As of June 1, The Fugard Theatre launched, The Fugard at Home, to satiate the appetite of theatregoers, more so with them cancelling their 2020 season.
This new digital route is due to the the national closures of theatres due to Covid-19. Given the current air of uncertainty around when theatres will be able to have bums-in-seats once again, The Fugard at Home is now streaming acclaimed past productions, which will be accessible from their website.
The website includes a list of what is streaming both locally and globally, and even takes a 360-degree tour of the theatre’s foyer.
Visitors can also learn more about Athol Fugard and his extensive body of work, as well as read up on the history of the building the Fugard is located in.
Theatregoers can now enjoy a virtual tour of The Fugard Theatre's foyer.
Picture: Supplied
"We are hugely excited to launch The Fugard at Home platform, after weeks of hard work by The Fugard Theatre team. We encourage our audiences to explore and engage with the new platform, which has so much on offer. We will be announcing exciting additions to the platform in the weeks to come.
"The Fugard will return to presenting work on our glorious stage, but in the meantime, we can all play it safe and go digital," says Greg Karvellas, Artistic Director of The Fugard Theatre.
"All of the content will be offered free of charge and as a public service to keep theatre and the arts alive in the homes and minds of our audiences during the pandemic," says Lamees Albertus, General Manager and Producer of The Fugard Theatre.
A highlight on the platform will be the opening of the Fugard Theatre's production archive, where visitors can stream recorded live titles of a curated selection of The Fugard's past productions.
Theatregoers can now enjoy Athol Fugard's "The Road to Mecca", starring South African legends Sandra Prinsloo and Marius Weyers and the award-winning Emily Child, which ran in 2018. The production received three Fleur du Cap Theatre Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Set Design for the late Saul Radomsky.
In addition, the compelling production of "Master Harold and The Boys", which was staged in celebration of the Fugards tenth birthday, will also be available to stream due to popular demand.
"The Performer Series', which will go into production soon, is also expected to be part of the streaming line-up.
"It will provide a sterilised environment for multi-medium, single performer, performance pieces, including theatre, dance, music and more, to take place on the Fugard's main stage, where it will be filmed and edited and then broadcast on The Fugard at Home platform. Once launched, an episode will be released per week.
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The Fugard Theatre NPC is a not for profit company, which works towards the advancement, promotion and preservation of arts and culture in South Africa, in honour of Athol Fugard. Should you wish to donate, visit www.thefugard.com/donate.