Virtual Sea of Creativity: a Masterlist of Virtual Libraries,
Theatre Performances, and more

 

By Eve Volungeviciute

We might be slightly closer to the finish line in battling COVID-19, but there is still a way to go. In this situation, creative industries are still fragile and we have to make do with what we have, in order to still be able to experience it. Which is precisely why I thought to compile a master list of sorts, which includes a wide range of virtual access to different forms of arts, from theatre to documentaries. Some of these are free and some require a small fee, but there’s plenty of variation for everyone’s budget. Anyway, enough of me rambling on, let’s dive in!

 


 

Theatre

 

Theatres Online

What you can see: Richard II, The Winter’s Tale, Girls Like That

Price: Free

 

The Shows Must Go On

What you can see: Songs from shows such as Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera

Price: Free

 

Globe Player

What you can see: Henry VI, Much Ado About Nothing, Antony and Cleopatra

Price: £5.99 for renting, £11.99 to own

 

BBC Player: Culture in Quarantine

What you can see: Royal Opera House: The Reopening, Performance Live: The Way Out, Dracula by Northern Ballet

Price: Free

 

Met Opera

What you can see: Semiramide, Cendrillon

Price: Free 7-day trial, $14.99 a month afterwards

 

Soho Theatre

What you can see: Groomed, Good Girl

Price: £4.00 per play

 

Marquue TV

What you can see: Hamlet, Julius Ceasar, Swan Lake

Price: Free 7-day trial, $8.99 a month afterwards

 

What’s On Stage

What you can see: songs from musicals such as Les Miserables, Matilda the Musical, Hamilton.

Price: Free


 

Libraries

 

Many Books

What you can read: Biographies, Genre Fiction, Non-Fiction

Price: Free

 

Bartleby

What you can read: Classics, Poetry, Autobiographies

Price: Free

 

The Online Books Page

What you can read: Sciences, Education, Arts

Price: Free

 

Project Gutenberg

What you can read: Fiction, Classics, History

Price: Free

 

National Library of Australia

What you can read: Dance, Music, Oral History and Folklore

Price: Free

 

Perseus Collections/Texts

What you can read: Greek and Roman, Renaissance, 19th century American

Price: Free


 

Movies

 

Mubi

What you can see: Film festival favourites, shorts, Brazilian cinema

Price: Free 7-day trial, £9.99 a month afterwards

 

Indieflix

What you can see: Romance, dramas, short films

Price: Free 7-day trial, $4.99 a month afterwards

 

IndiePix Unlimited

What you can see: Delta Zoo, The Winter, Family

Price: Free 1-month trial, $5.99 a month afterwards

 

Festival Scope

What you can see: Sarajevo film festival, Transylvania international film festival

Price: Free


 

Documentaries

 

Top Documentary Films

What you can see: Environment, Health, Psychology

Price: Free

 

DocsOnline

What you can see: Culture, Economy, Politics

Price: £4.99 a month

 

Watch Documentaries

What you can see: Crime, Society, Technology

Price: Free

 

GuideDoc

What you can see: Tribeca, Locarno, Rotterdam

Price: £5 a month

 

Documentary Addict

What you can see: Arts, Media, Mystery

Price: Free

 

Magellan TV

What you can see: Nature, Ancient History, True Crime

Price: Free 7-day trial, $6.99 a month afterwards