Photo by Nestor Galina.

By Lisa Kava

While New Yorkers are obeying orders, staying home and adjusting to this strange new way of life, many Upper West Side institutions are offering online options for those who are craving cultural activities and enrichment.

The Metropolitan Opera is offering people a rare treat to listen to the great operas on streaming.

“Our theaters may be temporarily closed, but our commitment to you remains the same: showcasing and championing the best cinema from around the globe” a representative from Film at Lincoln Center wrote in an email to West Side Rag.

“You can continue to stay connected to Film at Lincoln Center by checking out our Media Center, a treasure trove of videos, podcasts, and photo galleries from recent and past events. We also encourage you to visit the Film Commentwebsite for podcasts, reviews, long-form essays, filmmaker interviews, and much more. We’ll be ramping up our offerings in the days and weeks to come—so please check back often.”

Film at Lincoln Center is currently selling virtual tickets for the Brazilian film Bacurau. To purchase tickets  click here.

The ReelAbilities Film Festival which had been scheduled to take place at the JCC from March 31st to April 6th will still proceed but not as planned. Instead the event will shift from a live public event to a virtual format.

“Films will be available online for 24 hours beginning at the scheduled start time and Q+As with filmmakers and guests will take place after the film’s first screening concludes. Films will still be fully accessible, presented with open captions and audio description. Q+As and panels will be broadcast in interactive livestream with captioning” wrote a representative from the film festival.

The New York Historical Society will be offering “online social studies programs for students and teachers of all grade levels which begin next week.” There will be classes offered for all different age groups, starting from Kindergarten up to high school. The New York Historical Society is also offering remote teacher workshops. For more information and to sign up click here.

Upper West Sider and children’s book author Dan Gutman is offering a Facebook Live Read Aloud event “for all the kids who are stuck in the house suddenly.” So far Gutman has held three of these events and each has been a huge success. “I was astonished that nearly 7,000 people tuned in” wrote Gutman. “I’m going to keep doing it every afternoon at 2 PM until the crisis is over. We’re all in this together…separately.”

For information about Gutman and how to tune in go to dangutman.com and to his Facebook fan page.

We will continue to update as we hear of more online cultural offerings in the neighborhood.

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