Although live, in-person performances won’t be happening on the Neptune Theatre stage until 2021 with Billy Elliot, Atlantic Canada’s largest regional theatre company is bringing drama, music, education and conversation directly to viewers with its new online Neptune at Home digital platform.
Available through neptuneathome.com and viewable on tablets, smartphones and computers, the ongoing and evolving lineup will feature favourite performers from Neptune seasons past, as well as familiar faces from the local music scene.
“We wanted to create a meaningful way to stay connected with audiences and engage members of the theatre community during these unprecedented times,” said Neptune’s artistic director Jeremy Webb in announcing the new service.
“This is an exciting way to do what we do best – entertain audiences.”
Programming includes musical events like the Centre Stage: Concert Series – with performers like Reeny Smith, Christina Martin, T. Thomason, Keonte Beals and Roland Grant – and Kitchen Party: Sociables with cast members from The Argyle Street Kitchen Party like Malia Rogers and Ian Sherwood singing a mix of East Coast standards and original new songs.
From Oct. 13 to 20, viewers can experience Beneath Springhill, starring Beau Dixon (Ol’ Mister in Neptune’s production of The Color Purple), which presents the life of Maurice Ruddick, an African-Canadian survivor of the 1958 Springhill mine disaster. An award-winning 60-minute chamber musical, the show combines tragedy and comedy with hope and bravery.
Running from now until Oct. 21, Andrew Prashad (Boutons in Neptune’s Cinderella) presents One Step at a Time: A Father’s Journey, a personal and uplifting story about caring for a son with spina bifida and hydrocephalus while trying to maintain the balance between family and a career.
Other special programs from Neptune include the third season of Off the Leash with Jeremy Webb, featuring conversations with the best and brightest from the local and national theatre scene, Taste Buds’ combination of theatre talk and kitchen creations, and Masterclass with life lessons, theatre lore and professional insight from those who create theatre in the community.
For young audiences, Spencer Sparklestein is a lively and entertaining puppet friend who’s been making his own fun while in quarantine due to the pandemic and has lots of enjoyable activities to share.
Also accessible via Neptune at Home are Tarragon Acoustics, with 18 audio plays from playwrights like Hannah Moscovitch and Wajdi Mouawad, and Fringe Binge, featuring highlights from the Halifax Fringe Festival.
Neptune at Home can be viewed by subscription for $59.50, with more specific bundles available from $24 to $35.85. Individual shows range from $6.25 to $18.25, and all prices include taxes and fees. Subscriptions, bundles and tickets can be purchased directly from the Neptune at Home platform.