The way that we experienced the arts just two months ago has completely changed. We used to only get to see the arts that were located in our neighborhoods or cities because they primarily took place in theaters — but now, that’s a different story. Although Covid-19 has kept us indoors to keep our fellow Arts Addicts safe, it has also advanced and changed the way we experience the arts.

Instead of heading to the theaters to see a performance, we can now open up our laptops and immediately be digitally “teleported” to venues that we’ve never seen, concerts that we couldn’t attend, rehearsals that weren’t accessible and so much more! Although nothing can replace a live musical experience, we are stepping into a whole new world of digital arts.

Now, hundreds of thousands of concerts are being streamed each month across all genres on countless social pages, websites, platforms — you name it! Although it’s incredible to have SO many opportunities, it can also be really overwhelming to have so many options. Who knew — although most of our favorite places are closed, our “social calendar” just got busier than EVER. Who else can relate??

To help you navigate this new world of digital arts, we will be curating weekly lists of must-see virtual experiences; from jazz to classical, to Broadway to at-home concerts and more. Scroll below to see what’s on our radar for this week (May 19th – 24th):

Tuesday, May 19th – A Night with Alanis Morissette and Jagged Little Pill

“Thank U,” Alanis! Producers of Jagged Little Pill have partnered with American Express to live-stream the production, featuring seven-time Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette!

Addict Insider: Jagged Little Pill (the production) is set to the 1995 album that had all of us rocking out to the top of our lungs with passion… while we were wearing our 90’s baggy jeans, tattoo chokers, and fanny packs. Ah, the good old days. However, this story is not about Alanis Morissette. Instead, it’s centered around a suburban family (the Healy’s), whose serene Connecticut lives collide head-on with some of the most burning issues of today. The result is an electric, fearless look at what it means to be alive in 21st century America and an urgent call for us to come together even as the world pushes us apart.

The event will benefit the COVID-19 emergency relief efforts of The Actors Fund and will take place on Tuesday, May 19 at 8pm (ET) on Jagged Little Pill’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel.

Wednesday, May 20th – From the Vault: Full Concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz at Lincoln Center has created an online portal offering an array of full-length concerts pulled up ‘From the Vault’ that are released weekly on Wednesdays on their YouTube!

Arts Addict Insider: Jazz at Lincoln Center recently re-launched JAZZ.ORG, an entirely new website designed for people around the world to easily access some of their archival concerts, among other things like educational resources, interviews, and more. These resources will be shared for free throughout the entirety of the pandemic with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s growing global community of 2 million people! As part of the launch, they are unlocking their vault of concerts that have not been seen since the live performance! They will feature commentary from a member of the orchestra who played on that show.

Concerts will be streamed every Wednesday at 8:30pm (ET) on Lincoln Center’s YouTube Page

Thursday, May 21st – Behind the Curtain with Ronny Michael Greenberg

Every week we’ll be going behind the curtain to meet amazing artists, experience exclusive concerts, and connect to a community of arts enthusiasts!

Arts Addict Insider: Over the past 5 weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to catch up with some fantastic artists and now I’m excited to go further behind the curtain to talk to artists that don’t always take center stage but there wouldn’t even be a center stage without them. I’m talking about choreographers, costume designers, voice coaches, and more. So I’m excited to kick this next chapter off with my dear friend and talented pianist and opera coach, Ronny Michael Greenberg!

Ronny is an amazing pianist and has played in some of the most noteworthy music destinations around the world as a soloist and an accompanist for several incredible singers, he has played on stage during one of San Francisco Ballet’s opening night galas and he is currently a member of San Francisco Opera’s Music Staff as an opera coach, which I’m excited to learn more about with you!

Catch our Behind the Curtain virtual experiences every Thursday @ 5:30 p.m. PST on our Facebook Page!

Thursday, May 21th – National Theatre at Home: A Streetcar Named Desire

At a time when many theatre fans around the world aren’t able to visit National Theatre Live venues or local theatres, they have recently launched National Theatre at Home.

Arts Addict Insider: Who else has been re-watching The Crown and is looking for the next drama to tune into? Watch a special performance of Vanessa Kirby (AKA: Princess Margaret in The Crown) in A Streetcar Named Desire as Stella. This star-studded cast also includes Gillian Anderson (All About Eve, The X-Files, The Fall, Sex Education) as Blanche and Ben Foster (Lone Survivor, Kill Your Darlings) as Stanley.

In case you aren’t familiar with the story, A Streetcar Named Desire, it’s a drama that follows a troubled former schoolteacher Blanche as she leaves small-town Mississippi and moves in with her sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley in New Orleans. Blanche’s flirtatious Southern-belle presence causes problems for Stella and Stanley, who already have a volatile relationship, leading to even greater conflict in the Kowalski household. Drama! Drama! Drama!

You can watch National Theatre’s A Streetcar Named Desire from Thursday 21 May @ 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. ET) on their YouTube channel until Thursday 28 May @ 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. ET).

Thursday, May 21th – LA Phil’s ‘At Home With…’ pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet

This new online and on-the-air program features the LA Phil’s closest friends and collaborators sharing recordings, personal stories, and insight into the music.

Arts Addict Insider: If you have watched Pride & Prejudice and/or Atonement featuring Kiera Knightly, you have already heard Jean-Yves play! He’s the incredible pianist that you hear throughout the film (click above to listen!). He has been hailed as “one of the best pianists in the world,” that has continued to captivate audiences around the world for his poetic musicality and ability to instantly unlock your imagination through music. (Oh, the stories that he can tell without saying one word! It’s seriously amazing.) Speaking of which, when was the last time that you used your imagination? If the answer has been “too long to mention”, then you should tune-in! It’s time!

Tune in on Thursday, May 21st and Friday, May 22nd, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. PDT on Classical KUSC 91.5 FM or online. (This is a podcast vs. a video series, so it’s the perfect segment to tune into while you’re cooking or just want to close your eyes and escape)

Friday, May 22nd – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Show Must Go On’

Andrew Lloyd Webber has created a new series called ‘The Show Must Go On’ giving us free access to his full-length, smash-hit musicals once a week (starting on Fridays) for 48 hrs!

Arts Addict Insider: Since this series launched in early April, Andrew Lloyd Webber has streamed shows like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, CATS and more. We don’t know what is coming for this week but we thought we’d put this on your radar! Make sure to check back with us to find out what show is next…!

The next ‘The Show Must Go On’ show will be available on their YouTube page for 48 hours starting on Friday’s @ at 2 p.m. ET.

Friday, May 22nd – SFJAZZ’s Fridays at Five, featuring Wayne Shorter Celebration

Fridays at Five is a new series of weekly pre-recorded concerts that aspire to connect you to music, musicians and live music at the SFJAZZ Center.

Arts Addict Insider: Legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter is an 11-time GRAMMY winner, 1998 NEA Jazz Master, and Kennedy Center Honoree! He had been scheduled to perform with his quartet over four nights at SFJAZZ in January of 2019, but an illness that precluded travel prevented Wayne from appearing that week. As a tribute to Wayne, an all-star roster of jazz greats assembled over those four nights to perform classic material written by the. Tune-in to experience this special performance — perfect for an evening at home with a nice glass of wine. For this special broadcast, 100% of tip jar proceeds will go directly to Wayne Shorter for his ongoing medical needs.

For just $5 a month ($60 annually), you can become a Digital Member and tune in each Friday at 5 p.m. PST for the latest concert. You can subscribe HERE!

Friday, May 22nd – Carousel (A Dance) performed with NYC Ballet

New York City Ballet is currently streaming two ballets a week, along with a full slate of other online programming, including new podcast episodes and live-streamed movement classes for all ages!

Arts Addict Insider: In 2002, New York City Ballet devoted its opening night performance to the music of Richard Rodgers, to honor the composer’s centennial. For his contribution to the program, Christopher Wheeldon used an arrangement of Rodgers’ “The Carousel Waltz” and “If I Loved You” from the 1945 musical Carousel. This beautiful ballet celebrates the romantic story of Carousel and reflects the “dream ballets” found in many musicals of that era (including Rodger and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!). What is one of your favorite musicals of theirs?

Every Tuesday and Friday at 8 PM EDT, catch works from the NYCB repertory for 72 hours on NYCB’s YouTube channel, Facebook page, and homepage at nycballet.com.

Saturday, May 23rd – One Earth Live Festival

One Earth Live is a 2-day online “festival” where several artists will unite together from the safety of their homes to celebrate global unity, community, and will share a powerful message of hope and resilience — perfectly suited for our time!

Arts Addict Insider: The reason this is on our top pick lists is this is like the ultimate stay-cation featuring amazing artists and leaders to help us rejuvenate our sense of self while supporting a great cause! All donations will go to artists to help combat on-the-ground relief efforts with things like delivering soap to “at risk” communities, meals for the front line healthcare workers, clean water, and more! Tune in to experience 9 different stages from music to yoga, to enlightening conversations this isn’t something you want to miss.

Donations of any amount appreciated! Give what you can and spread the word! You can donate HERE!

Sunday, May 24th – PBS’s National Memorial Day Concert

The 2020 National Memorial Day Concert is a tribute to the front line men and women who are doing so much for all of us in the current fight against COVID-19, and to honor and remember our troops, veterans, wounded warriors, all those who have given their lives for freedom, and their families.

Arts Addict Insider: This Sunday’s concert celebrates the 31st anniversary of the National Memorial Day Concert to honor our veterans and their families and will feature Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise. What is normally a live concert at the Nation’s Capitol, will be live-streamed on PBS.org, YouTube, and Facebook.

Want to see more suggestions each week of what to stream across genre? Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and community for top picks, exclusive access, and more! https://redcurtainaddict.com/register

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