Satisfy your cultural curiosity!
15 Must-Read Theater Books to add to your reading list
If you’re feeling a bit exhausted by all the binge-watching you’ve been doing, here’s a self-care tip: Turn off your laptop and pick up a book! It’s the perfect time to read your way through that never-ending list of books on your shelf and must-read bucket list. Here’s TodayTix’s roundup of some of their favorite theater biographies, artist memoirs, play collections, and historical tomes that will give you an insight into the lives of those who have revolutionized our industry.
Arts & Culture by Google
Explore collections from around the world with Google Arts & Culture, created by Google Cultural Institute.
Barbershop Harmony Society – Free Fridays
Barbershoppers love learning, and now Harmony University is making these classes free to attendees. Check in at 1 & 6 p.m.
Earsense
Earsense is the chamber music explaratorium: a broad, deep, rich and comprehensive database of chamber music composers, works, movements, videos, scores, program notes, glossary, links etc. and a very powerful search engine.
Films by Huey
For 40 years Huey has been making films on artists, education, the environment, and Maine. He’s offering two free streaming films:
- Henry David Thoreau: Surveyor of the Soul –This film tells the story of Thoreau in his time and the impact Thoreau’s writings and lifestyle have in our time.
- In Good Time: The Piano Jazz of Marian McPartland – Featuring Jazz Legend and host of NPR’s Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. Lots of music and humor.
Grammy Museum at Home
New public programs, education and exhibit content released daily.
Hudson Museum online resources
- Resources for Teachers – information on many websites, books, and videos on Wabanaki history and culture.
- Youtube channel – features 19 videos showcasing Wabanaki artists talking about basketmaking, birchbark and carving traditions, and much more
- Public Access Database where you can explore the Museum’s collection of 8,600 artifacts from cultures around the world.
- Online exhibits – Learn about Maine shell middens, Persian calligraphy, Mayan ceramics, and more
- Maine Indian Gallery – Explore the Maine Indian Gallery web app
Letters Live
Letters Live is a series of live events celebrating the power of literary correspondence. Inspired by Shaun Usher’s Letters of Note, Letters Live is an initiative by publishing company Canongate and Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SunnyMarch. The idea is simple: they ask talented, inspiring and high-profile artists from various disciplines to read letters out loud to their audiences. It’s a celebration of letter writing and the art of correspondence first and foremost. #ReadALetter
Lincoln Center
Performances, classes and and educational “pop up” classes.
Want to head straight to Jazz at Lincoln Center? Click here!
Magician Jason Hudy
Learn a magic trick! Jason Hudy shares this video, Aces, to provide some fun and entertainment.
Musical Instrument Museums Online
The world’s largest freely accessible database for information on musical instruments held in public collections.
Octane Seating
Whether you are just watching a film on your couch, dabbling in the world of movie production, or simply want to know more about the process and terminology that brings stories to life on the screen, there is always something to learn about film. Octane Seating has created the ultimate glossary of all the terms that are behind the production of everyone’s favorite films.
Primephonic
Founded by a team of 40 classical music lovers, this is the world’s leading streaming service for classical music, After launching last year, they have more than 3.5 million tracks – the world’s largest classical music collection in the highest available audio quality. For classically-minded people who are not familiar with music streaming (but would like to be), this is a great service and they’re offering a free two month subscription with the voucher code KEEPPLAYING
A Social Distance is a crowd-sourced film featuring residents of the countries most impacted by COVID-19, documenting their life during the lockdown. The film was led by co-directors Jacob Jonas (choreographer), Ivan Cash (artist), and composer Steve Hackman. Spanning more than 30 countries, the film includes a breadth of perspectives, from a 93-year old Malayan grandmother to a 19-year old Slovenian man.
Stage Fright – The website Seat Up is out to help anyone who performs or presents in front of an audience with “stage fright.” There are numerous few tips and tricks to help you relax when all eyes are on you.
Stage Makeup 101
Learn all about stage makeup with information and links to a number of great resources. Much thanks to LouAnne, a school librarian in Wyoming, and her student, Olivia, for bringing this site to our attention!
Can You Guess Which Musical Theatre Song Is the Most Listened to in the Car?
Quiz time! British car retailer Halfords combed through Spotify data to find the most-listened to songs on the road. The study reportedly analyzed thousands of playlists, with names such as ‘musical road trip,’ to come up with a list of the top 100 songs from the stage and screen.
Family Friendly Links:
Audible – free streaming
Stories help. They entertain. They teach. They keep young minds active, alert and engaged. For as long as schools are closed, Audible is streaming an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.
Chrome Music Lab
Chrome Music Lab is a website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.
Black Box Education
Digital and interactive resources for drama, dance and theatre. 6 free resource packs for digital, online schooling.
Busy Kids Do Piano
Free month of lessons with coupon code PIANOATHOM
Dolly Parton’s Imaginary Library
“Goodnight With Dolly” will feature Dolly Parton reading a series books all carefully chosen for their appropriate content at this moment in time. Dolly welcomes the viewers and introduces the title, author and illustrator. The readings are a mixture of Dolly and the interior pages of the books.
Prospero presents Dark Theatre
An interactive theater experience available now, online. Prospero presents The Dark Theatre which mixes classroom drama techniques with an interactive comic book, framing teachers/parents and your students/children as detectives trying to answer the question: who killed playwright Nathan Page? You just need a smartphone or tablet for personal reading, or PC, Mac or Chromebook for a big screen read! Fully interactive with tasks to complete or a fun read for 10-13 year olds. Chapter 1 and chapter 2 are available now. Two more chapters will come in the next two weeks!
GoNoodle
GoNoodle® engages 14 million kids every month with movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. Available for free for school and home use.
KinderArt
KinderArt® contains easy to follow lessons for grades K through 8, for art teachers, classroom teachers, homeschoolers, studio owners, after-school program directors, future teachers, college students, and curious parents who want to enrich their children’s artistic lives at home.
TheatreWorks
TheaterWorks Anywhere aims to give young people a fun and active way to use their imaginations while learning the process of creating theater, and adapting a book or story for the stage. They’ll show you video clips from TheaterWorksUSA productions, take you behind the scenes with their artists, and provide theater activities and crafts for you to make and share with them! Check back regularly for more activities and fun!
Another link comes to us from our friends at All Saints. We thank them for sharing this impressive list of theater events you’re sure to enjoy!
And – last but not least, here’s our own virtual guide to performances!