Theatre discovery platform Thespie announces eight new online theatre and arts events during the month of February, highlighting the work of Black and LGBT+ theatre artists. The initiative is inspired by LGBT+ History Month (UK) and Black History Month (US) celebrations, but instead looks at theatre artists working today
The programming is headlined by two marquee concert premieres:
Break Free is an empowering musical celebration with LGBT+ theatre artists, sharing their personal journeys and performances of musical theatre and pop songs that have inspired them. The cast includes Natasha Agnew, Paul Baker, Allie Daniel, Eloise Davis, Andrew Derbyshire, Nick Hayes, Mark Inscoe, Eleanor Kane, Millie O’Connell, Alex Thomas-Smith, Courtney Stapleton, La Voix, Andrew Patrick-Walker, Shona White, Layton Williams and Charlotte York. Proceeds will go to LGBT+ charity Stonewall UK.
The Road to Prominence celebrates Black musical theatre writers and composers, from the early twentieth century to today, including performances and interviews with leading UK theatre performers. The filmed concert is directed by Dominic Powell whose musical Cases is featured in the concert, alongside works such as The Wiz, The Color Purple, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Shuffle Along. The cast includes Zoe Birkett, Adrian Hansel, Waylon Jacobs, Aisha Jawando, Bobby Little, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Alex Thomas-Smith and Andrew Patrick-Walker. Proceeds will go to Black Lives Matter UK.
Break Free premieres on Friday, 19 February at 8PM GMT (3PM EST / 12PM PST) and
The Road to Prominence premieres on Friday, 26 February at 8PM GMT (3PM EST / 12PM PST).
Both concerts will be available to stream on-demand following their premieres, and purchasers will have 72 hours to view.
Tickets for each are £8/$10 per household with all proceeds going to Stonewall UK and Black Lives Matter UK. £15/$25 and £25/$30 tickets also available which include an extra donation.
The In the Room series of free artist talks comprise conversations with performers and creators and about writing, rehearsal, and collaboration. It will feature Max Harwood (3 Feb), star of the forthcoming film of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, with cast members from the Leicester Curve production of The Color Purple in conversation with Dominic Powell (10 Feb), and more to be announced later.
The informal chat series Thespie Thursdays will feature artists Eloise Davis and Courtney Stapleton (4 Feb), Millie O’Connell (11 Feb), Genesis Lynea (18 Feb) and Melanie La Barrie (25 Feb) and is also free to view on Thespie.
Thespie offers listings for theatre streaming, theatre music & audio, theatre eBooks, educational resources, live London theatre, theatre news, and more. Audiences can use Thespie to stream its original programming of concerts and artist talks, as well as more than 400 other shows; and to discover over 1000 theatre resources available on other popular platforms and services, such as Disney+, Amazon Prime, Spotify and Audible.
