SAN DIEGO — Friends on my Facebook feed have been reminding me that Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the plague of 1606 when theatres were shut down. There were multiple epidemics in his day. Scholars believe that the isolation and boredom also inspired the Bard to write Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Antony & Cleopatra, Venus & Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece.
Because of the rules of Social Distancing, our theatres are closed. SD REP’s House of Joy closed the same weekend it opened. Roustabouts’ gUnTOPIA showed one preview and has been rolled over into next season. Other shows have been indefinitely postponed or simply cancelled. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that theatre isn’t happening. We live in the Digital Age of YouTube, Skype and Zoom. And so “the show must go online.”
Here are some of the ways our local theatres are still offering performances to our community.
Zoomfest: This weekend, the Moxie Theatre is offering live readings of new shows about coping with the current situation. For dates, times and links, click here.
House of Joy: San Diego Repertory Theatre is allowing patrons to purchase access to watch their videotaping of a live invited dress rehearsal. But don’t delay. It is only available through April 12, 2020.
Write Out Loud, which is best known for staged readings of literature, Twainfest and Shades of Poe is offering story time for the child in all of us that still likes to be read to. Next up is The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau read by Veronica Murphy. Click here for more details.
Have you ever wondered about the nuts and bolts of how theatre happens? It might start with the bright-eyed optimism you see in old movies with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. But it also takes a lot of preparation and hard work. You can learn from the best with North Coast Rep’s YouTube channel where they feature conversations with writers and directors. Omri Schein and David Ellenstein have been working on a world premiere musical comedy murder mystery, The Remarkable Mister Holmes. You can get on their list, via this email.
And coming full circle with Shakespeare in times of plague, Thinking Shakespeare Live! by The Old Globe’s Artistic Director Barry Edelstein has always gone over well. And they are offering a new series on their Facebook page, Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets!
The Globe’s Literary Manager, Danielle Mages Amato hosts On Book: The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Reading Group starting Thursday, April 2 at noon. And they are continuing to offer their playwriting workshop Community Voices and theatrical workshop Behind the Curtain in their ongoing efforts to reach lots of new artists-to-be.
And that’s show-biz.
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Eric George Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com