TDF Stages

With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many companies and performers from Broadway and beyond are showcasing their work online. Below are performances you can watch today, Wednesday, September 9, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.

The Metropolitan Opera: Rusalka
At 5 p.m. ET, ever since the shutdown began, the Metropolitan Opera has been sharing productions from its Live in HD series nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET. But it also presents weekly student streams that debut on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET. These productions have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week's offering is Rusalka, Czech composer Antonín Dvorák's tragic take on the Little Mermaid fable, staged by Mary Zimmerman and costarring soprano Kristine Opalais, tenor Brandon Jovanovich and Eric Owens (Porgy and Bess) in an acclaimed 2017 mounting. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera's website.

New York Theatre Barn: Walt and Roy and Loch Ness Excerpts 
At 7 p.m. ET, New York Theatre Barn will stream its New Works Series, featuring excerpts from the new musicals Walt and Roy (book, music and lyrics by Richard Allen and Taran Gray) and Loch Ness (book, music and direction by Marshall Pailet; book and lyrics by A.D. Penedo). Walt and Roy chronicles the special relationship of the Disney brothers and costars Charity Farrell and Payson Lewis (NBC's The Sing-Off). In Loch Ness, 12-year-old Haley encounters the legendary water monster. Kaylin Hedges (Annie) and Jeremy Kushnier (Footloose) costar. Watch the 45-minute presentation on the company's YouTube channel. 

Urban Stages: #NWord
At 7 p.m. ET, Off-Off Broadway's Urban Stages continues its September Play Fest & Fundraiser series with a reading of Christian Elder’s #NWord, about a video posted online of a white girl calling a Black boy the title slur while on the school bus in SoHo, and the repercussions on their families. Featuring: Bethel Caram, Shabazz Green, Reuben Goldman, Paul Kelly and Disnie Sebastien. There will be a post-show Q&A with the playwright, actors and director Vincent Scott. Watch for free on Urban Stages' YouTube channel though donations are encouraged; the stream will be up until September 13.

The Metropolitan Opera: La Damnation de Faust
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera's French week continues with Hector Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, about the fiery title hero's ruinous bargain with the devil Mephistopheles and his descent to the depths of hell. Conducted by James Levine, Robert Lepage’s stunning 2008 production costars Marcello Giordani and Susan Graham  Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Roméo et Juliette, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Stars in the House: "Best Of" Clips
At 8 p.m. ET, when Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley vowed to keep theatre fans entertained with Stars in the House as long as Broadway was shut down, it was impossible to imagine we'd be here six months later. Tonight features "best of" clips from the series, which has aired daily (and often twice-daily) since March. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Available to Watch All Day

The Latino Theater Company: This Is a Man's World  
The Latino Theater Company streams its archived production of This Is a Man's World, written and performed by Sal Lopez. In this candid and intimate performance, music and memory swirl as Lopez relives the lessons that shaped his life, from the scent of a piroul tree in Mexico and the thrill of young love to the effects of the Watts Riots and the birth of his son. Watch for free on the company's YouTube channel.  

The Wooster Group: The B-Side
Pioneering avant-garde theatre troupe The Wooster Group shares a recording of its acclaimed 2017 production The B-Side, inspired by the 1965 LP Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons, featuring work songs and spirituals recorded live by inmates in Texas' then-segregated penitentiaries. Billed as a "record album interpretation," the singular piece is a collaboration between the company and actor Eric Berryman, who brought the source material to The Wooster Group's attention. Watch for free until Monday, September 14 on the company's website.

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Elyse Orecchio is TDF's Online Presence Manager. Follow her on Instagram and on Twitter at @elyseo. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.