Stage is set at home

While it may not be possible to head to watch your local theatre venue come alive with stories and to experience the magic of a black box theatre can still be a part of your life Keeping in line with these times of social distancing theatres the world over have taken to opening up their archives and screening plays for viewers From National Theatre London to Broadway and Shakespeares Globe Theatre there are several performances you can catch online Heres what city theatrewallahs recommendKallirroi Tziafeta actor and teacherA Street Car Named Desire is one of my favourite plays and one that I use while teaching also so Id love to catch National Theatres production of it It is a play about a woman plagued by her conditioning She believes a man will come as her saviour and all her efforts are driven into her looks It was written at the height of racism in 1940s New Orleans but is still relevant For me it is significant because we still live in a society that attaches a premium to a womans appearance We have not broken out of that mouldI also highly recommend Bruce Guthries Culture Diet for a collection of interesting theatre activities and podcastsLog on to National Theatre on YouTubeZahan Kapoor actor and directorI watched Antony and Cleopatra live in London and recommend people watch it online The National Theatre productions are great in quality and precision I personally also want to catch A Street Car Named Desire and Coriolanus I wasnt able to watch these shows live The cast looks interesting and again because it is National Theatre you are guaranteed a certain standard I watched a bit of Phantom of the Opera and Frankenstein both are worthy picksOf course there are certain limitations of the web medium but it is something we will all have to do to keep the form alive Its incredible though that these theatres are sharing their work online You should make the most of itLog on to National Theatre on YouTubeSheena Khalid actor and directorI really enjoyed Londonbased Complicite Companys production The Encounter Ive watched it online before It is truly one of the most remarkable theatrical experiences Ive had Its a fantastic story told very well It is also a production that works for everyone including those who arent oriented in theatre The genius of it is in the sound design and you have to watch it with headphones It uses a microphone which is like a human head So when the performer Simon McBurney in this case speaks on the left side you can hear it in your left ear onlyId also recommend Broadway Live it has a sevenday free trial and has interesting works to watchLog on to Complicite Company on YouTubeSahil Ahuja actor and directorI really enjoyed National Theatres Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch but it is no longer available for viewing I also watched Antony and Cleopatra but owing to the threehourplus duration it took more than one sitting It is a commendable play from the sets to the actors The script and the execution are larger than life and you are left quite spellbound It is a great experience to watch snakes and real guns on stage besides the the historical contextA scene from FrankensteinLog on to National Theatre on YouTubeCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news