What to watch when the theaters are dark
Several Bay Area stage companies are offering productions to view online
The Bay Area’s vibrant live performance scene came to a screeching halt last month when coronavirus precautions made it necessary to close all the theaters. Hundreds of play productions were abruptly canceled, whether they had just opened, were still in previews or hadn’t even started rehearsals. Many companies have had to cancel the rest of their seasons (or in the case of California Shakespeare Theater, the entire season), with more cancellations to come as the virus continues to spread exponentially. It will be extremely difficult for theaters to bounce back from this, especially on top of other financial stressors such as the freelance restrictions of new California “gig” law AB 5. Avid theatergoers, at least, can still get a little of their drama fix while cooped up at home. Several local theaters are figuring out ways to make some of their shows available for online viewings, in some cases the very same productions whose runs were cut short abruptly. In most cases arrangements that the theaters have made with the plays’ license holders restrict their ability to stream their performances online. Like stage productions, most streaming runs are finite. The ship has already sailed on streaming access to Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s productions of “Culture Clash (Still) in America” and “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play,” tickets for which had to be purchased by March 20. A few companies have made videos available for free while others are selling online tickets, but in either case viewers should give whatever they can to help keep these theaters afloat. Here’s a rundown. American Conservatory Theater is offering streaming versions of both of its superb shuttered productions — Branden JacobsJenkins’ “Gloria” (a piecing satire of the memoir industry) and Lydia R. Diamond’s “Toni Stone” (about one of the first women to play professional baseball) — but only through Sunday. Details: $15-$100; act-sf. org. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley offers an online look at “They Promised Her the Moon,” Laurel Ollstein’s play about aviator and aspiring astronaut Jerrie Cobb, to be viewed sometime before April 12. Details: $15-$100; theatreworks.org. Marin Theatre Company’s production of “Love,” Kate Cortesi’s sharp drama about workplace sexual harassment, is also being made available for online viewing through April 12. Details: $35; www.marintheatre. org. City Lights Theater Company in San Jose had to close its world premiere of “Coded” right before opening night, but now offers free streaming of the final preview of Kirsten Brandt’s play about women game designers. Details: cltc.org. Berkeley’s Shotgun Players’ “Art in the Time of Corona” webpage posts video recordings of past productions as well as daily Shakespeare sonnets. Up now is “Kill the Debbie Downers! Kill Them! Kill Them! Kill Them Off!” Mark Jackson and Beth Wilmurt’s 2019 theatrical riff on Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” as well their earlier 2007 collaboration drawing on the same source material, “Yes Yes to Moscow.” Details: shotgunplayers.org. Speaking of Chekhov, Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre’s new production of “The Cherry Orchard” is available for online viewing through April 18. This new translation by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky restores the playwright’s original 1903 prerehearsal script for the first time. Details: $27-$30; www. townhalltheatre.com. On Tuesday, San Francisco’s Theatre Rhinoceros will present a free, one-time livestreaming reading of “SCOTUS Gay,” John Fisher’s new play about Supreme Court battles over people being fired for their sexual orientation, with actors participating over Zoom from their respective individual locations. Details: therhino.org. For kids, Bay Area Children’s Theatre offers not a play but an interactive adventure incorporating a video and activity sheet. Details: www.creativitycorner.org. Meanwhile, one past BACT production, 2019’s “Gold: The Midas Musical,” is available for free viewing on playwright-composer Min Kahng’s website. Details: www. minkahng.com/gold-video. Redwood City’s Dragon Theatre Company is offering 24-hour rentals of past productions under the moniker “Dragon on Demand,” currently featuring its 2019 production of “Macbeth” and its “Circus Nutcracker” by the artists of Cirque de la Luna. Details: $10; vimeo.com/ondemand/ macbethatdragon. Starting today, the United Kingdom’s National Theatre will be posting one hit show from its archives on YouTube every Thursday, to be available for free viewing for one week. First up is Richard Bean’s rollicking comedy “One Man, Two Guvnors” starring James Corden, followed in coming weeks by “Jane Eyre,” “Treasure Island” and “Twelfth Night.” Details: www. nationaltheatre.org.uk/at-home No doubt there are more such offerings, with more to come. It just goes to show that even in the direst circumstances, in some form or another the show must go on.