It looks like this may go on for a while. Even when arts venues reopen, capacity is going to face new limits. Photos of theaters in Germany where seats have been removed to accommodate social distancing, in some cases show theaters with 75% of the seats removed. Large scale operas require years of planning, and balancing of schedules. It may be years before live performances can be cajoled back into existence. As the sun sets on a recent golden age of high budget all-star live performance, it is lucky for us that many of these were recorded for posterity. With the idea that everybody is taking a financial hit right now, I’m focusing on the free stuff again. The one exception is a venue that is allowing people to rent (for less than the price of a latte) underground/independent films, with the proceeds going straight to the filmmakers.

Criterion Collection, Shirley Clark.

Criterion has removed the paywall on their black film library during the month of June in honor of Black Lives Matter. They have some superlative titles including Body and Soul by Oscar Micheaux, Black Panthers by Agnes Varda, Daughters of the Dust by Julie Dash, Down in the Delta by Maya Angelou, and Portrait of Jason by Shirley Clark.

https://www.criterionchannel.com/browse

The Pearls for Cleopatra.

OperaVision has posted loads of videos to their YouTube channel to watch for free.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTlXPAfOx300RZfWNw8-qg

Among their most gonzo current offerings is The Pearls of Cleopatra, a Weimar era operetta that’s staged to look like a lost Charles Ludlum play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z282rZtb_dI&t=749s

The Dutch National Opera and Ballet.

The Dutch National Opera and Ballet has posted full ballets and operas on YouTube including a full Wagner ring cycle with English subtitles. For people seeking an unusual workout, they have ballet barre routines that you can practice along with at home.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW6ru0sy_mpgJ9boWJS59fg

Lincoln Center at home.

The NYC Ballet is offering free streaming dance programs through July 17th. The programs will periodically change, so it’s worth keeping an eye on this site if you like dance.

http://lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home/series/dance-week

This is part of a larger program put on by Lincoln Center that includes a variety of other performing arts.

http://lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home

Film for Action.

Films for Action (A Library for Changing the World) offers documentaries and inspirational videos for expanding your consciousness. They bill themselves as the largest learning library for social change online. With sections like The Economics of Happiness, Personal Change is Good, Collective Organizing is Better, The Invention of the White Race, and The Martin Luther King Jr You Don’t See on TV, this is an excellent resource for teachers planning a class on current events, or writers seeking topics to explore.

https://www.filmsforaction.org/

Lower East Side Biography.

The Lower East Side Biography Project is the brainchild of Penny Arcade. The goal is to document some of the most interesting people who lived in New York from the latter part of the 20th century until the present day. Excerpts of many of those can be watched on their Vimeo channel for free.

https://vimeo.com/search?q=lower+east+side+biography+project

Google Art Museums.

If you’ve been hearing about all of the world’s museums going online, but don’t know where to begin, Google has thoughtfully provided a guide, with links to the various museums.

https://artsandculture.google.com/partner

Filmmakers Coop donations.

And for anybody with a few bucks to support independent filmmakers, Filmmakers Cooperative allows you to stream films from their catalog with proceeds going straight to the filmmakers.

https://vimeo.com/nacgfmc/vod_page