So many organisations and individuals are responding to these unprecedented times in brilliantly innovative ways – whether that's making productions available to view online, finding new routes to commission and create art, or offering support for theatre-makers.
We've rounded up some of the most interesting and useful initiatives below. Be sure to check back in as we come across more, and feel free to get in touch if you spot anything you think people should know about!
Things to Watch...
The Shows Must Go On – every Friday, an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is being streamed for free on YouTube here, and will be available for 48 hours.
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – watch a recording of the West End musical co-created and directed by NHB-author Adam Meggido, improvised live by a hugely talented cast of improv artists. Available here.
Girls Like That – Evan Placey's raw and compelling play about adolescent anxiety, slut-shaming and self-belief is available to watch online, in a production by London's Unicorn theatre and Synergy Theatre. Suitable for teenagers. Available here.
Amsterdam – Richmond's Orange Tree Theatre are making their production of Maya Arad Yasur's play Amsterdam available to watch online for free, for a limited time. Available here.
Fleabag – a recording of Phoebe Waller-Bridge performing her original stage play (published by Nick Hern Books here) to a live audience is available to stream for a small charge on Soho Theatre's streaming platform here. And, if you can't get enough Fleabag, the TV adaptation is on BBC iPlayer here.
Upstart Crow – a bit of a cheat, this, but one that David Mitchell's sneakily resourceful version of Shakespeare would no doubt approve of. The acclaimed stage version of Ben Elton's BBC sitcom is off the stage for the time being, but you can still catch the original episodes on iPlayer. Available here.
The Show Must Go Online – weekly readings of the Complete Plays of Shakespeare by a global cast, released in the order they were believed to have been written. Available here.
Pentabus Theatre – rural touring theatre company Pentabus are releasing recordings of past shows on their website and social media channels, streamed for free. Highlights include Matt Hartley's Here I Belong, Crossings by Deirdre Kinahan, and Wolves Are Coming For You by Joel Horwood. Details here.
National Theatre at Home – watch a National Theatre Live production on YouTube for free, streaming every Thursday at 7pm, and then on catch-up for 7 days. Details here.
BBC's Culture in Quarantine – the BBC's scheme to present the arts to a nation in lockdown, including recordings of live theatre. Highlights include the Almeida Theatre's production of Mike Bartlett's play Albion, date to be announced. Full details here.
Live Stream Archive – a digital archive of small-scale theatre, updated every day and free to watch from any device.
A Play, A Pie & a Pint – BBC Scotland celebrates lunchtime theatre from the famous Òran Mór, with episodes available on iPlayer.
Digital Theatre – a subscription service offering access to recordings of over a hundred productions from world-leading companies.
Marquee TV – online access to a large range of filmed theatre productions (as well as dance and opera) on demand, with an emphasis on classic drama including productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe, Classic Spring and the Donmar Warehouse. It's a paid-for service, but they're currently offering a free 30-day trial.
Globe Player – Shakespeare's Globe's online streaming service. A subscription service, with some free content.
LIVR – a streaming platform allowing you to experience live performances in 360° virtual reality. Free trial available.
Broadway HD – an extensive archive of recordings from Broadway. A subscription service, with a free 7-day trial.
National Theatre: Talks – a collection of recorded live Platform events from the National Theatre, featuring interviews with actors, playwrights and directors, available on YouTube. Our favourites include: Nathan Lane and Russell Tovey on Angels in America here; Helen McCrory on The Deep Blue Sea here; Michael Palin on Monty Python here; and Stephen Sondheim in Conversation here.
Forthcoming: Scenes for Survival – a season of digital short artworks launched by the National Theatre of Scotland in association with BBC Scotland and BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine project. Details here.
Things to Get Involved In...
Company 3's Coronavirus Time Capsule project – a collaborative film project for teenagers and youth theatre groups to participate in. Details here.
HighTide's Lighthouse Programme – HighTide are running several projects and programmes for artists, audiences and communities. Includes a script reading service, a series of specially-commissioned work called Love In The Time of Corona, a series of playwriting tasks 40 Plays/40 Nights, a playwriting programme run by NHB-author Dawn King, and plenty more. Full details here.
Kneehigh's Windows to the World – the acclaimed Cornish theatre company are issuing a daily creative challenge via their YouTube channel, for everyone to take part. Full details here.
Papatango's Isolated But Open project – Papatango Theatre Company set aside £2000 to support 20 artists to create despite coronavirus, via their Isolated But Open project. The resulting ten monologues are available to read and watch for free, along with world premieres by award-winning writers Rachel De-Lahay and Anders Lustgarten. See more and download the free collection here.
National Theatre of Scotland's Scenes for Survival – NTS is commissioning short new pieces for their Scenes for Survival project, in association with BBC Scotland and BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine project. Details here.
Theatre Skillshare 2020 – a skills-sharing database for theatre, set up to help artists and organisations create work during lockdown. Access the database here.
Virtual Writers Group – led by NHB-author Diane Samuels, Monday evenings 7.30–9.30pm via Zoom, all levels of experience, limited numbers, £5–£25 per session (on a sliding scale of what you can afford). Full details from dianesamuels@mac.com / Tel: 07970 393 885.
For Kids...
The Wind in the Willows – the West End production of Julian Fellowes' musical, based on the classic children's story by Kenneth Grahame, is available to stream online for free here.
Tweedy's Lost and Found – Tweedy the Clown's show is live-streamed in mini-episodes every Wednesday at noon from the Barn Theatre in Cirencester. Available here.
Audible is offering free streaming of an extensive range of content for children, including Oregon Shakespeare Festival's production of Hamlet here, and Arkangel's Romeo and Juliet, with a cast including Joseph Fiennes here. For younger kids, there's Billy Kelly's This Is A Family Show! here.
Company 3's Coronavirus Time Capsule project – a collaborative film project for teenagers and youth theatre groups to participate in. Details here.
For tips on where to find free online theatre-related content for kids, check out the Twitter feeds for Polka Theatre, Half Moon Theatre, Little Angel Theatre and Unicorn Theatre.
Forthcoming: National Theatre of Scotland's Play Dates, a digital programme for children and young people.
Advice and Reference...
Arts Council of England – the latest advice, guidance and emergency funding measures, here.
Theatre Support – a source of advice and information for anybody in the theatre industry, run by Society of London Theatre (SOLT) & UK Theatre, here.
New Diorama Theatre's North Star Project – a free mailing list to communicate developments around grant and resilience support for artists. Sign up here.
Exeunt Magazine publishes excellent and regularly-updated listings of advice, resources and opportunities for people who work in theatre and are affected by coronavirus, here.