A pioneering theatre company will be broadcasting new plays during lockdown

Lots of theatres have opened up their vaults during the coronavirus epidemic, but there’s been less live-streaming than with some other artforms given the obvious complication of performing a play with multiple parts when everybody is isolated in different places.

That seriously changes with ‘Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation’, a series of new, digital short plays created using a team of socially distanced actors and playwrights via digital conferencing technology, that will be performed partially live, partially pre-recorded in April. It’s being put forward by the hugely influential theatre company Headlong, whose stupendous greatest hits roster includes ‘Enron’, ‘1984’ and ‘People, Places & Things’.

The initiative – in partnership with Century Films – is still taking shape, and more concrete details, including the actors taking part, will be released soon. However, the roster of playwrights is out there, and it’s pretty much a who’s who of contemporary writing, from big names like James Graham to rising stars like Jasmin Lee-Jones. The complete list of playwrights is: April De Angelis, Josh Azouz, Deborah Bruce, Josh Donnelly, Clint Dyer, James Graham, Stacey Gregg, Jennifer Hayley, Sami Ibrahim, Charlene James, Jasmine Lee-Jones, Duncan Macmillan, Nathaniel Martello-White, Chloë Moss, Prasanna Puwanarajah and Tim Price.

For more ways you can watch plays during the coronavirus outbreak, click here.