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Keep learning - Arts
Literature-based discussion group
You could send comments to one person for collation and send a summary to everyone in the group. This could work whether in English or for language groups. It may be appropriate to continue email conversation to a second round. If it’s a language group ask for comments in that language to improve written skills too!
Join your local library online
Many local Councils offer online access to their library catalogues so that you can continue learning while you’re social distancing. You can download e-books or audio books as well as listen to author interviews and also join in online chats with other readers to review books.
Take virtual tours of our historic buildings and landmarks
Many of the places you would like to visit, now it’s spring, are currently shut but you can still tour them virtually. Check out your local places of interest to see what’s on offer or browse some of the London landmarks for ideas.
Online Cinema
The various cinema chains and independents are offering a variety of free on-line showings so it's worth looking at their individual websites to see what's on offer.
Free Musicals
Free musicals and plays you can now stream during the coronavirus outbreak: http://www.filmedonstage.com/
Singing
Members at Ayr u3a have been exercising their vocal cords with Gareth Malone Great British Home Chorus.
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer has loaded lots of new content including classic box sets, such as all 10 series of popular spy drama Spooks, plus Wallander, French & Saunders, Waking the Dead and The Missing.
Film
Carlton and Gedling u3a have started a film study group in response to cinemas and theatres being closed. They meet twice a month to watch a film agreed at the previous meeting. To keep the programme interesting they alternate the selection of film: they discuss a classic film from the history of cinema in one meeting and in the next, a fairly recent or contemporary film.
So far they’ve been able to choose films from a variety of free streaming platforms, including iPlayer and All4. The advantage of these streaming platforms is that members don’t all have to watch the film at the same time, they’re available to anyone with a smart tv, internet connection or cable….and they're free. People study the film at their leisure in the two weeks between meetings.
The group started with almost the very beginnings of cinema with a couple of short films by Melies and the latest classic was Orson Welles’ astonishing directing debut, Citizen Kane. If you’d like to discuss taking your u3a’s film group online or starting a film group, email Paul Martinez via the main u3a website.
Opera
Carlton & Gedling u3a opera group has taken on a whole new lease of life since the lockdown started. They now meet twice a month. At each meeting they discuss an opera they have watched in the preceding fortnight and one of them introduces the next opera they are going to watch in the next fortnight.
They have been watching operas on YouTube, usually on Operavision. The operavision operas are usually high quality in performance, picture and audio. There are 30-40 operas available at any one time and they are usually available for a couple of months each. ALL FOR FREE. The repertoire is, if anything, particularly strong on operas which are less well known although there are lots of popular classics as well.
The Royal Opera House has live transmissions at 7pm on Fridays on You Tube. You can also find more online opera on our resources library by searching for opera as a subject.
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