Broadway/Theater Resources
Broadway Direct – BROADWAY-Themed Activities to do at home
Theatre Activities for Kids – With theatre activities, kids will awaken their inner dramatist. They can act, direct, dance, and sing for an applause-ready audience. They can even make props to enhance the show.
Broadway Themed Games – While you’re at home, here are some Broadway-themed activities to help pass the time until it’s safe for us all to come back to the cabaret.
Kimmel Center – Virtual Stages
HAMILTON EDUCATION PROGRAM – EducHam a digital version of the Hamilton education program.
Thesaterical Rights Worldwide – Download scripts to keep and read!
Laura Benanti is doing an online high school musical show to further her “Sunshine Songs” efforts
AILEY AT THE ACADEMY, NOW AT HOME: Ailvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues to offer some of its best know works for streaming, changing weekly. This week the company is offering the stunning dance, Lazarus, created by Philly’s own Rennie Harris, acclaimed hip-hop choreographer and Ailey’s first Artist in Residence. The work was a highlight of the company’s last visit to Philadelphia at the Academy of Music in March 2019. Lazarus will be available to screen beginning at 7 pm today, Thursday on Ailey’s All Access page,
GOD I HOPE THEY GET IT: New York’s Public Theater is the birthplace of many of the landmark musicals that have gone on to legendary status on Broadway and beyond. The Public recently released a video from April 15, 2015 of the original cast of Hamilton paying tribute to the 40th anniversary of the first performance of A Chorus Line, while Hamilton was still performing at the same venue in the Public Theater’s downtown home where A Chorus Line started on April 15, 1975. Enjoy one renowned company honoring another (with some special guests) by clicking here.
FREE CULTURE: The website Open Culture offers a huge collection of free music, films and classes for anyone to access, at a time when it seems like many of us and people that we know may have time on their hands. You can take a course on Ancient Rome, listen to Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize lecture, watch the classic comedy His Girl Friday with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, along with literally thousands of other options that will not increase your student loan or any other debt. Visit the site here.
The Globe has also teamed up with the BBC as part of BBC Art’s Culture in Quarantine project. Emma Rice’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2016) starring Ncuti Gatwa, and Jeremy Herrin’s The Tempest (2013) with Roger Allam as Prospero and Colin Morgan as Ariel, will be hosted on BBC iPlayer for three months from today.
MANUAL BUT NOT AUTOMATIC: Manual Cinema, a company that we have presented a number times in the past few years, is offering two of its productions, ADA/AVA and The Magic City, free for streaming on its site. Along with these productions, a wonderful mix of simple production elements and some unique theatrical magic, you can download Manual Cinema’s Makers Guide, the company’s how-to instructions to making your own combination of light, film and theater. Click here to see the productions
BEATRICE & BENEDICT IN THE PARK: PBS’ Great Performances is offering free access to stream the New York Public Theater Free Shakespeare in the Park’s 2018 production of Much Ado about Nothing, starring Danielle Brooks (Taystee in Orange is the New Black) as the wisened yet winnable Beatrice, and directed by Kenny Leon. Set in modern day Atlanta and cast entirely with actors of color, it’s a great way to experience Shakespeare at his comic best as well as the outdoors without having actually to go outdoors. Visit the Delacorte Theater virtually here.
ISO, YOU-SO, WE ALL SO ISOLATIN’: Feeling your hipness dripping away each day you can’t experience Americana music in person while sipping that craft IPA in your thrift store best? I can’t help with most of that, except to help you to connect with some amazing muscians: Amanda Shires, fiddler/violinist, offers a daily concert with a number of the musicians she and hubby Jason Isbell have socially isolated with on her YouTube channel, “I So Lounging.” Stay on the cutting edge of culture where you usually are and tune in here each night at 7:00 pm.
YOU’RE A WIZARD, HARRY, BUT KEEP THAT WAND 6 FEET AWAY FROM ME: Author JK Rowling and her loyal Potterheads have created a new, free hub on the Wizarding World site entitled “Harry Potter at Home”. Teachers, parents and caretakers who have been forced to become instructors, and anyone else can access content ranging from a free audio download of the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone (the Socerer’s Stone in American), activities, puzzles and other sorts of, wait for it, magic. Visit the hub here.
WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE DOLLY: Having trouble sleeping? If you aren’t, honestly, are you a robot? The true leader of America, Dolly Parton, is offering a weekly story-time, “Good Night with Dolly,” featuring the queen herself reading bedtime stories for children (and adults who need some comforting, so pretty much everyone) every Thursday at 7:00 PM. You can stream last night’s selection, The Little Engine That Could, and check out next week’s by visiting Dolly’s Imagination Library YouTube page.
‘ALLO, GUVNAH: The Royal National Theatre is offering free streaming of some of its most popular productions, recorded live in London. Productions will be posted on the RNT’s You Tube Channel each Thursday, and be available for streaming for a week. First is the show that earned James Corden a Tony award , the hilarious slapstic romp One Man, Two Guvnors, beginning this Thursday, April 2. Check out the rest of the announced productions (with more to follow) by clicking here
KEEP IT LOCAL: Our friends at The Philadelphia Orchestra and Pennsylvania Ballet are posting videos and concerts online. The Pennsylvania Ballet has many offerings as part of “Stay at Home with Pennsylvania Ballet,” including warm-ups from their dancers, for when you remember to stand up, and excerpts from some of their best known works, including Giselle and Sleeping Beauty. They are available here. The Philadelphia Orchestra is offering a wide range of performances to stream at home, including the recent concert of Beethoven’s 5th and 6th Symphonies, with Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting. Search for and listen to some orchestra gems here.
DISNEY THEATRICAL’S FREE EDUCATION TOOLS
Disney Theatrical Productions is offering free downloadable activities—pinned to beloved shows such as The Lion King, Frozen, Mary Poppins, and Aladdin—for parents, students, and educators. Activities, which can be downloaded as PDFs, include The Lion King-inspired costume mask-making (ages 6–11) and a script-writing exercise for ages 11–14, as well as an Aladdin-inspired art and design exercise, in which students can create a mood board, storyboard and design their own set model. Other available resources on the platform include podcasts, behind-the-scenes videos and mini documentaries. Learn more here.
The Lion King Experience – Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway is Offering a Free Online Theater Course for Kids
Disney on Stage – We know that many families and young people will be learning at home for a while, so over the coming weeks we’ll be showcasing some of the most popular parts of Disney Theatrical’s free education programs. Scroll below for activities from The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Frozen, and a selection of Careers in Theatres videos and podcasts.
COLT COEUR’S ONLINE THEATER CAMP
Steven Levenson Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Colt Coeur is opening up its 10th annual free Education Initiative, (lovingly referred to by participants as “theatre camp”), to students ages 9-15 all over the world. With a roster of teaching artists that includes Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson, the program offers students a chance to conceive and create original short plays with the help of professional actors, playwrights, directors, and designers. Lessons will be held online, on six consecutive Saturdays, beginning April 18. View the application form here; and learn more about Colt Coeur here.
LINCOLN CENTER AT HOME
Schools may be temporarily closed, but Lincoln Center Pop-Up Classroom is open. An online live stream starting at 2 PM ET each school day (via Facebook), the virtual classroom is part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ newly launched Lincoln Center at Home—an initiative aimed at helping educators and parents navigate the current pandemic and its restrictions. Classroom topics include creating expressive puppets from simple at-home objects; writing a song and singing it; making woven works of art with recycled material like junk mail and cardboard boxes; and dance lessons to get everyone up and moving. Lincoln Center at Home also features Concerts For Kids, family-friendly musical offerings in short video format from artists such as Music from the Sole, Sonia De Los Santos, Zeshan B, and Elena Moon Park. Broadcast times are 11 AM and 4 PM on specific days.
Learn more about Lincoln Center at Home here.
NEW VICTORY THEATER’S ARTS BREAK
Jeffrey Boerwinkle teaching a workshop as part of Lincoln Center Pop-Up Classroom
While the New Victory has temporarily shut its doors on 42nd Street, the arts organization has been keeping busy online with its free, easy-to-access “New Victory Arts Break.” Featuring a video lesson every school day, the virtual initiative explores a new art form each week. New Victory Teaching Artists will offer demonstrations on puppetry, choreography, magic, and juggling. Videos are available after on the website. Learn more here. Ages 6-12
HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS’ HSA@HOME
The Harlem institution continues to offer many of its classes, across art and design, dance, music, and theatre, online via Zoom. Distant Learning options include Art Exploration (ages 5–7), Ballet (ages 3–17), Commercial Acting (ages 8–18), Animation (ages 10–16), and Acting for Film and TV and Advanced Drawing (ages 13-18). Check out class options, and register here.
BROADWAY BABYSITTERS PLAYHOUSE
The sitter-service that employs working artists has launched donation-based virtual creativity courses for ages 2 and up. Offerings, which are broadcast several times a day, include Broadway Dance Party, a 30-minute living room song and dance workshop, and Broadway Story Time, a 30-minute interactive story session. Past instructors include Broadway alums Tituss Burgess, Ethan Slater, Stephanie Hsu, and Kristolyn Lloyd. Check out the schedule and register here.
CELEBRITY BEDTIME STORIES
Why not let Tony winner Anika Noni Rose or Frozen star Josh Gad read your child a bedtime story? Rose’s Bedtime Stories for the Littles! is broadcast on her IGTV every Sunday evening at 7:30 PM ET, and Gad reads a story live each night from his Twitter account around 7:30 PM ET. So far he’s read The Rabbit Listened, If I Built a School, and Olivia Goes to Venice, among others. Also check out @savewithstories, an Instagram account launched during the COVID-19 pandemic featuring celebrities reading stories. So far, famous readings include Glenn Close reading Millions of Cats,
BROADWAY GREEN’S GREEN QUARANTINE ACTIVITIES
The Broadway Green Alliance has launched a series of virtual workshops aimed at harnessing creative ways to remain connected to each other and the earth. Offered Thursdays and Saturdays through Zoom, the hour-long family-friendly sessions include a lesson on how to make flowers out of your Playbills (April 4) and a conversation with Fun Home’s Beth Malone about single-use plastic in the theatre. Learn more here.
CAMP BROADWAY’S AT THIS STAGE
Camp Broadway teams up with Streamable Learning to present free, 45-minute lunchtime conversations with Broadway designers, actors, authors, career advisors, composers, and more. Running from 1:30–2:15 PM, upcoming guests include composer-lyricist Georgia Stitt and Moulin Rouge’s Kevin Curtis. The series is aimed at students K-12, home school networks, colleges, senior living and community centers, and anyone else with an interest in theatre. Learn more here.
ALVIN AILEY’S ONLINE DANCE PROGRAMMING AND OTHERS
With the launch of Ailey All Access, a new online streaming series, the organization is set to move its Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs online. In the style of the AileyDance Kids school residency program, the virtual classroom will feature recorded video dance classes led by Ailey Teaching Artists and Musicians, for grades Pre-K through 12. Styles offered include West African, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Modern.
If your kids love to dance, or are interested in learning (and you with them!), make sure to check out some of these additional online offerings: Diana star Jeanna de Waal’ Broadway Weekends at Home, free online musical theatre classes, led by Broadway and West End performers; Ballet Hispánico’s B Unidos, offers daily dance classes for ages 2 and up, including pre-ballet, ballet, and tap; and @getinshapegrlbway’s live, free Broadway-inspired workouts, which sometimes feature dancers with their own children.
ROSIE’S THEATER KIDS’ “ROSIE BREAK”
Rosie’s Theater Kids launches #TakeARosieBreak, individual “Rosie Break” challenges—posed by Broadway alums like James Monroe Iglehart and Jessie Mueller—and shared on social media by the RTKids community. Instruction videos are released weekly; already existing challenges include Iglehart’s freestyle challenge, Lori Klinger’s ballet challenge, Chesney Snow’s beatboxing challenge, and Jeff Statile’s air drum challenge. Community creations can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
BUSHWICK STARR AND SUPERHERO CLUBHOUSE’S BGT AT HOME ACTIVITIES
The Bushwick Starr and Superhero Clubhouse bring their eco-playwriting program for elementary students, Big Green Theater, online with the launch of BGT At Home. The first activity is a guided walk through NYC during the 1600s. Learn more here.
PACC’s across the country:
https://www.njpac.org/arts- education/school-programs/ professional-development/
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=cCKGv9cWDrA
Chato: https://youtu.be/ OjDhm5IMm3Q
Alvin Ailey: https://youtu.be/ pHTF4a72VGg
Timbland: https://youtu.be/ ldnloavC8Kc
Tito Puente: https://youtu.be/- 6AW9RvaAHw
https://artscommons.ca/learn- engage/ac-home/
https://www.arshtcenter.org/ ARSHT-AT-HOME/Arsht-at-Home/
https://www.stgpresents.org/ dep (livestream & recorded)
https://www.njpac.org/ inyourhome/
https://o-pa.org/digital- learning
https://www.facebook.com/ DaytonLive365/ (new show called “Dayton Live…Live!” featuring local talent & posting an episode a week on FB)
https://www.facebook.com/ DaytonLive365/videos/ 620238425227634/
www.O-pa.org/online
https://www.capa.com/events- ticketing/apart-together- concert-series
https://trustarts.org/pct_ home/education/educators- schools/crea
https://www.njpac.org/ inyourlivingroom/
https://trustarts.org/pct_ home/education/children-teens/ creative-connections
#canadaperforms @nac-cna.ca
http://masseyhall.com/ soundmuseum
Many resources sourced from: (Clement, O. (2020, April 6). 12 Theatre-Related Online Resources for Kids and Families to Get You Through COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.playbill.com/article/12-theatre-related-online-resources-for-kids-and-families-to-get-you-through-covid-19