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The Show Must Go Online is a British web series created by Robert Myles. The first episode premiered on 19 March 2020 on YouTube, in direct response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the theatre industry. The first series consisted of an online, weekly reading of a different First Folio play by William Shakespeare, in the order they were believed to have been written.

The Show Must Go Online has utilised actors from all over the world, including Jeffrey Weissman, Ben Crystal, Mark Holden, Elizabeth Dennehy, Wendy Morgan, Seeta Indrani and Miguel Perez. The series won two OnComm Awards and a ONEOFF award, courtesy of The Offies. Its First Folio season ran until 18 November 2020 with subsequent shows performed bimonthly. The series concluded with The Two Noble Kinsmen in September 2021.

Background

Original First Folio series

March 2020 saw the UK enter into a nationwide lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. British theatre closures were announced on March 16. Robert Myles, an actor and Shakespeare aficionado who found himself out of work, created The Show Must Go Online in less than a week, in response to the widespread cancellation of jobs and contracts faced by theatrical industry professionals. Inspiration was also taken from the fact that William Shakespeare wrote many of his poems and plays when theatres were shut as a result of the plague. King Lear was one such play written during that time.

With actors and creatives in a state of lockdown when the series began, Zoom was used for both the rehearsals and the performance. The show was then live streamed through YouTube.

The cast included notable professionals and also a number of amateur actors. Notable actors who were cast in the series, included British television actors such as Wendy Morgan and Seeta Indrani. Michael Bertenshaw, an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company, was also in several episodes. Ben Crystal, an actor noted for both his performances in Shakespeare's plays, and also his series of books on Shakespeare, played the titular role in Timon of Athens performing latter sections of the play in original pronunciation. The series also featured many American screen actors, including Jeffrey Weissman, Elizabeth Dennehy and Miguel Perez. As a whole, actors used in the series came from 6 of the 7 continents of the world. Each show in the series had an introduction by different guest speakers. Ben Crystal and Simon Russell Beale both introduced live performances for The Show Must Go Online.

The original series of Shakespeare plays ran until 18 November 2020. The series followed the First Folio, and as such, neither Pericles or The Two Noble Kinsmen were included in the run.

Subsequent work

Following the conclusion of the original First Folio series, The Show Must Go Online announced a livestreamed production of William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol, by Ian Doescher on the 19th December 2020. Moving away from the free-to-watch format of the original series, this show marked the beginning of a shift to ticketed performances. Wendy Morgan returned to the series to play the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

This was followed by performances of Shakespeare and George Wilkins' Pericles, and John Lyly's Gallathea in 2021, with the latter production consisting of an international majority LGBTQIA+ cast. There was also a series of performances of work by Christopher Marlowe throughout the summer. The series concluded with a performance of The Two Noble Kinsmen on 8 September 2021, before The Show Must Go Online entered a 'chrysalis' period.

Reception

The series was the recipient of two OnComm Awards, while the series was in progress. When The Show Must Go Online reached its conclusion, it was awarded a "ONEOFF" award by The Offies, in recognition of the achievements of the series during the lockdown. The Show Must Go Online was also nominated for "Digital Project of the Year" in The Stage Awards of 2022, but ultimately lost out to the Royal National Theatre's production of Romeo & Juliet.

The critical response was positive, and during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, it was praised as being the only way of experiencing 'genuinely live theatre'. In a March 2020 article for MyTheatreMates and Mind the Blog, Debbie Gilpin described the first production of The Show Must Go Online as a 'roaring success'. Reviews continued to be positive as the series progressed, with praise being given to the diversity of the casting and the success with how the plays have translated live on YouTube.

Writing for the Folger Shakespeare Library, Austin Tichenor wrote in September 2020 that The Show Must Go Online was particularly popular with people who are excluded from the traditional theatre-going experience because of health conditions. He also praised the fact that the performances remain permanently on YouTube, 'as a resource for future students and Shakespeare newcomers alike'.

References

1. "Interview: Rob Myles on The Show Must Go Online" Theatre Weekly Retrieved 23 September 2020
2. "The Show Must Go Online continues with Shakespeare’s Game of Thrones style saga, Henry VI." Secret London Retrieved 23 September 2020
3. "The Show Must Go Online" Robert Myles Retrieved 23 September 2020
4. "NEWS: The Show Must Go Online Announces Casting for Twelfth Night" Love London Love Culture Retrieved 23 September 2020
5. "The Show Must Go Online’s Timon of Athens Cast Announced" Theatre Weekly Retrieved 01 October 2020
6. "FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE LIVESTREAMED READING OF TITUS ANDRONICUS" Fairly Powered Productions Retrieved 23 September 2020
7. "The Show Must Go Online Announces Cast for Henry IV Part II" Theatre Weekly Retrieved 23 September 2020
8. "The Show Must Go Online announce the full cast for Henry VI Part II" London Theatre 1 Retrieved 23 September 2020
9. "THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE ANNOUNCE FULL CAST FOR LIVESTREAMED READING OF KING LEAR" At The Theatre Retrieved 23 September 2020
10. "Cast Announced for The Show Must Go Online Livestreamed Reading of Richard III" Theatre Weekly Retrieved 23 September 2020
11. "The Show Must Go Online: A Review of Digital Hamlet" The Badger Online Retrieved 23 September 2020
12. "ONEOFF Award" The Offies Retrieved 20 November 2020
13. "Middlesbrough-born actor to perform in live online Shakespeare performance" Teesside Live Retrieved 23 September 2020
14. "The Show Must Go Online Announces Livestreamed Reading of THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN for Season Finale" Broadway World Retrieved 12 September 2021
15. "Boris Johnson orders UK lockdown to be enforced by police" The Guardian Retrieved 24 September 2020
16. "Covid-19 prompts all major British theatres to close doors" The Guardian Retrieved 01 October 2020
17. "50 ways to experience culture from your couch" CNN Retrieved 23 September 2020
18. "The Show Must Go Online" Stagedoor Retrieved 24 September 2020
19. "New Online Reading Series to Work Through Shakespeare's Entire Catalog" Playbill Retrieved 23 September 2020
20. "THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE Launches - Livestreamed Readings of Shakespeare" Broadway World Retrieved 23 September 2020
21. "Bard from my own home: how I starred in a virtual Shakespeare play" The Guardian Retrieved 01 October 2020
22. "THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE LAUNCHED – A LIVESTREAMED SERIES OF PERFORMED READINGS OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE" At the Theatre Retrieved 23 September 2020
23. "THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE ANNOUNCE FULL CAST FOR LIVESTREAMED READING OF KING LEAR" At The Theatre Retrieved 23 September 2020
24. "RSC Performances - Michael Bertenshaw" Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Retrieved 23 September 2020
25. "The Show Must Go Online Announces Cast for Hamlet" Theatre Weekly Retrieved 23 September 2020
26. "Lockdown reviews: The Shows Must Go Online – Titus Andronicus" LouReviews Retrieved 23 September 2020
27. "THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE ANNOUNCE FULL CAST FOR LIVESTREAMED READING OF TIMON OF ATHENS" At The Theatre Retrieved 1 October 2020
28. "Jeffrey Weissman goes back to the bard" Argus Courier Retrieved 23 September 2020
29. "NEWS: Full Cast Announced for The Show Must Go Online’s The History of Henry IV Part II" Love London Love Culture Retrieved 23 September 2020
30. "The Show Must Go Online Announce Full Cast For Livestreamed Reading Of HAMLET" Broadway World Retrieved 23 September 2020
31. "The Show Must Go Online Reaches 100,000 Views in First Two Months" London Theatre 1 Retrieved 23 September 2020
32. "Interview With…Rob Myles" Love London Love Culture Retrieved 01 October 2020
33. "‘A roaring success’: The Show Must Go Online’s Shakespeare series makes an impressive start" My Theatre Mates Retrieved 01 October 2020
34. "THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE ANNOUNCE FULL CAST FOR LIVESTREAMED READING OF TIMON OF ATHENS" At The Theatre Retrieved 01 October 2020
35. "BWW Interview: Robert Myles reflects on The Show Must Go Online" Broadway World Retrieved 18 December 2020
36. "NEWS: The Show Must Go Online Announces Livestreamed Production of Ian Doescher’s William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol" Love London Love Culture Retrieved 18 December 2020
37. "The Show Must Go Online Announces Livestreamed Production Of A CHRISTMAS CAROL" Broadway World Retrieved 18 December 2020
38. BWW News Desk. "The Show Must Go Online Announces Livestreamed Reading Of PERICLES". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
39. "The Show Must Go Online Announce Livestreamed Reading Of Gallathea By John Lyly With Full Cast" Theatre Weekly Retrieved 22 April 2021
40. "THE SHOW MUST GO ONLINE PRESENTS: GALLATHEA" Proudout Retrieved 22 April 2021
41. "The Show Must Go Online Announce Cast Of Christopher Marlowe’s Dido Queen Of Carthage" Theatre Weekly Retrieved 16 June 2021
42. "The Show Must Go Online Announces Livestreamed Reading of THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN for Season Finale" Broadway World Retrieved 12 September 2021
43. "The Show Must Go Online: A Review of Digital Hamlet" The Badger Online Retrieved 23 September 2020
44. "ONEOFF Award" The Offies Retrieved 20 November 2020
45. "The Stage Awards 2022 shortlist: Digital Project of the Year" The Stage Retrieved 02 March 2022
46. "The Stage Awards recognise understudies, covers and Theatre Royal Drury Lane" WhatsOnStage Retrieved 02 March 2022
47. "Titus Andronicus – The Show Must Go Online – Review" London Theatre 1 Retrieved 23 September 2020
48. "‘A roaring success’: The Show Must Go Online’s Shakespeare series makes an impressive start" MyTheatreMates Retrieved 23 September 2020
49. "Romeo and Juliet – The Show Must Go Online" The Reviews Hub Retrieved 23 September 2020
50. "The Show Must Go Online: A Review of Digital Hamlet" The Badger Online Retrieved 23 September 2020
51. "“In the brave squares”: The Show Must Go Online" Folger Shakespeare Library Retrieved 23 October 2020

External links

• Official website
• The Show Must Go Online at IMDb

• Television shows based on works by William Shakespeare