As museums, galleries, theatres and other hubs of art and culture start to reopen after the lockdown, many of us are itching for a culture fix.

Watching endless Friends reruns is great for a while, but nothing compares to live performances and seeing great art up-close.

But with concerns over a second wave of coronavirus infections and the fact that many Australians are on a tight budget after job losses, there are lots of ways for you to experience all kinds of artistic and cultural experiences from the comfort of your own bed.

Here are just five ways to broaden your mind, and have some fun, from home:

1. Ballet

It’s so easy to fall down a YouTube rabbit-hole of conspiracy videos and make-up tutorials, but YouTube also has a treasure trove of live ballet performances. Classics such as Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker will leave you in awe at the athleticism of the ballerinas and leave you breathless as the orchestra fills your computer speakers.

2. Virtual Tours

Many museums and galleries have had virtual tours available for years but there’s no better time to wander the halls of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and check out the interactive galleries featuring masterpieces by legends including van Gogh, Cézanne and Degas.

But you’re not just stuck with painters from the 19th century, modernist galleries including the Tate Modern in London and NYC’s MoMA also have virtual tours.

3. Art History

The Metropolitan Museum in New York City is home to artworks by art and artefacts from ancient times right up to the current day, as well as the enviable collection in the Costume Institute. But the Met also offers over 1,400 free art books online through its website. Fill in the gaps of your art history knowledge and read up on anything and everything art-related from the Impressionists to Napoleonic fashion to Dior to Near Eastern Bronze Age art.

4. Shakespeare

While many of us are put off Shakespeare when we’re forced to read his works in high school, nothing can compare to seeing The Bard performed live (as close to live as possible, of course). The Globe Theatre has made Shakespearean favourites available for free via their YouTube channel including the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The current Globe Theatre is an accurate reconstruction of Shakespeare’s own Globe Theatre which was demolished in 1644.

If you’re already a fan of Shakespeare but haven’t explored any of his contemporaries, Brave Spirits Theatre released a number of socially distanced performances of plays by Shakespeare’s buddies including George Peele and Christopher Marlowe.

5. World Radio

If you’re still working from home, you’ve probably played all of your favourite Spotify playlists a hundred times over. If you’re desperate for some new music, try Radio Garden. This nifty website lets you listen to live radio from all over the world.

Some of our favourites include M Radio Comédies Musicales from Paris and Hits of Bollywood from Surat, India.

Let us know some of the ways you’ve been broadening your horizons while in iso.