of the Arts Council of England . I learned about National Theatre Live several years ago when the Baxter Avenue Cinemas showed the broadcasts . It was almost like being in the original theatre except that the view of the stage and the closeup images of performers were unimpeded by whomever was seated in the rows in front . Unfortunately , the timing of the Louisville performances , 2:00 p . m . on Thursday afternoons , meant that the audiences at Baxter were sparse ( Start times in London were usually 7:00 p . m . which is five hours ahead of EST ). Baxter Avenue Cinemas stopped showing the performances in 2018 . To discover that because of COVID-19 , National Theatre Live had become National Theatre at Home , at least for the past year and the immediate future , has been one of the unexpected pleasures of the year of confinement . As with ATL , there are costs to streaming National Theatre productions .
During the year , smaller theaters within the US were able to start streaming archived performances . Many of these have been free to watch . Those that were pay-for-view charged $ 10 or less per performance . I particularly enjoyed plays from The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey , the George Street Playhouse of New Brunswick New Jersey , Oregon Shakespeare Festival , Ashland , Oregon and the Mint Theatre of New York . This latter specializes in “ forgotten plays ” and has a particular historic link with African American playwrights . Currently , they are showing a trio of plays by an Irish playwright , Teresa Deevy . I have found that registering for a performance from any of these theatres has been quite straight forward . It is much like an online box office . On one occasion when I needed assistance in accessing one of the Mint Theatre performances , I simply sent an email to the box office . I received an automated reply within seconds and a follow up within the 24-hour period specified with the exact resolution of my problem . It was nice to think that someone was monitoring the box office . It suggested to me that there was enough interest in the production to make that service available . It also made me feel part of a community albeit unseen and unknown , of theatregoers seeking solace .
Two theatres that have been able to re-create works for the small screen and at-home viewing are the Irish Repertory Theatre of New York and the Jobsite Theatre in Tampa , Florida . One of the Irish Repertory Theatre productions that really impressed me was an adaptation of “ Yes ! Reflections of Molly Bloom .” Molly Bloom is the wife of Leopold Bloom , the protagonist in James Joyce ’ s novel “ Ulysses .” The play is an adaptation of the long soliloquy from the final section of the novel in which Molly reflects on her intimate and somewhat longsuffering relationship with her husband . The actress Aedin Moloney , who originally created the one-woman show for the Irish Repertory Theatre , reprised the role for digital format . The monologue was filmed using an iPhone and set in a bedroom and adjacent bathroom with all-white décor , in a home in Miami . The presentation was compelling . No concern for mask wearing and distancing here . The skillful hands and eyes controlling the iPhone belonged to Ms . Moloney ’ s longtime partner , Fernando Garcia .
FEATURE
The Jobsite Theatre ’ s pandemic specific production was “ Doubt : A Parable ” by John Patrick Shanley . The play has a cast of only four characters , none of whom is required to come into close proximity to any of the others . The stage sets even in pre-pandemic times were minimal and the current version was shot on-stage in the empty Theatre . Appropriate lighting and sound effects were part of the performance and the inherent distance between the four actors meant no masking was necessary . The overall result was a precisely staged and evocative performance that lost nothing in conversion to streaming video .
I am not one of those theatregoers for whom the bustle and noise of pre-performance seat finding and the excited chatter of the audience are essential to my enjoyment of a play . Nevertheless they are part of the overall experience and cannot be reproduced at home . I was a little skeptical as to whether or not the performances would seem authentic . But the moment I clicked on play for the first time , I was transported into my own private theatre . I knew this was a luxury to which I could truly become accustomed . I am grateful that theatre companies have found a way to communicate with audiences . I promise never again to grumble about the high prices of theatre tickets . The play ’ s the thing …. Dr . Amin is a retired diagnostic radiologist .
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