Coronavirus may have scuppered most, if not all, public events but there are plenty of online gatherings to keep you occupied:
Elevenses with the World of David Walliams
Beloved children’s author David Walliams, author of The Boy in the Dress and Gangsta Granny, reads a short story from his collection World’s Worst Children every day.
Daily, 11am, free.
Glasgow Science Centre: GSC at Home
The team over at Glasgow Science Centre host daily science projects for kids and their families to do together. Previous experiments have included making your own lava lamp, designing your own planet and lessons about the spring equinox.
Daily, 10am, free.
Daily music from Worcester
Worcester Cathedral’s Director of Music, Samuel Hudson, and Assistant Director of Music, Nicholas Freestone performs a daily live music broadcast from their homes.
Daily, 6.30pm, free.
The Stay at Home Festival
The Cosmic Shambles Network presents daily live streams of live podcast recordings, mixed comedy nights and interesting conversations in a bid to allay everyone’s cabin fever. All events are free, though there is the option to donate on their website, which will go directly to the acts.
Dates updated daily. Times vary, free.
Hoopla Improv Theatre: Drop-in Workshops
Learn how to roll with the punches at this drop-in comedy improv workshop run by Hoopla. Play improv games, participate in interactive scenes and find some levity in these uncertain times.
Fri April 3-Thu April 9, times vary, £10.
The Saturday Night Quarantine Comedy Club
The clubs may be shut, but the laughs keep rolling in at this virtual comedy night. Tonight’s show features the great Josie Long, who returned to the Fringe after a five year hiatus with her critically-acclaimed show Tender, and the uproariously absurd John-Luke Roberts. Stream the show live via the Cosmic Shambles website or via their YouTube channel.
Sat April 4, 8.30pm, free.
Saturday Night Live at the Stand
The famous comedy club beams brand new jokes from some of the funniest folk on the circuit straight into the comfort of your own home.
Sat April 4, 8.30pm, free.
Hot Water Comedy Club
Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club live streams their triple-headline comedy show, with all the money going towards keeping the club’s lights on and split between the acts. On the line-up tonight is Paul Smith, Tez Ilyas, Jojo Sutherland and Troy Hawke.
Sat April 4, 8pm, £3.
Vienna State Opera
Every Saturday, 6pm, free.
Vienna State Opera presents scheduled streams of previous productions. The streams are free to view, but registration is required. Tonight’s performance features Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, with Anita Rachvelishvili , José Cura, Clemens Unterreiner and Sorin Coliban.
Science Shambles
Live podcast recordings featuring long-form conversations with scientists about their research and our world’s many mysteries. This week’s episode features the likes of comedian Robin Ince, physicist Helen Czerski, physician and science writer Ben Goldacre and scientist Chris Jackson.
Sun April 5, 3pm, free.
Covid-19 Q&A
If all the coronavirus coverage hasn’t exhausted or terrified you enough, English comedian, actor and writer Robin Ince is here to answer your questions, sort fact from fiction and hopefully bring some levity to the serious situation we now find ourselves in.
Sun April 5, 7pm, free.
Let’s Draw Together!
Artist Laura Darling of Hospitalfield’s Free Drawing School announces a new drawing challenge every Monday at 10am. Participants will have two hours to complete the challenge and post an image of their submission in the comments section of the Facebook page. Last week’s challenge was to draw six observational drawings on the theme of ‘flora’.
Every Monday, 10am, free.
Monday Makes
The Learning Team at Dundee Contemporary Arts designs activities to help people get creative at home. Download the activity sheet off their website and share it on their Discovery: Families at DCA Facebook page, or on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #DCAmakes.
Every Monday, times vary, free.
All The Young Nudes’s Online Drawing Club
Online life modelling sessions wherein participants can sketch from life at these weekly two-hour sessions. Artists and tutors will also join in to offer advice and discuss different drawing techniques. The registration link will be sent to all ticket purchasers in advance of the event, or participants can subscribe to ATYN’s Patreon to access all four live sessions each month.
Every Monday, 7-9pm, £4.
Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera presents free, live streamed classical concerts every Monday night. The repertoire consists of lieder, instrumental works, chamber music and dance performances, and the concerts remain available to view on demand for thirty days.
Every Monday, 8.15pm, free.
Scottish Ballet: SB Health
The Scottish Ballet delivers its SB Health programme online via live streams every weekday on its Facebook page, with the aim of bringing the joy, creativity and health benefits of dance straight into our homes. Monday will feature Dance for Parkinson’s Scotland; Tuesday’s class will be Elevate, a class for those with Multiple Sclerosis; Wednesday’s class will be Time for Dance, a session for those with dementia; Thursday’s class Regenerate is designed for those aged 60+; and Friday’s class will be Family Barre for parents and children, led by Scottish Ballet’s principal dancer, Bethany Kingsley-Garner.
Every Monday-Friday, 11.30am, free.
The Show Must Go Online
The Bard gets the online treatment as a global cast of professional and amateur actors come together via Zoom at this weekly reading of Shakespeare’s plays, in the order in which they are believed to have been written. The ensemble have so far performed The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Taming of the Shrew and Henry VI Part I thus far.
Every Wednesday, 7pm, free.
Take a Code Break
Live weekly webcast wherein the Code Break team, including founder Hadi Partovi and a range of special guests, teach children the basics of coding and pose a weekly challenge. Suitable for all levels of experience, even those without a computer.
Every Wednesday, 5pm, prices vary.
Live From the Safari Park
The staff at Blair Drummond Safari Park brings their audience into the animal pen with weekly live streams via their Facebook, teaching audiences about the park’s animals and their keepers. There will also be a wee quiz at the end, for the little ones to test their knowledge. This week’s live stream will feature the park’s mob of cheeky meerkats.
Every Thursday, 12pm, free.
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home Virtual Busk
Every Thursday, 7pm, free.
Various musicians perform weekly live stream sessions via Facebook to raise money and help keep the lights on for the pups and kittens at the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.
