Where to Watch Theatre, Dance and More Online

We’ve curated a list of theatre productions, TV shows, readings and more for you to watch, read and listen to from your sofa.

Last updated: May 2022.

The effects of the pandemic lockdown has hit our industry hard and we’re missing live shows more than ever so we’re incredibly thankful to all of the theatres and production teams who have made their work available online either for free, by donation or for a subscription fee.

Until doors open again and the lights come back on; performers, theatre-makers, writers, filmmakers, casting directors, agents and all the wonderful people who work in the arts - we miss you and we can’t wait to see your creative genius in person again when this is all over.

Theatre

  • Gecko Theatre

Gecko Theatre has put several of their shows and films on their website for you to watch for free, including The Time of Your Life and The Overcoat.

  • National Theatre at Home

National Theatre has created a subscription service to view their exclusive collection of theatre productions. You can also rent individual plays including Coriolanus, Medea and many more.

  • Open Clasp

The women’s theatre company have released a number of their productions online including the critically-acclaimed Key Change and Sugar.

  • Rifco Theatre

A number of the theatre company’s productions that reflect and celebrate British Asian contemporary experiences are available to watch online including Mushy: Lyrically Speaking, the hit production about living with a speech impediment.

  • Top Story 

The apocalyptic comedy played at the Old Vic Tunnels in 2013 and the theatre company has now made it available to watch for free on YouTube.

  • Theatre Royal Haymarket

Playwright Emily Jenkins was commissioned by the Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass charity to write Cookies, a show about cyberbullying, which you can now watch on YouTube.

Musical Theatre

  • Andrew Lloyd Webber Productions 

Clips from Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit shows and even some full productions can be viewed on The Show Must Go On! YouTube channel. 

  • Les Misérables

Pay to download and watch Les Misérables with The Mackintosh Foundation pledging to make a donation to charity for every download purchased (terms and conditions on their website).

Monologues

  • The Mono Box

Listen to a collection of over 100 audio recordings of renowned artists performing their favourite theatrical speeches in The Monologue Library. 

Ballet

  • Northern Ballet

The iconic company have a number of their world-class ballet shows available to watch online.

Circus

  • Cirque De Soleil 

Visit Cirque du Soleil's website where the troupe host plenty of hour-long free shows.

Opera

  • The Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House has a whole programme of opera and ballet performances streaming on their website for a fee. Performances include The Nutcracker, La bohème and The Royal Opera House Christmas Concert.

Puppetry

  • Wattle and Daub

The Depraved Appetite of Tarrare the Freak, a chamber opera that charts the story of a sideshow freak in 18th-century Paris who serves as a spy for the French Revolutionary Army is available to watch on Vimeo.

Poetry

  • Rose Theatre

As a means of bringing joy and creativity into homes during these uncertain times, the Rose has launched Readings from the Rose featuring a number of prominent actors including Paterson Joseph, Niamh Cusack and Christopher Eccleston.

Shakespeare

  • Globe Theatre

Shakespeare's Globe YouTube Premieres - six plays will be shown, one at a time, on rotation every two weeks, on The Globe's YouTube channel

  • The Show Must Go Online

A global cast performs weekly readings of the Complete Plays of Shakespeare in the order they were believed to have been written.

We’ll be keeping this list updated but please do email us [email protected] if there’s anything you think we should add.

Image by Kyle Head via Unsplash.