The regional theatres bringing their stages into locked-down lives
Two of the UK’s most popular and innovative theatres have unleashed a wealth of delights for locked-down viewers to enjoy online.
The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry has launched Between Stages, which features a range of shows to watch as well as craft activities and educational projects to try at home, behind-the-scenes podcasts, blogs and videos, and even a virtual exhibition.
Highlights so far include the critically acclaimed Wise Children, which is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer as part of BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine programme. Co-produced by the Belgrade Theatre with Wise Children, the Old Vic, Oxford Playhouse and York Theatre Royal, this “big, bawdy tangle of theatrical joy and heartache” sees director Emma Rice bring her exuberantly impish vision to Angela Carter’s last great novel. Following its opening in London, the show was staged in spring 2019 at the Belgrade - the only venue to see Rice herself step into the role of Nora Chance.
Emma said: “I delight in the fact that we now get to share this glorious story with so many others, and hope that the fun, truth, love and generosity poured into it will find its way into sitting rooms across the country.”
Audiences can also enjoy the recent adaptation of young adult novel Crongton Knights, which premiered in Coventry in February this year before embarking on a UK tour, sadly cut short by the lockdown.
Using beatboxing, physical theatre and original songs, it tells the story of the Magnificent Six, a group of teenagers living on an innercity estate who band together to help a friend in need. The show is available to watch free of charge until Saturday May 9.
Other shows available to watch online include Original Theatre Company’s productions of The Habit of Art and The Croft, the latter originally scheduled to be performed at the Belgrade this month, as well as family-friendly Shakespeare retellings from the zany and comical Oddsocks, whose production of The Comedy of Errors was previously due to take place at the Belgrade in June. New shows are being added every Friday.
For little ones, Honalee Media are streaming a number of their popular preschool shows for free on YouTube, including Marty MacDonald’s Farm, while Belgrade panto stars Iain Lauchlan and Craig Hollingsworth are presenting an original online children’s series called Cheeky Chimps TV. B’Opera are continuing to share live singing sessions and regular song videos via Facebook, and every Tuesday at 2.30pm, the Belgrade will be sharing new Storytime videos featuring a mix of Belgrade staff and guest storytellers.
Those interested in new creative projects emerging from the city can check out Shoot Festival’s first online scratch night, Shut Down But Scratching. The event showcased a range of emerging artists, musicians, theatremakers, poets and storytellers from across Coventry and Warwickshire. The action can be watched on YouTube. BSL interpreted and audio described versions of the film are also available.
Those looking for more hands-on activities should keep an eye out for Monday Makes, weekly craft tutorials curated in partnership with the Belgrade’s resident Craft On - Needlecraft for Wellbeing group, as well as Tuesday night “Pub Quizzes” on Facebook, designed to test your theatre knowledge. On Wednesdays, there’ll also be more in-depth creative projects to explore as part of the Belgrade’s Weducation programme, offering behindthe-scenes insights into the workings of a theatre, including a series of Careers Behind the Curtain videos.
Visit www.belgrade. co.uk/between-stages for more information.
Leicester’s Curve theatre has also developed a host of online initiatives to bring theatre into audiences’ homes during lockdown.
Previously released screenings of the Curve’s productions of Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual and The Importance of Being Earnest are available throughout the period of time the venue is closed. These archive recordings have already been viewed by almost 17,000 people across six continents.
Joe Orton’s What The Butler Saw has also been made available, with other treats including highlights from Hanif Kureishi’s My Beautiful Laundrette.
The theatre has also launched Curve In Conversation, which sees artistic director Nikolai Foster hosting in-depth interviews with leading creatives and performers. These will be