As schools re-open and filming for TV and film resumes, theatres are also trialling reopening.
With a mixture of theatre streamed via Zoom, performances with reduced casts, and socially distanced performances, here are TBB’s picks for theatre to watch this Autumn.
846 Live by Various
A co-production between Stratford East and the Royal Docks Team in response to the murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020, 846 Live is a collection of standalone short pieces exploring racial inequality and oppression. Featuring an entirely black cast and Production Team, the performance will be a free (ticketed) event and will be performed live on an outdoor basketball court.
Playing at the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival on Saturday 12th September.
Find out more here.
Talking Heads by Alan Bennet
Originally broadcast on BBC1 in June, eight of the monologues from Alan Bennet’s Talking Heads will be performed at the Bridge Theatre in a series of unique double bills. This includes a performance by Lucian Msamati of Playing Sandwiches in a double bill with Imelda Staunton performing Lady of Letters.
Playing at the Bridge Theatre from 7th September – 31st October.
Find out more here.
An Evening with an Immigrant by Inua Ellams
Littered with poems, stories, and anecdotes, Inua tells his ridiculous, fantastic, poignant immigrant-story of escaping fundamentalist Islam, experiencing prejudice and friendship in Dublin, performing solo at the National Theatre, and drinking wine with the Queen of England, all the while without a country to belong to or place to call home.
Playing at the Bridge Theatre from 18th September – 15th October.
Find out more here.
No Masks by Nadia Fall and Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Weaved together with imagined narratives, written by Nadia Fall and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, No Masks is a testament to the dedication of key workers during the COVID crisis as well as an exploration of our shared hopes and fears.
No Masks will air on Sky Arts this September (date tbc) when the channel becomes free for everyone across the UK to watch on Freeview and Freesat. It will also be available on streaming service NOW TV.
Find out more here.
Letters by Various
In March 2020, as the UK joined countries around the world in the Covid-19 lockdowns, the Gate Theatre invited 9 pairs of performers to write letters to each other. Letters tell the story of Spring to Summer; of pandemics and protests; of the personal and the public, and of people living in isolation reaching out to one another on paper. At once brilliantly funny, touching, and true, Letters is a candid and compelling celebration of coming together even when we are physically apart.
Streaming via Zoom from 14th September – 7th October.
Find out more here.
La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini
When the struggling writer Rodolfo meets his neighbour Mimì, it’s love at first sight. But as the youthful couple and their friends indulge in life’s pleasures, their happiness is quickly dashed by the realities of their precarious living situation. This socially distanced performance of Puccini’s La Boheme will be sung in English with audience members having the option to watch it from their car, an Uber Box, or from a bicycle. Performed by two alternating casts, selected performances will star Nardus Williams as Mimi and Roderick Williams as Marcello.
Playing at Alexandra Palace from 19th – 27th September.
Find out more here.
Pippin by Stephen Schwartz
Originally directed by Bob Fosse, Pippin follows a mysterious performance troupe that narrates the story of Pippin, a young prince, on his search for meaning and significance. Director Steven Dexter has cast the performance troupe as a group of hippie travellers, setting the play in an age of flower power, the Vietnam War, and the Summer of Love. Performances will feature actresses Tsemaye Bob-Egbe and Tanisha Mae-Brown.
Playing at the Garden Theatre from 8th – 20th September.
Find out more here.