It’s been a year, hasn’t it? Since the summer we’ve been updating you with some regularity about the online theatrical offerings, both live and asynchronous that the nation’s (and the world’s) theatre companies have been offering. We hope you’re enjoyed these listings—because this is almost certainly the last we’ll do in this format.
Not because U.S. theatres are slowing down their online offerings—far from it, as many are ramping them up as much or more than ever, even while many of them strategize a safe return to live, in-person theatre some time in a possibly post-COVID 2021. No, we’re ending this hand-cranked editorial listing (in this form, at least) because we’re proud to unveil a new listings service that will capture everything theatres are doing, both online and elsewhere, for the coming months. This is a long overdue replacement for the monthly schedules we used to run in our print magazine (on hold for the time being); they are not complete but they are growing. You can check them out here. (Want to add your listing? You can do that here, but please note—going forward this will be a TCG member service, so you’ll need to be some kind of member of the organization that publishes American Theatre. Don’t let this requirement scare you away—we are told that pandemic-era deals are available. Please reach out to us for more information.)
Without further ado, may the rest of your 2020 be as merry and bright as is humanly possible, in part with the help of these online offerings. (More December listings can be found here.)
Live
Kean Stage at Kean University in Union, N.J., is presenting Andrea McArdle: A Holiday Concert from Enlow Recital Hall, in which the original star of Broadway’s Annie gives an intimate holiday concert accompanied by her musical director, Steve Marzullo. Remaining streaming performances on showtix4u.com include Fri., Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. ET; Sat., Dec. 19 at 3 & 8 p.m. ET; and Sun., Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. ET. Tickets are $30 per device.
Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples, Fla., is offering Ebenezer Junior, in which Charles Dickens’s beloved and timeless tale is told as a one-act musical blending modern musical styles in an original score. Written by Malcolm Sircom, Ebenezer Junior will feature STAR Academy students ages 8 to 18 and will be directed by Steven Calakos, Gulfshore Playhouse’s director of education. Evening performances run Fri., Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sat., Dec. 19 at 2 & 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are $20.
New York City’s LATEA Theater is offering the world premiere of Riiicardo/Riiichard by Norman Briski, starring Bruno Giraldi. The description in the press release is so distinctive it bears quoting at some length: “Between white and red roses, the revulsion to be a hypocritical king leads a soldier to be an emperor to distribute rights equally among the citizens. A sepoy wastes no time in dedicating a few hendecasyllables to him condemning him as a selfish and hunchbacked infanticide. Regardless of his scoliosis, Richard III feels the hunch that he must battle for a cause.” The show will be performed in both English and Spanish, with livestreaming performances Fri.-Sat., Dec. 18-19 at 8 p.m. ET. Tickets are just $3, and advance reservations are recommended.
New York City’s Primary Stages presents a live benefit reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, co-adapted by Theresa Rebeck and Erin Daly and directed by Rebeck. The cast includes Raúl Esparza as Scrooge, as well as Krysta Rodriguez, W. Tré Davis, Kimberly Chatterjee, and more. The $100 ticket for the live reading on Fri., Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET includes a holiday after-party with the cast and benefits Primary Stages’ Teen Programs. The reading will then be available to view for free Sat.-Tues., Dec. 19-22.
The site-responsive U.K. digital theatre company Creation Theatre presents a surreal and anarchic adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with all the storytelling, songs, magic, and togetherness that Oxford’s largest producing theatre company’s Christmas shows are traditionally known for. Directed and adapted by Gari Jones, a cast of eight actors will perform live in “real time” online via Zoom. Shows run Sat., Dec. 19-Sun., Jan 3, 2021 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. GMT. Tickets start at £30 (about $40).
Texas’s Austin Playhouse continues its December of Dickens with a one-woman version of A Christmas Carol by award-winning actress, storyteller, and author Bernadette Nason. This live-streamed event, using Dickens’s own abridged version, has Nason playing over 30 characters in an hour. It streams Fri.-Sat., Dec. 18-19 at 7:30 p.m. CST; Sun., Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. CST; and Mon., Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. CST. A live talkback (and special guest!) will be offered after each performance. Tickets start at $15 with pick-your-price.
Play-PerView will close out its inaugural season this month with two readings. The first, proud revengeful ambitious by Talene Monahon, is about two young men vying to be the next great Method actor of their generation. Directed by Jaki Bradley and featuring Vella Lovell and Mallory Portney, this live reading will stream online on Sat., Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are $5-$50, with proceeds going to WIN NYC. The second event will be a reunion of the principal cast of ABC’s Better Off Ted, including Portia di Rossi, as they read the season one episode “Jabberwocky” and participate in a moderated discussion and Q&A with Vanity Fair contributing editor Maureen Ryan. The event will stream live on Sun., Dec. 27 at 6 p.m. ET, and will be available on demand until Thurs., Dec. 31. Tickets are a suggested minimum donation of $20, with proceeds going to benefit Feeding America.
Source Material, a company based in New York City, L.A., and Reykjavik, is offering the short dance film Homesick, described as “a viscerally tangible story of a woman and her compulsive, introverted desire for connection.” Starring dancer and choreographer Danielle Agami and directed by Samantha Shay, with music by the Iceland-based Danish musician ZAAR, it will stream on Sun., Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. ET, followed by a live Q&A with director Shay, Agami, cinematographer Victoria Sendra, and composer Sara Flindt. The performance will be available for purchase and viewing by the general public through Sun., Jan. 10, 2021. Tickets are $10-$25.
Chicago based LevityTV presents the day-long stream-a-thon LevityTV & Friends’ Big Fat Socially Distant Holiday Adventure Show, which promises to experiment with new forms of live, interactive performance, focused on creating space for conversations on loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Featuring educators, streamers, and mental health professionals from across the U.S., the free event begins streaming on Sat., Dec. 19 at 12 p.m. CST at Twitch.tv/TheLevityChannel. For a full schedule of events, visit www.LevityTv.com.
NYC-based New Ohio Theatre for the Young Minds presents Journey Around My Bedroom, their first children’s live-streaming show. It follows Xavi, a little girl with a big imagination, who’s stranded alone in her bedroom when a mysterious visitor drops by looking to fix his magical flying machine. Combining techniques of the Victorian toy theatre with contemporary puppetry and original songs, the show will invite participation, and will include a post-show peek behind the scenes. Live streams will be offered at various times Sat., Dec. 26-Sun., Jan. 10, 2021 (with on-demand streams available Jan. 11-Feb. 11, 2021. All tickets are pay what you will, with a suggested price of $25 for up to two viewers.
Asynchronous
PURE Theatre in Charleston, S.C., will stream the popular solo play Satchmo at the Waldorf by Terry Teachout, featuring PURE core ensemble member Douglas Scott Streater as jazz legend Louis Armstrong and his manager, reflecting back on his life as a musician from near the end of his career. The show is available to stream at the ticket holder’s convenience from Fri., Dec. 18-Sat., Jan. 2, 2021. Tickets start at $15 with the option to give more.
The Guthrie Theater today announced it will present Dickens’ Holiday Classic, a virtual telling of A Christmas Carol inspired by the popular public readings Dickens would do of his cherished novella in his lifetime. Adapted and directed for the stage by Joseph Haj, with film direction by E.G. Bailey, this special event will feature Twin Cities actors Ryan Colbert, Nathaniel Fuller, Charity Jones, and Meghan Kreidler. It will be available to stream on demand Sat., Dec. 19-Thurs., Dec. 31. Tickets are $10 per household.
The Black Theatre Troupe in Phoenix, Ariz., will present Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, a free broadcast of the company’s annual holiday production. The company of singers, actors, dancers, and musicians includes Shaniece Brazwell, Brittney Johnson, Jeremy Jones, and Alexander Patrick. The production was directed by Walter Belcher, with musical direction by Brenda Hankins, choreography by Alexander Patrick, and musical supervision by Jennifer Robinson and George Johnson. The stream will be available Wed., Dec. 23 at 10 a.m. to Sat., Dec. 26 at 10 p.m. MST on Black Theatre Troupe’s YouTube channel.
Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, R.I., is offering a free on-demand streaming production of A Christmas Carol Online, marking the 43rd year that the company has reimagined a new production of the Dickens classic. This family-friendly new media experience includes segments filmed remotely and in-person, as well as interactive and illustrated elements. The video is now viewable through Jan. 10, 2021. Access is free but registration is required.
