THEATRE
 |
The Plays of William Shakespeare
www.theplays.org |
|
| Any round-up of theatre websites just wouldn't be complete
without at least
one mention of Shakespeare. This site is the work of the Electronic
Literature Foundation (ELF) and they've taken Shakespeare's plays and
sonnets and put them on the Internet in electronic format. This makes
it carry out normally laborious tasks such as searching for all
mentions of say witches in the plays
or all the appearances of a specific character. The site also includes
a
glossary to the sometimes tricky Shakespearian language. The ELF has
also digitised lots of works of literature including stuff from
Chaucer, Dante and Jane Austen. |
|
Information from
the acclaimed theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Briustol.
Britain's oldest working theatre. ( Opened 1776) |
Royal
Court Theatre
www.royalcourttheatre.com |
|
| The Royal Court has always been known for its gritty and
innovative choice of plays and the design of this site reflects the
theatre's cutting edge appeal. The theatre is in the process of setting
up an online archive of all the productions
staged at the theatre from 1956 onwards - currently the archive only
goes
back to the 1997 season. An online booking service is also waiting in
the
wings. Embryonic playwrights should visit the Young Writer's section of
the
site which explains all about the theatre's Young Writers programme. |
|
Superb official
guide to Britain's ' Theatre for the Nation". There's a complete guide
to the RSC's performances at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London and around
the UK, with details of every production, plus photos and booking
details. |
Hackney
Empire
www.hackneyempire.co.uk |
|
| This lovely old Victorian Theatre is in a constant state of
financial trauma
- funds need to be raised to keep the theatre going. Find out how you
can
help by visiting the Friends of the Hackney Empire section of the site.
Old
music hall style posters are used to navigate your way around the pages
and
the history of the theatre section makes fascinating reading. The list
of
music hall stars that have appeared there is staggering (Charlie
Chaplin,
Lily Langtree and Marie Lloyd have all taken the Hackney stage). Of
course
you can also find out about the shows currently playing, although you
can't
book tickets direct from the site as yet. |
UK Theatre
Web
www.uktw.co.uk |
|
| Visiting UK Theatre Web is like scrabbling behind the
scenery of a play: it's messy and chaotic, but you do get to see how
productions are born. Despite the
amateurish look, the site provides those who devote their lives to the
stage
with everything they need to succeed. The scope is seriously
impressive:
training opportunities and amateur dramatic societies are listed for
those
tentatively treading the boards; there are databases indexing current
productions
and organisation dealing with technical and professional matters; and
the
links cover everything from juggling vacancies to showbiz gossip. |
What's On
Stage
www.whatsonstage.com |
|
If you fancy a bit of culture then this superb site should
be your first port of call. Covering theatres all over the UK, it
offers an unrivalled guide to what's currently showing at each of them.
You can search up
to six months in advance and also read news, reviews and previews to
help
you decide what to see. Having done so, you can book your ticket online
and
even decide where you want to sit thanks to the seating plans of major
theatres. |
The Stage
www.thestage.co.uk |
|
| The Stage is the bible of the theatrical industry and this
site is an excellent adjunct to the paper version of the newspaper. The
section on the history of newspaper is well worth reading - the paper
has been going since 1880. Anybody looking for a job both in acting and
in backstage roles would do
well to scan through the online jobs area. There are also some
excellent
How To guides covering topics such as how to write for TV and how to
produce
a musical. The site is updated daily with the latest theatrical news
and
listings of the UK's theatre, fringe and club venues. |
| Rating :
5/5 |
London
Theatre Guide
www.londontheatre.co.uk |
|
| The design of this site, which lists all the major London
theatres and shows, can best be described as basic, however it is fast.
If you're visiting the capital and fancy a night out this is one of the
most comprehensive sources of theatre information. You can search
through the West End shows by genre, by a specific theatre or you can
even track down a certain director or author. As well as the excellent
listings services you'll also find the latest theatrical news, reviews
of the current big shows, handy seating plans for the major theatres
and the option to buy tickets direct from the site. |
Theatre
Direct International
www.theatredirect.com |
|
| As well as focussing on London's theatre scene this site
also lets you know what's
happening on Broadway. If you're off to New York and you fancy catching
a
play while you're there then you can book direct from this site and you
can
even make pre-theatre reservations at some of New York's most popular
restaurants.
The site also boasts detailed maps of London and New York's theatre
district. |
|
The Informed
Investor 
