TDF Stages

With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many artists are sharing their talents online. Below are performances—including recordings of many full-length productions—that you can watch today, Thursday, April 9, from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).

At 2 p.m. EST, London's National Theatre shares a recording of its mounting of Jane Erye, based on Charlotte Brontë's beloved novel. A co-production with Bristol Old Vic, the three-hour play was recorded for the National's NT Live series. Watch it for free on the theatre's YouTube page anytime through Wednesday, April 15.

At 2 p.m. EST, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley host a live variety show on Stars in the House. The lineup includes irreverent stand-up comic Judy Gold, four-time Tony nominee (and kick-ass Walking Dead alum) Tovah Feldshuh and Forbidden Broadway's longtime MVP, singer and crack impressionist Christine Pedi. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on the organization's YouTube channel.

At 4 p.m. EST, watch a recording of Florida Repertory Theatre's production of A Doll's House, Part 2, which was forced to close early due to the current health crisis. Lucas Hnath's unauthorized and searing sequel to Henrik Ibsen's landmark play was a Broadway hit two seasons ago. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount. Once purchased, the recording can be watched anytime for two weeks.

At 4 p.m. EST, watch a recording of Florida Repertory Theatre's mounting of Every Brilliant Thing, which was forced to close early due to the current health crisis. Duncan Macmillan's emotional solo show about a man recalling growing up with a suicidal mother was a hit Off Broadway and was even turned into an HBO film. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount. Once purchased, the recording can be watched anytime for two weeks.

At 5 p.m. EST, groundbreaking trans artist and activist Justin Vivian Bond shares their wit, wisdom and singular song stylings in their weekly live show Auntie Glam's Happy Hour. It's sure to be an entertaining and insightful time. Watch on their website for free, though tips are encouraged.

At 7 p.m. EST, the invaluable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater shares a recording of Judith Jamison's Divining, a vibrant contemporary piece infused with African polyrhythms. Watch it for free on the troupe's YouTube channel through Sunday, April 12.

At 7 p.m. EST, the live-streamed theatre series Play-PerView presents a reading of Ironbound, a searing immigrant story written by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok. This event reunites the cast of the 2016 Rattlestick Playwrights Theater production, including Tony nominee Marin Ireland and Morgan Spector. The performance takes place on the free app Zoom, which you'll need to download in advance. Tickets start at $5, and proceeds benefit nonprofit troupe New York Theatre Workshop and immigrant advocacy organization RAICES.

At 7 p.m. EST, Massachusetts' Provincetown Theater kicks off its virtual programming with a recording of its 2018 production of The Laramie Project, Moisés Kaufman's docudrama about the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student. Watch it for free on the company's YouTube channel through Sunday, April 12.

At 7:30 p.m. EST, the Metropolitan Opera presents its 2013 mounting of Wagner's Parsifal, starring Katarina Dalayman, Jonas Kaufmann, Peter Mattei, Evgeny Nikitin and René Pape, and conducted by Daniele Gatti. The production was filmed for the company's Live in HD series, and is available to watch for free for 23 hours after the start time at metopera.org. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Falstaff, until 6:30 p.m. today, as well as Julie Taymor's award-winning, English-language mounting of Mozart's The Magic Flute.

At 8 p.m. EST, it's a Spring Awakening reunion on Stars in the House. Hosts Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley welcome a bunch of big-name performers who (more or less) started out in the 2006 Tony-winning Broadway musical, including Jonathan Groff, John Gallagher Jr., Skylar Astin, Gideon Glick and Lilli Cooper. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on the organization's YouTube channel.

At 8 p.m. EST, theatre collective Normal Ave launches its QuaranStream series of commissioned 10-minute plays reflecting on our new reality. Each work is specifically created to be performed remotely, using the environments and materials the actors have at their respective homes. The inaugural short is by Yianni Papadimos. Watch it for free on the company's Facebook page.

At 8 p.m. EST, watch a recording of Houston's Alley Theatre's stage adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, which was forced to close early due to the current health crisis. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount. Once purchased, the recording can be watched anytime through Sunday, April 12.

At 9 p.m. EST, This Is Not a Theatre Company presents Play In Your Bathtub: An Immersive Audio Spa for Physical Distancing, a site-specific interactive audio play meant to be experienced from your bathtub. These immersive masters have previously set shows on the Staten Island Ferry and in a swimming pool, but your bathroom is virgin territory! Tickets are free, but donations are appreciated.

Shakespeare's Globe in London is streaming its 2018 mounting of Hamlet featuring artistic director Michelle Terry in the title role. Watch it for free on the theatre's YouTube channel through Saturday, April 19 .

London's Hampstead Theatre continues its #HampsteadTheatreAtHome series with a recording of its 2014 production of Beth Steel's Wonderland, a drama about the UK miners' strike of the mid-'80s. Watch it for free on the company's website through Sunday, April 12.

Inventive low-tech comedy troupe Recent Cutbacks specializes in quick and clever pop-culture spoofs. Throughout April, the company is offering three of its most popular parodies online: Hold on to Your Butts (a send-up of Jurassic Park), Fly, You Fools (an irreverent take on the first installment of The Lord of the Rings) and a series lampooning Game of Thrones. Watch them all for free on the company's YouTube channel.

Remember to check out our roundup of performances you can watch online anytime.

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Raven Snook is the Editor of TDF Stages. Follow her at @RavenSnook. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.

Top image: Jonathan Groff.