly with each.
Bonus: YouTube
At the beginning of lock down/the world going upside down, we were lucky enough to have several free streaming options for ballet, theatre, and opera on YouTube. No one knew how long it would last, and theatres went above and beyond in the uncertainty. Understandably, theatres have essentially zero income currently, and so many have moved to the paid streaming services/purchases that I’ve mentioned above. (If we want them to survive, they need income!) However, some theatres and companies are still putting up free productions on YouTube. If you are ever interested in a particular play or production, check to see if a theatre has put it up on YouTube. And if they have, don’t use your ad-blocker to watch it- they receive a small amount of money for people viewing the ads. (Yes, I understand that you have it so you don’t see ads, but it is an easy and free-to-you way to help.)
And don’t worry if you are looking for online ballet performances- there is a post coming soon looking at ballet separately!
Where do you go to find online theatre performances?
Cheers,
The Historian
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