On-demand streaming services just got a little more crowded and a whole lot more local.
With Neptune Theatre forced to cancel its 2020-2021 season due to the pandemic, it is stepping out of its now dark theatres and directly into your home with Neptune at Home.
For as little as $4.95 a month, theatre-goers will be able to access a variety of content across their devices curated by Atlantic Canada’s largest regional theatre.
“We wanted to create a meaningful way to stay connected with audiences and engage members of the theatre community during these unprecedented times,” says Neptune’s artistic director Jeremy Webb in a media release. “This is an exciting way to do what we do best – entertain audiences.”
Among the content available to annual subscribers are two musical offerings, the Centre Stage Concert Series and Kitchen Party Sociables.
In the Centre Stage series, members of the local music scene will perform in musical showcases of some of their hit songs. Performers include Reeny Smith, Christina Martin, T. Thomason, Keonté Beals and Roland Grant. In Kitchen Party Sociables, the cast of The Argyle Street Kitchen Party performs an assortment of Maritime tunes, including new songs from Malia Rogers, Ian Sherwood and more.
Artistic director Jeremy Webb returns with season three of Off the Leash, his weekly chat show, a lighthearted look into the lives of some of the stars from the Canadian theatre scene. Rounding out the annual subscription is a Masterclass Series and Taste Buds, a cooking show featuring members of the theatre community.
While much of the content will be available on-demand for subscribers as it is released, Neptune offers a special limited performance as part of the package with Andrew Prashad’s One Step at a Time: A Father’s Journey. Streaming until October 21, in his one-person show, Prashad shares his journey of caring for a son diagnosed with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, while balancing a career and family. The show can also be purchased for viewing on its own.
Outside the annual subscription are several other offerings that can be purchased separately.
Among them is Beau Dixon’s one-person chamber musical Beneath Springhill. Streaming October 13-20, Dixon brings to life the story of Maurice Ruddick, the African-Canadian who survived the historic mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia, in 1958.
In the play reading series Tarragon Acoustics, audiences can listen to plays from Canadian playwrights, and Fringe Binge offers 12 shows from past Halifax Fringe Festivals. For the younger set, Spencer Sparklestein will take young audiences on a series of adventures.
Neptune at Home is available now. Visit neptuneathome.com for more information.