London’s theatres have been recognised by Time Out’s ‘Time In Awards’ for keeping the nation entertained throughout lockdown.
The National Theatre At Home series has secured the top spot, as the “cultural initiative that made life worth living” during lockdown.
The National Theatre have been broadcasting weekly cinema-quality recordings of sell-out plays, streamed for free via YouTube. Fans have enjoyed stellar performances from stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch, James Corden and Tom Hiddleston. The award-winning programme concludes with Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus on July 16th.
Also highly commended in the awards was Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for providing free streaming of Shakespeare classics including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
North London’s Hampstead Theatre was praised for their quality broadcasts of off-West End plays including I and You, which saw Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams make her stage debut in 2018.
The title of ‘Stuck Indoors Celeb Hero’ was given to Sir Patrick Stewart for his daily Twitter performances of Shakespeare’s sonnets.
The awards, which were voted for by Time Out‘s readers, celebrate London’s lockdown heroes, highlighting the places and people that have lifted spirits in this difficult time.
Words by Charlotte Roszko.