Friday 29th May 2026

Culture

Oxford on-screen: Historical atmosphere and fantasy worlds

Ideally, we should strike a balance; an awareness of the reality of life at Oxford can co-exist with an appreciation of its grand architecture and historical atmosphere.

The rise of Stats.fm: Music as a signal of identity

It is far harder to maintain a separation between your taste, your identity, and how you are thought of by others.  

‘Would you mind if I asked you a troubling question?’:  ‘Ulster American’ in review

Arun Lewis reviews Grá Productions' staging of David Ireland's 'Ulster American', and finds fault in an otherwise fascinating performance.

Subs, dubs, and AI flubs: Lost in film translation

How hard could it be to watch an entire film in German when I could not even introduce myself in the language? Quite hard, it turns out.

Riotous Fun! ‘Little Women the Musical’ in review

Isaac Gavaghan reviews 'Little Women the Musical', Pembroke College’s annual musical directed this year by Dawuud Abdool-Ghany.

Seeped in nostalgia: ‘Things I Know To Be True’ reviewed

Lighthouse Productions' 'Things I Know to Be True' had high expectations to meet. Put frankly, they nailed it.

Well-educated, fairly bred, but without money: Gissing’s ‘Collected Short Stories’

Hassan Akram reviews the Collected Short Stories of George Gissing, edited and introduced by Pierre Coustillas.

Let’s go to the movies: Fennec Fox Productions’ ‘The Flick’

After their staging of Company at the Oxford Playhouse earlier this term, Fennec Fox Productions are set to return next week with a run of The Flick (2013) at the Burton Taylor Studio.

A deeply Singaporean play: In conversation with ‘Late Company’

OUMSSA Theatre makes their debut with Jordan Tannahill’s Late Company. While the text originated in Canada, OUMSSA Theatre’s take on it is nonetheless entrenched in Singaporean culture.

Why I only run to classical music, and you should too

I decided on a whim to put on Gershwin instead of my usual playlist. It was life changing.

Questioning the nation’s obsession with ‘Love Island’

Love Island’s formulations have begun to seem increasingly sinister. Last summer’s season (series twelve) saw a particularly high number of complaints.

The Hollywood blockbuster and what it says about us

Why do ‘dad films’, once popular and even good, not seem to have the relevance they used to?

Confronting the future of art: ‘Responding to AI’ at Christ Church

‘Responding to AI’ an exhibition curated by Aniq Shamshi and Alice King, confronted the question of how artists perceive artificial intelligence directly.

Lighthouse Productions on ‘Things I Know To Be True’

Fresh from the success of their debut production, Lighthouse Productions are set to deliver their second show: Andrew Bovell’s Things I Know to Be True (2016).

A masterclass in devising: ‘Noether’

This original play tells the story of the mathematician Emmy Noether and her struggles with the misogyny of her male peers against the backdrop of the rising Nazi state.

In defence of academic writing

In my year out before my postgraduate degree, I made the momentous decision to start writing fiction. I’d recently got back into reading novels, and thought becoming a novelist would be an ideal way to commit my name to posterity.

“Everything is political!”: How The Hot Mess Project is reviving Oxford’s creative communities

If you’ve been online recently, browsing in search of something to fill an empty evening, you will probably have run across The Hot Mess...

The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025), reviewed

Many of us have already heard the voice of Hind Rajab. On 26th January 2024, the Palestine Red Crescent Society received a call about a six-year-old girl in need of aid.

A show with bite: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ reviewed

Ong and Bouchta have mounted an incredibly successful run at the O’Reilly. The commitment and love for the show comes across.

Kooky and self-assured: ‘Brew Hill’ in review

Pecadillo Productions’ latest show is (quite rightly) aiming for Fringe, but this kooky, self-assured tragicomedy has immediate cult classic potential.

Art is an argument, so argue back

Often, how much we like artwork comes down to ‘vibes’, initial gut-reactions we make, and then quickly negate by stating that surely it's all about taste.

Red soles, red flags: Jaden Smith and the celebrity takeover of high fashion

Smith’s appointment has raised some serious questions about the extent to which nepotism and celebrity is superseding artistic talent in the fashion industry at present.

The ‘Silent’ Film

Not speaking does not necessarily mean having nothing to say. As much can be said with an image, movement, or glance as with a word.

For those who like the idea of someone: In conversation with ‘Dreams’

Dreams is a piece of brand-new writing by Peter Hardisty and Charlotte Macari, produced by Crazy Child Productions.

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