Picks for a night of arts at home
Here are more ways to find shows online
It appears that people can only watch so much “Tiger King” and other mind-numbing television and movie fare before they turn to the stage for something different. Reaction to last week’s columns about online alternatives to attending live performances proved popular — so here are some more options for an at-home arts experience.
Theater
Andrew Lloyd Webber: The British musical-theater legend is making one of his shows available
The musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber are available for a limited time on YouTube.
for 48 hours at 2 p.m. each Friday as part of “The Shows Must Go On” YouTube channel. He kicked things off with “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” on April 3, with “Jesus Christ Superstar” the feature for April 10-12. Lloyd Webber promises that, at some point, his rarely seen “By Jeeves” will be featured. Go to YouTube.com/theshowsmustgoon.
Pass the Time Players: For children, Central Florida’s Pass the Time Players are recording familiar tales in multi-performer, staged-reading style. The group is headed by Debbie Lannen, the artistic director of the Still Got It Players, a performance troupe for seniors based in east Orange County. Find such classic tales as “The Princess and the Pea,” “Cinderella” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by searching “Pass the Time Players” at YouTube.com.
L.A. Theatre Works: For a
Dance
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: The storied moderndance company is making excerpts and full works available on its website, alvinailey.org. From April 9-12, check out artistic director emerita Judith Jamison’s “Divining,” described as a “pulsating, mysterious quest with African polyrhythms, complex move
ment and dynamic dancing.” Ahead: Rennie Harris’s “Lazarus,” April 16-19. In addition, join dancers for conversation at 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at Instagram.com/alvinailey.
Opera
On Site Opera: The New York company, which specializes in staging productions in nontraditional venues, is making archived shows available online. “Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt,” about a girl’s trips to the American Museum of Natural History with her naturalist grandfather, started the series. The short opera was performed at the actual museum in New York City. Other available productions include a oneact “Pygmalion” staged in a mannequin warehouse and Mozart’s “The Secret Gardener” recorded in a New York community garden.
Go to osopera.org.
Readings
Dolly Parton: The singer-actress-philanthropistlegend is reading a children’s story once a week in series called “Goodnight With Dolly.” Since 1995, Parton’s Imagination Library has mailed out more than 133 million free books to children in the U.S., United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and Canada. Each weekly reading also features printable activity pages for children and tips for parents. Snuggle up and go to imaginationlibrary.com/goodnight-withdolly at 7 p.m. each Thursday. Coming up: “Llama Llama Red Pajama” and “Max & The Tag-along Moon.”
Ashleigh Ann Gardner: The local actor is reading literature for grownups most nights. Currently, she is in the midst of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” alternating with “Two Years Before the Mast,” an adventure-filled memoir by Richard Henry Dana Jr. that chronicles his twoyear sea voyage from 1834-1836. If you’re late to the game, previous chapters are available so you can catch up. Go to facebook.com/classical.literature.story.hour.
Film
Global Peace Film Festival: OK, I’m bending the rules and including one resource for filmed content — but it’s worth it. Central Florida’s Global Peace Film Festival is streaming documentaries from past fests. Among the thought-provoking content online: “Don’t Drain the Swamp!” — a look at the importance of the wetland to our ecosystem. The film by Vicki Nantz was originally screened at the 2017 festival. The content changes weekly at peacefilmfest.org.