As we’ll all be spending a lot more time at home over coming weeks, and not be able to go out to theatres and comedy clubs, the Department of Drama and Theatre would like to share some suggestions of theatre you might want to watch from the comfort of your own homes.
In teaching Performing Lives this year, Dr Helen Brooks came across the production 5 Soldiers, a critically acclaimed five-star production which was a collaboration between British choreographer Rosie Kay and the British army.
‘It’s great to see so many companies putting their work online. If you want to dip into some of these you could have a look at the work of company YesNoYesNo who have put a range of their work online, including the Fringe hit Five Encounters on a Site Called Craigslist. Another interesting company who have put lots of work online are Third Angel‘.
Training
If you’re missing being in the drama studio then why not try doing some training from home using these extracts from our very own Professor Paul Allain’s Digital Performer Training Physical Actor Training: an online AZ.
Physical Theatre
Physical Theatre is something we specialise in at Kent and if this is something you’d like to explore further check out some of this great work. Some students have recommended Compagnie Yoanne Bourgeois’s He Who Falls, filmed at the London International Mime Festival. It’s a beautiful piece of physical theatre defying gravity.
Dr Roanna Mitchell particularly recommends having a look at Gecko Theatre’s The Overcoat, inspired by Gogol’s short story. The piece creates an intoxicating world where a man’s thoughts and dreams spill out into everyday life. It’s set in a government department reminiscent of Chaplin’s ‘Modern Times’. And if you liked that, you might also like Gecko’s Time of Your Life, a piece specially created for the BBC.
Musicals
If you like a musical (and who doesn’t!) then check out last year’s hit Ghost Quartet available in full. Or you might want to take the chance to get the best seats in the house for the West End show Wind in the Willows. And if you fancy dipping into the cutting edge of new musicals check out The Signal. And the Fringe hit Timpson: The Musical is worth a look.
Opera
We don’t teach opera at Kent, but if you fancy taking some time to dip in, then the EU project OperaVision is sharing some incredible world-class opera.
Tech from Home
Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t develop your skills. Tim O’Grady, one of our technicians, has recommended checking out the National Theatre films on technical skills, including this one in which Sound Designer & Composer Alma Kelliher discusses her creative process, her work on The Elephantom and why sound should be arranged like a musical score.
Stand-Up Comedy
Obviously there’s a lot of stand-up available on Netflix, etc., but in addition to that, many stand-ups are finding ways to perform online while we’re all stuck in our homes during the Coronavirus situation. Dr Olly Double, who teaches Stand-Up Comedy and Popular Performance, recommends checking out the Cosmic Shambles’ Stay at Home Festival, as well as their online comedy club compered by Josie Long and John Luke Roberts. Here’s the show that was livestreamed last Sunday.
National Institutions
We are lucky to have some incredible theatre on our doorstep at Kent, whether in our local theatres, touring productions, or the major institutions in London. We’re really excited to hear that as well as sharing their ‘behind-the-scenes’ films, the National Theatre’s ‘At Home’ channel on Youtube will be streaming performances of major productions every Thursday throughout April. In addition, the BBC’s ‘Culture in Quarantine’ is going to include a selection of major recent productions, including Shakespeare, and if you’re in the UK you can check this out on the BBC iplayer. And if you enjoy dance, like Dr Freya Vass, then check out Sadler’s Wells new digital service which will share exclusive online screenings of productions, available for seven days.
Classics (and Classics Reimagined)
Dr Helen Brooks, who specialises in theatre history, recommends Pants on Fire’s, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, an award-winning, sell-out actor-musician extravaganza which relocates Ovid’s epic tales of fantastical transformation to times of WWII.
And if you’re missing out on your Shakespeare, then check out this new scheme which has famous actors reading Shakespeare. And for a bit of family viewing, you might want to watch the RSC’s production of King Lear aimed at those newer to Shakespeare.
Happy viewing! And if you want to share your thoughts on these productions, do get in touch on our social media pages.