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Streaming This Weekend: Operatic Cowboys, Shakespearean Drama, and More

This weekend watch a free performance of Shakespeare's thrilling Julius Caesar set in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprisings, a documentary on the making of a Western opera, and an exploration of the possible futures of society.

Check out our suggestions of theatre to watch from home this week: 

Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera - Documentary, Film

Western cowboy culture and opera’s hallowed traditions converge to celebrate the collaborative power of art in this new documentary film. What begins as a challenge between a composer and his librettist evolves into a creative posse of artists, musicians, and singers sharing a singular vision.

The power of Zane Grey's classic novel is reclaimed opening night in an opera that marries music theatre, cutting-edge stagecraft, and matinee heroes.

A fast-moving thriller about a struggle for democracy, William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is also a love story between two men united by an explosive act of political violence.

Gregory Doran‘s film sets the action in post-independence Africa. With echoes of the recent overthrow of dictators during the ‘Arab Spring’, the production explores the implications of political assassination and the unpredictability of its aftermath.

Imagine the future. However you choose to imagine it. Now imagine it in your hands. What does community mean in a time of division and separation?

Mixing live performance, animation and sound, ASSEMBLY looks at the impact of humans on nature and what we might build together for a better future. It's about trying, failing, and trying again. In times of emergency, it is about hope.

When an idealistic poet is drawn into the dark, fantastical underworld of the Parisian night-club the "Moulin Rouge," he finds a seedy, glamorous haven of sex, drugs and electricity. 

He finds himself plunged into a passionate love affair with the club's star, who is also the city's most famous courtesan in this tragic love story from filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

Discover more than 1500 digital resources on Thespie.

Streaming This Weekend: Jesus, Shrek, Dolly & NYC

This weekend stream a coming of age story told through the lives of four New Yorkers, a free stream of the hit rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar, and a hilarious musical adaptation of the greatest fairy tale never told.

Ordinary Days - Musical, Filmed Performance

Ordinary Days is a poignant musical about how ordinary things are just what makes life so extraordinary. The story follows four young New-Yorkers trying to find their way: a woman who cannot let things go; a man who wants to start afresh; an artist who struggles to find his purpose; and a student who has lost her thesis notes.  

This is a musical for anyone who has ever struggled to appreciate the simple things in a complex place. With equal doses of humour and poignancy, it celebrates how individual stories combine in unexpected ways.

Jesus Christ Superstar - Musical, Filmed Performance

Jesus Christ Superstar is an iconic rock musical retelling of the final days of Jesus Christ, but as seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.

The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire. The iconic 1970s rock score contains such well-known numbers as “Superstar,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Gethsemane.”

Shrek the Musical - Musical, Filmed Performance

Make room for ogre-sized family fun as the greatest fairy tale never told comes to life in a whole new way in this Broadway musical adaptation of the hit movie Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a princess from a fire-breathing dragon, gruff ogre Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot - a wisecracking donkey.

The film that inspired the hit musical is now available to stream on Disney+. A group of female office workers, the all-knowing manager who trained the boss but can't get promoted, a befuddled newcomer, and an alluring personal secretary everyone presumes is having an affair, all band together to seek revenge on the man who is making their lives miserable.

Lorien Haynes is an actor and playwright based between London and Los Angeles and her first play Good Grief, which draws from her own experiences of finding joy in the process of grief, has just premiered as a piece of virtual theatre.

Alongside her theatre work, in the last two years she has written, acted and produced 23 short films, directed by 21 women, which support survivors of abuse and assault, and is currently working on her indie feature The Lift which won Best Screenplay at The Paris Independent Film Festival..

When I was a teenager I was such a chronic introvert I wouldn’t speak to anyone and just hid in corners reading endless, crap adult romance fiction. I was pushed into doing a school production of some terrible gothic melodrama. I walked through the doors into the first rehearsal and everything changed. I wanted to work. I wanted to act. I wanted to communicate.  I had found my tribe. I was home. And I could be myself in theatre in a way I couldn’t be in life. That’s not really changed. 

There has to be the right ‘why’ behind the play, behind any performance. Why does the play exist? What purpose does the play - your part in it - serve. 

What’s something that you've learned along the way that you use often?

Theatre is not personal. You’re simply a vessel. As actor, or writer. Theatre is there for storytelling and shared experience. People aren’t watching you, listening to you. It’s your job to convey and communicate information and emotion that helps people identify and learn. That makes people feel seen. That helps us all in an understanding of universal truths. There has to be the right ‘why’ behind the play, behind any performance. Why does the play exist? What purpose does the play - your part in it - serve. 

What experiences have shaped who you are and how you work?

Your life is the experience you can share. All of it. The tough stuff. What you’ve learned. How you’ve survived. Your emotion. Your truth. As an artist, there is a compulsion to understand experience and shape it into a way you can share it. Good Grief came from a need to understand the loss of a friend; to manifest a tribute to her and to try and share the complex nature of grief and the realisation that nothing had taught me how to deal with her loss. Nothing in education. Nothing in society. I had no equipment.

What advice do you have for people wanting to engage with the arts during this difficult time?

Just to engage. To seek theatre. It’s stunning how everyone from the RSC to the National to The Old Vic to the Donmar and Almeida have sought - fought - to keep going. To provide streamed productions. When I was approached by Finite Films and Platform Presents, their objective to find a new form of theatre at this time felt essential and innovative. A sign that as human beings we have the capacity to adapt creatively and find a way in the darkest of times. The history of art is full of examples of this. And then, as a creative, I say to others, don’t give up. To the thousands out of work and afraid for when the industry can start again - we need you. We are all fighting to sustain but there is no doubt in my mind how essential theatre is to life. We have to hold onto that.

We are all fighting to sustain but there is no doubt in my mind how essential theatre is to life. We have to hold onto that.

What kind of theatre would you love to see more of?

I see anything and everything! From experiential theatre like Sleep No More, to Broadway [Humans], to West End [Betrayal], to rep, to off West End -  I could not choose. I think the future of theatre at the moment needs to go outside. I think we need to cultivate a culture of outdoor theatre - which in a pandemic is the safest option. I’d love to form a small rep company to tour outdoor UK and US venues. Anyone that wants to finance this - please give me a shout!

Streaming This Weekend: Arts Spectaculars, Gripping Drama, And More

This weekend stream a gripping family drama performed in the round, two spectacular arts and dance celebrations, and captivating readings from Olivia Colman, Taron Egerton, Claire Foy, and Helen McCrory for Letters Live.

Letters Live - From the Archives: Union Chapel - Readings, Filmed Performance

Letters Live celebrates letter writing and the art of correspondence through live events where remarkable letters are read by a diverse array of outstanding performers. This filmed performance features stunning readings from Taron Egerton, Claire Foy, Alan Carr, Thom Yorke, Jordan Stephens, Sue Perkins, Benedict Cumberbatch, Asa Butterfield, Adrian Edmondson, Olivia Colman, Damian Lewis, Louise Brealey, Helen McCrory and Nick Cave.

Rise Up With Arts - Concert, Dance, Filmed Performance

Rise up with Arts combines thrilling performances and interviews with incredible dancers & musical theatre stars about what performing means to them and how they have overcome the challenges of the last year.

With performances from stars of Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars and The Greatest Dancer your favourite dance shows are covered.

The House of Bernarda Alba - Play, Filmed Performance

Bernarda’s husband is dead. Now she alone rules her household and the lives of her five daughters. Bernarda struggles to retain her suffocating grip on the family and on her daughters whose appetite for defiance is growing.  

Lorca’s final masterpiece is a bitter and darkly comic tragedy that charts the tyranny, jealousy and desperate struggle for freedom that will tear Bernarda and her daughters apart.

In a landmark co-production, Graeae bring their unique focus on accessibility and different theatrical languages to bear on this spare and full-blooded translation of the play by Jo Clifford.

Remembering the Oscars - Concert, Dance, Filmed Performance

A stunning one-hour TV spectacular starring Aljaž & Janette, together with a fantastic cast of singers and dancers, celebrating Oscar winning songs, films and dance routines from the Golden Ages of Hollywood through to Disney family favourites and beyond, featuring many classic and contemporary songs and dance routines.  

Featuring a cast of some of the UK’s best dancers, performing on a brand-new stage with a huge LED screen, together with specially filmed content, new musical arrangements of over 25 songs and wonderful costumes. Movies being celebrated include: Dirty Dancing, Mary Poppins, Flashdance, Cabaret, Wizard of Oz, American In Paris, The Lion King, La La Land, Toy Story, and many more.

Streaming This Weekend: Site-Specific Musical Magic and More

This weekend stream enchanting acrobatics, a reunion of a Sondheim musical, an interview with the stars of a site-specific show, and once-in-a-lifetime performances from a star-studded cast featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Jude Law, in Letters Live.

The Last 5 Years  - Musical, Filmed Performance

A brand new site-specific streaming production of the emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, The Last Five Years' unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.  

A refreshing whirlwind perspective on modern romance, heartbreak, and self-discovery, brought to life through Jason Robert Brown's award winning musical and starring Broadway artists Nasia Thomas, and Nick Edwards.

Letters Live - From the Archive: Freemasons' Hall - Readings, Filmed Performance

Letters Live celebrates letter writing and the art of correspondence through live events where remarkable letters are read by a diverse array of outstanding performers. 

Featuring stunning performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman, Jude Law, Carey Mulligan, Clarke Peters, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Miriam Margolyes and more. Watch these one-in-a-lifetime performances from Letters Live from your own home.

The Assassins Reunion Show - Musical, Artist Talk, Filmed Performance 

Patrick Cassidy, Artistic Director of Studio Tenn Theatre Company in Franklin, TN, has organized a star-studded 30-year reunion of the original cast and creative team of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Tony Award-winning musical, Assassins.

Original cast members Cassidy, Victor Garber, Greg Germann, Annie Golden, Lyn Greene, Jonathan Hadary, Eddie Korbich, Terrence Mann, Debra Monk, William Parry and Lee Wilkof will join Sondheim and Weidman, director Jerry Zaks, musical director Paul Gemignani, and orchestrator Michael Starobin, among others.  

The film inspiration for the hit musical Waitress is now available to stream on Disney+.

Jenna is unhappily married, hiding away money, and hoping to win a pie baking contest so, with the prize money, she'll have enough cash to leave her husband Earl. She finds herself pregnant, which throws her plan awry. 

She bakes phenomenal pies at Joe's Diner, listens to old Joe's wisdom, tolerates her sour boss Cal, is friends with Dawn and Becky (her fellow waitresses), and finds a mutual attraction with a new doctor in town.  As the pregnancy advances, life with Earl seems less tolerable, a way out less clear, and the affair with the doctor complicated by his marriage.

Prominent Plays Receive 2021 Oscar Nominations

Today the nominations for the 2021 Academy Awards were announced, including some substantial recognition for three stage works that have been adapted into incredible films.   

The adaptations of plays One Night in Miami... (by playwright Kemp Powers) and The Father (by playwright Florian Zeller and translator Christopher Hampton) have both been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, and The Father received a Best Picture nomination. 

For The Father, Anthony Hopkins was also nominated for Best Actor, making him the oldest actor to be recognised (at 83), Olivia Coleman was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, with further nominations for Editing (Yorgos Lamprinos) and Production Design (Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone.) 

One Night in Miami...’s Leslie Odom, Jr. was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Sam Cooke, and Best Original Song for “Speak Now,” which he performed and co-wrote for the film. The Hamilton alum is expected to perform the song for the ceremony in April, and you can stream the official music video for the song below:

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, adapted from the legendary August Wilson play, didn't receive a nomination for its screenplay, but provided two acting nominations: Viola Davis for Best Actress and Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor; as well as noms for Production Design (Mark Ricker, Karen O'Hara and Diana Stoughton), Costume Design (Ann Roth) and Makeup & Hairstyling (Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson.) 

Davis has now received four career Oscar nominations, making her the most-nominated Black actress in Academy history, and she won previously for Fences, another August Wilson adaptation. Boseman passed away in August while Ma Rainey was still in post-production, after a battle with colon cancer, and has already posthumously received a Golden Globe Award for the role.

Congrats to all these amazing artists! 🎉 We love seeing stage works go on to reach a broader audience, and theatre actors recognised for their contributions to film as well. 

We look forward to hearing the winners announced (and hopefully a Leslie Odom, Jr. performance) at the ceremony on Sunday, 25 April.

Streaming This Weekend: An Explosive Musical and Hard-Hitting Theatre

This weekend watch a thought-provoking examination of a family in crisis, an explosive new musical in concert, a hard-hitting reflection of Black women’s political power, and an exploration of gods in the modern world. 

Several years after tragedy impacted their lives, a family comes together once again for Thanksgiving dinner. While family members struggle to come to terms with residual anger, grief and guilt, Jack Canfora’s thought-provoking play explores how people cope with personal and collective catastrophe. 

Displaying surprising humor and biting wit, this Jericho, Long Island clan exposes their desperate strategies for resolution and redemption. 

Treason The Musical: In Concert - Livestream, Musical

Treason is the exciting new musical drama about the gunpowder plot, set to completely blow you away with a stunning new score and lyrics, featuring a fusion of original folk and pop songs that tell a crucial tale in England's history. 

This concert, filmed at Cadogan Hall in London, is a fantastic showcase of the explosive original songs created for this brand new musical and performed by an incredible cast.

AISHA (the black album) - Short Film, Poetry

Following the United States’ centenary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 2020, which gave the first women the right to vote in America, and Kamala Harris’ historic inauguration, Aisha (the black album) traces the history of Black women’s political power. 

Spanning from disenfranchisement to mobilisation against the backdrop of the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the 2020 US election, this is a powerful brand new commission, performed by Jade Anouka and directed by Tinuke Craig.

The Talkings Gods Season of plays contains five snapshots of our modern world, filled with pathos and comedy, music and love, tragedy and loss - powered by the beating heart of timeless, enrapturing Greek myths.

They seek to honour these ancient tales by reimagining them in the present whilst retaining their ancient truths, as relevant today as they were when first told.  

Streaming This Weekend: Heartfelt Humour and Iconic Musicals  

This weekend watch an absurdly hilarious play about grief, a celebration of one of the most revolutionary musicals of all time, and a free, joyful celebration of life from the cast of one of the newest Broadway shows.

After the tragic loss of a woman they loved, two friends navigate the five stages of grief and all the absurdity, hilarity and pain that that entails. Sharp, funny, brutal, irreverent and quintessentially British. 

Jagged Live in NYC - Filmed Performance, Livestream 

The cast of Jagged Little Pill appear in a free encore airing of their special reunion concert, delivering an electrifying dose of collective joy and a reminder of art’s ability to heal. 

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella - Musical, Film

This classic reimagining of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella for a new generation, starring Whitney Houston and Brandy, was an instant classic in 1997 and finally makes its way to UK streaming on 5 March.

25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love - Livestream

This weekend is your final chance to catch the epic celebration of the musical RENT which recently turned 25 years old. See performances by an all-star cast, moving tributes to composer/lyricist Jonathan Larson, and get insight into the early beginnings of RENT at New York Theatre Workshop before becoming the beloved, global phenomenon it is today. 

The Reunion x Girl Power - Filmed Performance, Artist Talk

Looking forward to the beginning of next week, join us for an International Women's Day double-feature of two great concerts, along with a new special artist Q&A and behind-the-scenes footage. You can expect brilliant pop vocals, cute behind-the-scenes moments, and heartfelt encouragement for audiences at home. 

12 Rising Theatre Stars Receive Grants Amid Starry Performances

Tonight, twelve rising stars of UK theatre each received £10,000 grants from the Future Theatre Fund, in a streamed event hosted by musical theatre stars Aimie Atkinson and Layton Williams. 

Awards were given in 6 categories: acting, directing and theatre-making, visual design, audio design, musical theatre and the TikTok Breakout Star award. The talented recipients are: 

Directing & Theatre-making: Jamie Hale and Omar Bynon

Visual Design: Caitlyn Mawhinney and Nikki Charlesworth

Audio Design: Nicola Chang and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers

Musical Theatre: Beth Hinton-Lever and Emily Aboud

TikTok Breakout Star: Ewan Fellows and Jesse Chuku

Congratulations to these incredible talents!

There were also some thrilling performances during the stream. The first was Heart of Stone from SIX sung by Collette Guitart, Cherelle Jay, Zara MacIntosh, and Hana Stewart, from the West End and Tour casts of SIX. 

Sam Tutty gave a solo performance of Waving Through A Window from Dear Evan Hansen.

Later in the show, The Grad Fest gave an ensemble performance of I'm A Star, by Scott Alan.

The final performance of the evening was Out of the Darkness from Everybody's Talking About Jamie performed by Layton Williams and Noah Thomas.

Watch the complete stream of the Future Theatre Fund.

Lynn Nottage to Announce Gender and Racial Equity Initiative at Women's Day on Broadway

Women of Broadway have announced that the registration is now open for Women's Day on Broadway, the annual conference for women theatre makers and industry professionals. The free event will be held Friday, March 12th at 6pm GMT / 1pm EST, with all of the programming delivered virtually around the globe. All gender identities and expressions are welcome.

As part of the event, Lynn Nottage, two-time Pulitzer-winning playwright, is expected to announce an initiative to honour the legacy of pioneering playwright Lorraine Hansberry, writer of A Raisin in the Sun. Complete details are not yet available but Women of Broadway shared that the program will "establish a unique opportunity to address gender and racial disparity in American theater," at a national level.  The initiative is supported by The Lillys, an organisation celebrating, supporting, and advocating for women theater artists and gender parity at all levels of theatrical production, for which Nottage serves on the board. 

Last year's Women's Day on Broadway event was held on March 11, 2020, with Hillary Clinton as the Keynote Speaker, one day prior to the Broadway shutdown due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic. Anne Quart, SVP Production & Co-Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions commented, “This year has been unimaginably difficult for our community, who were suddenly cut off from not just their livelihoods but their chosen purpose. With our theatre's still dark, we knew it was important now more than ever to gather the Women of Broadway to share our stories and inspire and refresh each other." 

If you know aspiring theatre makers who could benefit from attending the program, please let them know about the event!

Here are highlights from the 2020 Women's Day on Broadway event:

Learn more about Women's Day on Broadway.

The Reunion x Girl Power, Women in Theatre & New March Artist Talks

We've got some incredible new events this month, celebrating great artistry, women in theatre, a new generation of musical theatre stars, and International Women's Day. March is Women's History Month, so in addition to these announced events we'll be sharing information about great women theatre artists and creatives throughout the month.

Our big concert event premieres 8 March at 8pm:  To celebrate International Women's Day, join us for The Reunion x Girl Power, a double feature of our streamed concerts, with a special Q&A with the artists and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. This special 2-hour event stars Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Grace Mouat, Jarneia Richard-Noel, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Millie O’Connell, and Natalie Paris, seven of the UK's top vocal powerhouses who originally met as the original West End queens of the musical Six. Tickets for the double-feature are £15 and include the interval Q&A. Purchasers have on demand access to the concerts for one week.   

The free-to-view informal chat series Thespie Thursdays also continues, this month featuring women theatre artists that span a variety of disciplines:

Lucy Moss (4 March) - co-creator of the musical SIX, and director of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, developed collaboratively across the TikTok video platform

Danielle Tarento (11 March) - theatre producer and casting professional focusing mostly on musical theatre

Olissa Rogers (18 March) - casting director covering stage and screen

Hannah Hauer-King (25 March) - stage director of theatre, comedy, cabaret, and musicals, and head of the all-women theatre company Damsel Productions

We've also pulled together new instalments of our In the Room series of free artist talks. In the Room comprises conversations with performers and creators and about writing, rehearsal, and collaboration. Our guests include:

Ore Oduba (3rd March) - TV & radio presenter, musical theatre artist and Strictly Come Dancing champion

Jamael Westman (10 March) - original West End Hamilton who performed the role in both London and Los Angeles

The Last Five Years (17 March) - we speak to the cast (Nasia Thomas, Nicholas Edwards) and creatives (Jason Michael Webb, Director & Music Director; and Christina Franklin, Associate Director) of the new NYC site-specific streaming production premiering this month

Sharon Rose (24 March) - musical theatre artist from the UK production of Hamilton, and 2020 Netflix Christmas film Jingle Jangle

Shan Ako (31 March) - singer/songwriter and musical theatre artist known for her work in Les Miserables, Whitney: Queen of the Night, and X-Factor

We hope you can join us for some of these exciting events this month on Thespie!

Nadine Deller is a theatre researcher who writes about Black women’s theatre and the National Theatre’s Black Plays Archive, and is the creator and co-host of That Black Theatre Podcast, which charts Black theatre histories in Britain. Nadine is Black and dual-heritage, so reclaiming Black histories and dismantling stereotypes of what is to be Black and British is very important to her. She has a passion for film (which she also writes about!) and her family are from the Seychelles, home to beautiful beaches and the world’s largest nut, the coco-de-mer!

I decided to do a PhD on Black theatre because I think seeing yourself represented in culture is vital, and I’m interested in the intersections between race, gender, class, sexuality and performance. Doing a PhD with the National Theatre on the Black Plays Archive was a fantastic opportunity to rediscover Black theatre histories and share them beyond the academy. Theatre is a vehicle for empathy and social change, and I believe it can give voices to marginalised perspectives and lead us to rethink the world we live in for the better.

Theatre is a vehicle for empathy and social change, and I believe it can give voices to marginalised perspectives and lead us to rethink the world we live in for the better.

Something that I have learned along the way is to remind yourself of how far you’ve come and to actively believe in yourself. As a person of colour in a majority white institution, sometimes it can be hard to feel your voice is heard, so I try to appreciate the work I do, remind myself that it didn’t happen by accident, and to value myself as much as I value the achievements of other people.  

I think my childhood has really shaped my approach to life and my work ethic. I grew up on a council estate in a large dual-heritage family, so I’ve always been encouraged to be proactive and work hard to get what I want from life. I grew up in a pretty political household, and I was encouraged to read a lot, so I’ve always been invested in all kinds of writing that isn’t necessarily in the ‘canon’, Black politics and feminism, which heavily influence the work I do and my perspectives in life.

The advice I would give to people who want to engage with the arts at the moment is that the arts really need support right now more than ever, so if you can donate to your local/favourite theatre, it will make a real difference. I’d also say that the internet is an amazing tool to engage with what theatre companies are doing right now. I’m amazed at the work that is being created by the National, the Bush theatre, the Young Vic and Graeae theatre (and so many others)!

I would love to see more work by Black writers – particularly work by Back women, Black queer, and Black trans creatives.

I would love to see more work by Black writers – particularly work by Back women, Black queer, and Black trans creatives. There are so many wonderful stories out there that aren’t being given the platforms they deserve, and seeing Black theatre is something that was so rare for me as a child, so I just want to see more and for our voices to be heard on stage. As a Seychellois, I’d also really love to see some theatre about our history and culture, as it’s so under-represented in Britain.

Find out more about That Black Theatre Podcast here

Do you write like you're running out of time? Are you looking for work (Work!) in theatre marketing, communications, or journalism? Then take a look at the newest role available at Thespie.

Theatre Content & Editorial Manager

We are looking for someone with experience writing great online content to help us build out Thespie's theatre listings, editorial, and other writing and media projects. You should be great at writing copy that is captivating, concise, and error-free; able to communicate with readers from a range of theatre experience levels; and eager to get feedback, learn from results and improve effectiveness. 

A rich knowledge of the US or UK theatre and performing arts landscape is helpful but not required.  This is a part-time, hourly, paid role, with flexible scheduling depending on the location and individual needs of the candidate. We expect the initial project will be 2-3 months at around 20 hours per week.

Great written communicator, able to quickly draft clear, relatable prose for a variety of channels, including web copy, news articles, social media and press releases.

Great editor, able to review draft copy and suggest edits in a clear, tactful way. You have great empathy for readers, respect their time by leading with the most important information, and always work to remove redundant sentiment, be more specific and be clearly understood.

You understand theatre and the arts, the diversity of theatre experience levels among the audience, and are able to write in a way that inspires people's curiosity, including theatre super-fans as well as those with very little knowledge of theatre. You're able to talk about different shows in ways that highlight their differences, avoiding use of generalised superlatives that make shows sound the same.

Highly organised and analytical. You are wired to make decisions based on data, balanced with strong instincts about what's right for Thespie users and our brand.

An efficient, kind, and tech-savvy problem-solver with a knack for figuring things out on your own and supreme attention to detail.

The ultimate team player. You seek feedback on your work so that you can improve, and provide encouraging support and correction to others' work so that it improves. You openly suggest ideas for how Thespie and our team can improve (for the good of artists and audiences), and are clear and concise in team communication. You want others to succeed and are happy to step outside your role remit to help Thespie be more impactful.

Ideally, you also have some experience with media of various types, and are comfortable creating/editing images, video clips, trailers, ads, etc. with a bent for using templates and systematic processes to simplify effort. 

Chance to join an early-stage technology start-up setting out to help rebuild the theatre ecosystem and reinvent the way theatre finds its audience.

Mentorship and camaraderie from an experienced team of theatre-loving technologists who and care about improving people's lives through the work we do.

Pay depends on level of experience, likely around £10.50 / $15 per hour.


We are particularly interested in connecting with candidates from backgrounds that are underrepresented in theatre communications/journalism/criticism, including Black, South Asian, East Asian, Arab, mixed-race, and immigrant candidates; and transgender and non-binary candidates. Please do complete an application, even if you don't meet all of the required criteria. We'd love to hear from you!

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, citizenship, disability, or veteran status. We want to help all people feel welcome in the communal experience of theatre, regardless of background or level of knowledge about theatre and the arts.

Applications for this role have now closed. 

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn below for future opportunities.

Streaming This Weekend: Exploring Black Musical Theatre Creators, and More

This weekend stream a musical event exploring the contributions of inspiring Black musical theatre creators over the past 100 years, along with an intimate concert from Ali Stroker, moving fairy-tale ballet, and thought-provoking audio artistry.

The Road to Prominence - Livestream, Concert

The Road to Prominence celebrates the wonder, craft and journey of Black musical theatre artistry over the last 100 years. From Broadway to the West End, from the 20th to 21st centuries, diverse voices from the African and Caribbean diaspora have birthed a new sound which has both promoted and progressed musical theatre, adding rich cultural layers and eclectic edges to the beloved multidisciplinary artform. The Road to Prominence features an acclaimed roster of UK talent from the stage and screen celebrating the music of Black musical theatre writers, composers and creatives through candid conversations and powerful performances.

Sleeping Beauty - Filmed Performance, Ballet 

An enchanting performance of the classic fairy tale, featuring a trove of ballet repertory gems – the iconic Rose Adage, when Aurora meets her four royal suitors, the lilting Garland Waltz, the 'Vision' Pas de deux, when Prince Florimund sees Aurora for the first time, and the celebratory divertissements and final pas de deux that bring the ballet to its glorious close. Throughout, Tchaikovsky’s masterful score takes ballet music to a height of passion, sophistication and intensity that arguably has never been surpassed.

An Evening with Ali Stroker - Livestream, Concert

Join Broadway's groundbreaking Tony Award-Winning performer Ali Stroker for an intimate live-streamed concert. The evening will feature songs from the Great American Songbook from such composers as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephen Sondheim, Carole King, Stephen Schwartz, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and more.

Use Your Head For More - Filmed Performance, Audiovisual Experience

Presented as a series of audiovisual portraits, Use Your Head For More regenerates the transcript of a conversation between composer Justin Hicks and his mother, engaging found sound and personal archive in a performance of reimagining, remembering, and reminding.

Baz Luhrmann's dazzling and unconventional adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic love story is spellbinding. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes portray Romeo and Juliet, the youthful star-crossed lovers of the past. But the setting has been moved from its Elizabethan origins to the futuristic beachy backdrop of Verona Beach.

Composer and theatre creative Dominic Powell has always had a passion for stage stories, but an openness to the new ways that stage stories are being expressed today which he sees as a "new era for the arts." He is an intensely devoted fan of the stories and characters of the Marvel Universe, and recommends creatives make room for comfort and inspiration from areas outside of theatre. Dominic wrote the music and lyrics for the musical CASES which was recently released as a  studio album, and is the director of our new concert premiering this Friday, The Road to Prominence, which celebrates more than a century of incredible music from Black musical theatre creatives.   

From a very young age, the ephemerality and exhilaration of live performance totally captivated me. Being able to tell stories, build sometimes naturalistic other times abstract worlds and witness an audience reaction in real time - it gives me such a buzz! Musicals particularly excite me as the story is told not only through drama, but music and song. I love people, I love stories, I love experiencing art in a live context, and so working in theatre became a very easy decision to make when considering what I want to do with my life.

Know your worth, but be nice and kind to everyone. The industry is incredibly small in terms of networking, degrees of separation and you never ever know when you may need support from someone you've met, talked to, interacted with or worked with in the past. First impressions are important. Final greetings are fundamental. Remember names, fulfil promises and do a favour. Or a few.

Growing up in a low socio-economic background with a loving family has definitely given me a grit, determination and passion that underpins everything I do.

Growing up in a low socio-economic background with a loving family has definitely given me a grit, determination and passion that underpins everything I do. I suppose also receiving good solid academic education has influenced my approach to creativity and also having often experienced being the only Black male, or person, in the room has taught me a lot with regardings to expressing my identity in work and ensuring it remains truthful and authentic. 

The possibilities are limitless, honestly. Maybe not in traditional formats or ways in which we have comfortably fostered creativity, but there are new mediums, software, technologies, venues and opportunities springing up everywhere. We are honestly in a very new era for the arts. I would also advise not to focus too heavily on the arts as it goes through this transition. Though there may be a somewhat lack of it, art has survived millenia, wars and the darkest of human experiences. 

Remaining in touch with the world, family, loved ones, friends, news, politics, developing hobbies and anything outside of the arts only helps to heal the soul and make us more interesting and informed individuals upon our return to the arts. When you've had some time away, then jump back in, stream away, download away to your hearts content. Your experience and engagement of the arts will then be just that little bit more sweeter. 

We see a plethora of African American stories in musical theatre, however it will be truly exciting to see Black British stories be awarded more of a platform. 

At this point in lockdown, any kind of theatre would be great! I'm quite open minded in my theatregoing choices, but any story that is told well, in a way I've never seen before with a committed and unified cast, creative and production team... I'm there. It'd be remiss of me not to highlight the need for more Black British stories, it's always wonderful to dig into stories across the black diaspora and in particular we see a plethora of African American stories in musical theatre, however it will be truly exciting to see Black British stories be awarded more of a platform. 

Find out more about The Road to Prominence

Streaming This Weekend: A Concert of Incredible LGBTQ+ Artists and More

This weekend watch an inspiring concert featuring 14 LGBTQ+ singers, in support of Stonewall UK. Also stream a gripping song cycle, a brooding psychological play, and a moving ballet performance inspired by history.

Break Free is an empowering musical celebration with LGBT+ theatre artists, sharing their personal journeys and performances of musical theatre and pop songs that have inspired them. 14 stage stars will feature in the filmed concert of pop and musical theatre songs, with proceeds going to LGBT+ charity Stonewall UK. 

Songs for Murdered Sisters - Filmed Performance, Concert 

With music by Jake Heggie set to poems by Margaret Atwood, this powerful new work is Joshua Hopkins’s way of honouring his sister’s memory who, along with two other women, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in a spree that is now considered one of the worst cases of domestic violence in Canadian history.

The scene is a pool hall, where a man in his mid-40s shoots a solitary game until a college student he has never met challenges him to play. As their game goes on, it becomes clear that the men recognize each other and have a deep connection. While the truth emerges, so does the fact that the past must remain just that.

LGBTQ Short Play Festival - Livestream, Virtual Festival

Triangle Rainbow Theater creative director Anthony Fusco will be presenting its first annual LGBTQ Short Play Festival of one-acts, live-streaming via Zoom and featuring 18-20 short plays competing for the title of best play. 

Northern Ballet explores passion, tragedy, and fierce devotion in this exquisite performance. Queen Victoria’s diaries revealed a life so fascinating that her daughter Beatrice tried to rewrite history.  Her irrepressible love for Albert sparked a royal dynasty. But his untimely death brought the world's most powerful woman to her knees with grief.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge to Fight for Fringe's 'Glorious Return' as President

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator and performer of the hit theatre and TV show Fleabag has signed on as the first ever President of the society that runs the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Waller-Bridge said that her appointment into the role is to help fight for the survival and "glorious return" of the festival, which typically occurs every August but was cancelled in 2020 due to the global pandemic. 

Presenting Fleabag at the Fringe in 2013 was instrumental in setting the trajectory of Fleabag's success, a pattern that has been repeated for hundreds of other shows that have gone on to achieve similar UK-wide and international successes, including the mega-hit musical SIX by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. After its fringe run, Fleabag was presented in London's West End and went on to win an Olivier Award, before being adapted into the acclaimed BBC series that was also released on Prime Video in the US, and then returning to West End stage in 2019. 

Waller-Bridge provided an eloquent statement about the Festival and its importance to the theatre industry, notably calling it "an annual cultural revolution" and a "global symbol of artistic freedom and experimentation." In reference to the current state of theatre and the challenges ahead for the Festival, she stated, "this festival is a beating heart of an industry that has been all but crushed by the pandemic, and I’m proud to be a part of the fight with the Fringe Society for its much needed survival and glorious return."

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is a charitable organisation that exists to support those who want to participate in the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  The Society announced that the role is new in the history of the organisation and that Waller-Bridge will "act as a representative and advocate for the Fringe Society," and that her appointment was confirmed by a unanimous vote by the board of directors in previous weeks.   

Shona McCarthy, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Chief Executive, shared: “We know we’ve got serious work to do to overcome the challenges that Covid has brought to our sector.... I am absolutely thrilled to have the fantastic Phoebe in our corner.”

Musical theatre star Shona White fell in love with theatre and musicals at a young age and has performed some incredible roles across her career, including Donna in Mamma Mia and Elphaba in Wicked. She got an early lesson in resilience when getting turned down for a summer job at McDonald's, but then managed a Baskin Robbins ice cream parlour instead—and considers resilience one of the key traits that help performers thrive in the theatre industry. She joins over a dozen other LGBTQ artists for our empowering concert, Break Free, which premieres tonight. 

Growing up as a young girl in Fife, Scotland it soon became clear there was nothing else I wanted to do other than theatre! I started singing in my village church where my Sunday School teacher encouraged me to explore my talent and passion. I joined the local children’s theatre group where I played Annie and then attended an acting school in Edinburgh 3 nights a week during my high school years where we took part in shows in The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and I (rather hilariously) played Miss Adelaide at 15! I had well and truly caught the performing bug! I saw the adverts for colleges in The Stage newspaper my village newsagent ordered in specially for me and just knew where I had to be! I moved to London to train in 1993, 5 days after my 17th birthday and never looked back!

We as performers have already built up resilience in reserve due to the uncertain nature of our industry and we are able to call upon that now.

Resilience! We as performers have already built up resilience in reserve due to the uncertain nature of our industry and we are able to call upon that now. We often have periods of no work between contracts and experience plenty of rejection along the way. Resilience is something many people are using to get through the challenges and uncertainty the pandemic has brought with it so we’re lucky we already have this in our toolkit.

I have worked my way up from ensemble/understudy to playing principal roles. I feel this makes me appreciate the opportunities I have been given as I have put in the hard graft and dedication needed to get there. It makes the blood, sweat and tears all worthwhile! (Maybe not blood but definitely a lot of sweat and plenty of tears!) I also take huge inspiration from industry colleagues around me and try to emulate their work methods and ethics.

I have watched a lot of online content during the pandemic and that has personally been a lifeline! I would encourage people to keep buying tickets for online performances so freelance creatives have some income during a time we cannot perform live in person. Keep the arts alive so we are all still there when we get out of this! Nothing can beat the buzz of live in person theatrical events but please support these online offerings to keep us all going as we are hopefully keeping you going! I would also urge people to book tickets for when venues reopen. Our industry will need support to get back on its feet!

Thespie News