Original First Folio series

March 2020 saw the UK enter into a nationwide lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic.^[15] British theatre closures were announced on March 16.^[16] Robert Myles, an actor and Shakespeare aficionado^[17] who found himself out of work, created The Show Must Go Online in less than a week,^[18] in response to the widespread cancellation of jobs and contracts faced by theatrical industry professionals. Inspiration was also taken from the fact that William Shakespeare wrote many of his poems and plays when theatres were shut as a result of the plague.^[19] King Lear was one such play written during that time.^[20]

With actors and creatives in a state of lockdown when the series began, Zoom was used for both the rehearsals and the performance. The show was then live streamed through YouTube.^[21]

The cast included notable professionals and also a number of amateur actors.^[22] Notable actors who were cast in the series, included British television actors such as Wendy Morgan and Seeta Indrani.^[23] Michael Bertenshaw, an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company,^[24] was also in several episodes.^[25][26] Ben Crystal, an actor noted for both his performances in Shakespeare's plays, and also his series of books on Shakespeare, played the titular role in Timon of Athens^[27] performing latter sections of the play in original pronunciation. The series also featured many American screen actors, including Jeffrey Weissman,^[28] Elizabeth Dennehy^[29] and Miguel Perez.^[30] As a whole, actors used in the series came from 6 of the 7 continents of the world.^[31] Each show in the series had an introduction by different guest speakers.^[32] Ben Crystal and Simon Russell Beale both introduced live performances for The Show Must Go Online.^[33][34]

The original series of Shakespeare plays ran until 18 November 2020. The series followed the First Folio, and as such, neither Pericles or The Two Noble Kinsmen were included in the run.^[35]

Subsequent work

Following the conclusion of the original First Folio series, The Show Must Go Online announced a livestreamed production of William Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol, by Ian Doescher on the 19th December 2020. Moving away from the free-to-watch format of the original series, this show marked the beginning of a shift to ticketed performances.^[36] Wendy Morgan returned to the series to play the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge.^[37]

This was followed by performances of Shakespeare and George Wilkins' Pericles,^[38] and John Lyly's Gallathea in 2021,^[39] with the latter production consisting of an international majority LGBTQIA+ cast.^[40] There was also a series of performances of work by Christopher Marlowe throughout the summer.^[41] The series concluded with a performance of The Two Noble Kinsmen on 8 September 2021, before The Show Must Go Online entered a 'chrysalis' period.^[42]