Written by Charlotte Gunion (Features Writer)
Are you bored in quarantine and searching for new sources of entertainment? Are you interested in streaming plays right in front of you? If so, keep reading! The Drama Online Library is an incredible website that we all have access to! This website provides hundreds of plays that are available to stream online. Keep in mind that these plays are available for free until May 31st. Please contact your English teacher for login information to the website!
When you first click on the website, it will bring you to a content list that lays out the categories of the plays. The available plays are able to download in three formats, playtext, audio, and video, there are even ebooks to provide to all at home audience members! The Drama Online Library has a wide variety of Shakespeare’s plays, alongside many other playwrights. If you have a personal favorite play, search for it on the homepage search bar, and have fun streaming!
The first play I clicked on was A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595) (Shakespeare’s Globe, 2016). Once I clicked on the link, it brought me straight to the play which was two hours and fifty-two minutes long. This show was the first ever to be streamed from the Globe! I think it was super informative, they even had a segment at the beginning of the play to give background information. I learned about Shakespeare’s writing progress, and where he wrote his plays! However, the actual play started around three minutes, if you just want to get right into it. Overall, the story was very interesting to follow along with. The actors were beautifully involved and full of life on stage. You’re even able to follow along with the written transcript.
For the second play, I checked out Frankenstein by Mary Shelley written in 1818. However, this rendition was filmed at the National Theater in 2011. Jonny Lee Miller plays the creature, and Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr. Frankenstein! Within the first few minutes of the play, I was already very invested in the story. Even if you haven’t read the stories before, they’re very easy to follow along with.
Overall, I believe that this website is a lot of fun! If you’ve already caught up on all of the new Netflix series, check out The Drama Online Library! There are even multiple genres of plays to appeal to all audiences. Including: Expressionism, Opera, Comedy, Children’s theatre, and Tragedy just to name a few. Even if you haven’t been interested in plays before, this website is definitely worthwhile to explore. Please remember to email your English teacher to get the login information. We are very lucky to have access to such an amazing website, so enjoy it while it lasts!
The Claw 