Shakespeare scholars have long referenced the fact that the Bard penned some of his greatest works in the midst of the plague, penning not only poetry while the theatres were shut, but plays too.
Inspired by this, and in the wake of coronavirus restrictions around the globe, British actor and director Robert Myles launched The Show Must Go Online March 19, a weekly online reading group—performed by actors via Zoom and live streamed on Youtube—that works through Shakespeare’s plays in the order they were written.
The first live-stream, of The Two Gentleman of Verona, has been viewed over 60,000 times (check it out above). In light of its success, Myles and the organizers have established a Patreon for the venture, which will be used as an opt-in hardship fund for the actors who take part.
Performances are on Thursdays at 7 PM GMT/3 PM ET; sign up on YouTube here and check out the full lineup below.
June 11: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)
June 18: King John (1596)
June 25: The Merchant of Venice (1596–1597)
July 2: Henry IV, Part 1 (1596–1597)
July 9: The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597)
July 16: Henry IV, Part 2 (1597–1598)
July 23: Much Ado About Nothing (1598–1599)
July 30: Henry V (1599)
August 6: Julius Caesar (1599)
August 13: As You Like It (1599–1600)
August 20: Hamlet (1599–1601)
August 27: Twelfth Night (1601)
September 3: Troilus and Cressida (1600–1602)
September 10: Measure for Measure (1603–1604)
September 17: Othello (1603–1604)
September 24: All’s Well That Ends Well (1604–1605)
October 1: King Lear (1605–1606)
October 8: Timon of Athens (1605–1606)
October 15: Macbeth (1606)
October 22: Antony and Cleopatra (1606)
October 29: Coriolanus (1608)
November 5: The Winter’s Tale (1609–1611)
November 12: Cymbeline (1610)
November 19: The Tempest (1610–1611)
November 26: Henry VIII (1612–1613)
Previously
March 26: The Taming of the Shrew (1590–1591)
April 2 : Henry VI, Part 1 (1591–1592)
April 9: Henry VI, Part 2 (1591)
April 16: Henry VI, Part 3 (1591)
April 23: Titus Andronicus (1591–1592)
April 30: Richard III (1592–1593)
May 7: The Comedy of Errors (1594)
May 14: Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594–1595)
May 21: Love’s Labour’s Won (1595–1596)
May 28: Richard II (1595)
June 4: Romeo and Juliet (1595)
“The response to The Show Must Go Online has been overwhelming. So many professional actors and experienced amateurs were willing to donate their time to entertain each other, and an audience,” says Myles. “The mix of people, the mix of experience, many of whom will be meeting each other for the first time, some of whom are from America and Europe, but all brought together by their love of Shakespeare, these are sights you’d never normally see in a regular production.”
