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By Boston Compass (#124)
June 23, 2020
Physical theaters may still be down for the count, but some local theatre companies are finding new ways to share new work. Fresh off some big wins at the 2020 Elliot Norton Awards, Needham’s Arlekin Players Theatre is leading the way with an innovative new form for their next production State vs. Natasha Banina, blending live theatre with video, performing live via Zoom. Their secret weapon is dazzling director Igor Golyak, who was the visionary behind Arlekin’s 2019 productions’ The Stone and The Seagull. While awards are irrelevant, it’s still nice to see genuine talent recognized.
Now is the time to gorge on some of the best theatre in the world from the past 50+ years, since so much of it is streaming for FREE online. Check out our listings with highlights below.
Tips? Email TheatrescapeBoston@gmail.com
STREAMING FOR FREE:
Every Sun through 7/12:
This multi-national theatre company has been a tour de force of interesting and bold work in the local scene. This production is a new adaptation of Yaroslava Pulinovich’s Russian play Natasha’s Dream, about young Natasha’s life from a small-town orphanage to an unknown future. The Arlekin Players are bringing the excitement of a live performance to a safe, virtual stage by utilizing video and streaming via Zoom. This is free but please consider donating $25 or more, if you can.
A poetic story of a sheep looking for meaning in life, inspired by the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's writings. Cool techniques give puppetry a dreamlike quality combined with music by Emile Blondel.
WHERE: Check it out on Vimeo here.
Every day:
This Berlin theatre and company might be the most influential in experimental theatre ever. Since 1962, they’ve been producing work that has changed the theatre landscape throughout the world, from Europe to NYC. They are streaming a play a day from noon to 5:30pm. Check the schedule for which ones have English subtitles.
WHERE: Schaubuehne.de
Every week, starting Fridays:
This NYC-based, avant garde theatre company is streaming another piece or two from their legendary archives. This includes works written and directed by the likes of world renowned artists Lee Breuer and JoAnne Akalaitis from the ‘70s and ‘80s.
WHERE: MabouMines.org
For two weeks at a time, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London is streaming past productions. This month you can catch two of the bard’s comedies; his lesser known The Merry Wives of Windsor from June 1st-14th and the popular, A Midsummer Night’s Dream from June 15th-28th
WHERE: Shakespeares Globe channel on YouTube. Info at ShakespearesGlobe.com
Every week, starting Thursdays:
Some of London theatre’s biggest productions are streaming one week at a time on YouTube. These are basically England’s version of Broadway available to view for free with big names both in and behind the scenes. Subscribe to their channel for updates.
Every day:
A new opera streams every single night starting at 7pm, from recent productions to legendary performances dating as far back as the ‘70s. Take advantage.
WHERE: MetOpera.org
Check out all the art and columns of June's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass