'Swept Away' extended at Berkeley Repertory Theatre Company

My Stark Insider inbox continues to fill up with the anxiety-inducing news we’ve all been receiving over the past few weeks. However, there are momentary glimmers of hope. One of them is that local theaters are doing everything they can in an extremely challenging time to bring shows to viewers across the San Francisco Bay Area — and beyond.

Thanks to BroadwayHD and several partners, an increasing number of theaters are offering streaming versions of their latest cancelled plays.

Yesterday, American Conservatory Theater announced in response to COVID-19 and the shelter-in-place edict it would stream Gloria and Toni Stone.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre too is doing something similar. In an email the non-profit said it would offer “buy one, get 300+ free” — meaning if you buy streaming tickets to one of its current plays you’d also have access for one week to over 300 other plays on the BroadwayHD platform. Per Berkeley Rep, to take advantage:

  • Tickets for Culture Clash must be purchased by Wednesday, March 18th at 5pm.
  • The deadline to purchase tickets for School Girls is Friday, March 20th at 5pm.

In addition I just received an email from TheatreWorks Silicon Valley that says Laurel Ollstein’s They Promised Her the Moon would be made available to stream.

They Promised Her the Moon streaming play TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
Pioneering aviator Jerrie Cobb (Sarah Mitchell) undergoes a tough flight with Jack (Craig Marker) on radio in “They Promised Her the Moon,” presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.
Photo Credit: Kevin Berne

I’m sure I’ve missed some theater houses and other arts organizations that are also streaming. Regardless, it’s nice to know you can still support local arts communities by buying virtual tickets and enjoying plays from the “comfort” of our homes.