THEATRE BUZZ

 

+ BroadwayHD is a subscription on-demand digital streaming service created by Tony Award-winning producers Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley (“A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder”).  It records and distributes live theater performances and previously recorded theatrical productions. 

 

The service costs $8.99 per month or $99.00 for a year.  It offers a 7-day free trial.

 

The blog BROADWAY LOVER (“reviews and news about everything Broadway and more”) posted a “review” of the service and answered the question “BroadwayHD:Is it worth it?” -

 

“So, is BroadwayHD worth it? My answer would be yes. Anyone who even remotely likes theater can find something to watch and there is very little chance of having major trouble with it. While I can't speak about the livestreams, I can say that their video library is 100% worth the price of the subscription and will certainly make any theater lover happy.”

 

+ From TOWN HALL in NYC -

 

Siblings Rufus, Martha and Lucy Wainwright bring their beloved Christmas show “A Not So Silent Night – Virtually Together” to a global audience for the first time streaming live on veeps.com on December 20^th.  They will be joined by aunts, mothers, fathers, nieces, cousins, sons and daughters of the acclaimed musical clans of the Wainwrights, McGarrigles and Roches.  The show will be accessible for purchase and stream until January 6th 2021.

 

The performance will support the Kate McGarrigle Fund.  The Fund provides funding for sarcoma research as well as music therapy resources to cancer patients with a passion for music.

 

Click here for a preview and here to order “tickets”.

 

BFN

CHRISTMAS EVE 1953

 

Shadowlands Stages in Ellenville NY will present a special online presentation of a reading of a new play – CHRISTMAS EVE 1953 - premiering Saturday, December 19th at 8pm and available for viewing through Tuesday, December 22^nd.

 

CHRISTMAS EVE 1953 (coincidentally my first Christmas Eve), a story by Tom Hanks that was included in his book “Uncommon Type: Some Stories”, “tells the story of Virgil Buell and his wife Delores, who every year on Christmas Eve get the house ready for a celebratory Christmas morning with their kids. And every Christmas Eve, right at midnight, Virgil gets a long-distance phone call from his old Army buddy, Bud. Bud’s annual call, from somewhere in the world, sends Virgil careening back through the tunnel of memory to the shells and shrapnel of their shared, explosive past. A Yuletide fable of love, loss, redemption and hope.” 

 

The story was adapted for the stage by James Glossman and is part of a trio of stories Glossman has adapted from the book. This will be the first time it is heard.  It stars David Strathairn, Sharon Washington, Jay O. Sanders, Maryann Plunkett and Leyu Girma.

 

You can view this performance by donating to Shadowland Stages.  Go here to donate.

 

BFN

THE SEASON OF GIVING

 

A FACEBOOK post from the Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven NJ led me to some ideas for supporting theatres at Christmas time.

I have previously suggested purchasing gift certificates from your local community or regional theatre to use for future subscriptions and productions.  But Surflight has some other options.

One way is by shopping at SmileAmazon.  When you join SmileAmazon you can designate a charity – like OceanProfessional Theatre Company Inc (aka Surflight Theatre) – and Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to the charitable organization, with no fees and no extra cost.  Or you can donate products to your charity selected from a list of items needed provided by the charity.  Over 1 Million charities have registered with this service.

Another way is with “naming opportunities”.  You can buy a brick - 3 lines of 15 characters each per brick.  Or name a seat in the theatre - 40 characters per plaque.

Your local theatre may also offer similar naming opportunities.  A few years ago, I purchased 2 personalized bricks for the sidewalk of the Ritz Theatre in Hawley, home of the Ritz Company Playhouse. 

BFN