Why Watching Plays on the Internet is So Important During Lockdown
Léa Fochesato
Like the rest of the world, the theatre industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 and lockdowns around the world. Everywhere, the internet has been a saviour for our industry. How and why? And is it still theatre? Well, it certainly isn’t theatre as we’re used to. It’s not exactly the art form I fell in love with many, many years ago. I ask some friends about it and here is what we discussed.
Kiera agrees but is calling it ‘a shadow of theatre’ although she still enjoys watching different plays, such as Hamlet by the Globe, Oklahoma!, Carousel or One Man, Two Guvnors, as it’s ‘good to keep up’. ‘I would return to watching theatre in real life after this, although it’s great for shows abroad and closed productions,’ she adds, saying she also watched the sold-out production of Fleabag, captured in the West End at the end of last year, through Soho Theatre’s player.
Just for the abroad and closed productions, I would try and catch up with them on the internet. Here, the main advantage is that most of the videos are free, like The National Theatre’s, or for a very small fee, like the Soho Theatre’s. A non-exhaustive list of where to catch plays and more is at the end of the article.
But watching plays on the internet is also good for many other reasons. Libby said to me she would probably continue to do so after reopening. ‘It’s such an accessible way of seeing things,’ she starts, ‘in my case, I’ve watched quite a lot I probably wouldn’t have chosen to previously because I’m a bit of a play novice. So it’s really broadening what I now know I like and I’m more likely to keep doing this online while I’m learning more.’
For Sam, it also is a great routine breaker and ‘having these resources available has helped [him] in lockdown because it has kept [him] involved with a community.’ He, too, would continue this after lockdown as ‘putting these shows online allows for people to experience amazing arts even if they cannot afford West End prices.’
Alice agrees with Sam too. She told me watching The National Theatre’s premiere is a highlight of her week: ‘it’s something that I’m waiting to do every week!’ She adds ‘It reminds me how wonderful this industry is and it may sound silly but it gives me hope!’ Nothing silly there, I dare say. She goes on: ‘hope that I will be in a theatre again soon and I will applaud with the rest of the audience the creators and the actors!’ Sharing a moment. This is what we’re after. And streaming a video all at the same time, having the live chat on the side or not, just being there and be able to talk about it with our friends, it is essential.
It isn’t the same but it’s close enough. ‘It can be very similar, and depending on where you seat in the theatre would have been, it’s arguably a better all-round view,’ Libby continues. ‘Obviously, you don’t get the same atmosphere and aren’t necessarily as invested because it’s on a screen rather than right in front of you,’ and it’s also true. All agree that it is, as Sam says, ‘a singular experience and that recording could have been different any other day’. Isn’t it the nature of theatre? Again, I could open many debates about it.
Coralie told me about her experience with screens too. She says to be ‘not really into watching a film or series’ but that trying online theatre, although thought as a bad idea at first because of the screen, brought ‘some positives’: an anxiety-free space, the amount of online shows is increasing, the various range of pro-shots giving a personality to each production, or the ability on focus on a precise point rather than get carried away by something else (although it is also why we all love theatre). For this, even if it doesn’t replace real-life theatre, Coralie now enjoys the screenings. ‘It won’t replace the real thing, but it helps’.
To resume, we all have good reasons in the world to turn toward this new kind of theatre. Helping the industry, curiosity, learning, safety, comfort, hope, community, creativity, we all find something that resonates. And theatre and its uniqueness, its sound, its shots, its productions, its characters and its audience give us all this. Online or not.
Where to catch up:
Free:
- National Theatre At Home, on their YouTube Channel for free every Thursday – Next: Antony & Cleopatra available for a week after the premiere (7th May – 7pm UK Time)
- Andrew Lloyd Webber, YouTube, free on Fridays – Next: Jeeves, available for 48h after the premiere (8th May – 7pm UK Time)
- Soho Theatre – Fleabag available until 31 May
Premium services:
- MarqueeTV – Offers 14 days free + 30% off the first year of subscription (£63.99 instead of £89.99) – prices may vary
- Globe Player – Some free content, price is video dependent
- Digital Theatre – Subscribe £9.99 a month
- Now TV – Entertainment pack with SkyArts £7.99 per month
In the future:
- Broadway on demand – Early access sign in
Photo: Léa Fochesato