Friday 1st May 2026

Culture

What I learned from Tracey Emin about regeneration

CW: Abortion I left the Tate Modern’s latest headline show, Tracey Emin: A Second Life, feeling unmoved by the artworks. I found the paintings somewhat derivative and the neon signs...

In sickness, health, and wrongdoing: ‘The Drama’ in review

CW: Gun violence. “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” is the driving question of...

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s theatre: Defining the ill-defined

It has been 93 years since the first performance of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good...

Authenticity and the pop genre: Slayyyter’s ‘WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA’

Originality could be dead in pop music. The genre is so self-referential that it...

Coming of age with Beanie Feldstein

All teenagers hit that age where they are suddenly on the verge of adulthood whilst still clinging onto what is left of their childhood....

O Cypris

'O Cypris! I must rank among those who seek your nectar.'

The Mandalorian, The Boys and the Battle for Second Place in the Streaming World

The pretenders are trying to beat Netflix at their own game, and will hope that The Boys and The Mandalorian respectively will bring in new, loyal subscribers

Creating theatre in a pandemic: Spoon River Anthology

Working with other people on Spoon River is definitely a welcome distraction from the monotony of being stuck in lockdown at home. It is truly inspiring to get to witness so many creatives coming together for this production.

“We’re going into a new territory”: interviewing theatre director Sally Cookson

Sally Cookson is a theatre director who has worked on productions for theatres including the Old Vic London, the Bristol Old Vic, the National...

Dick Whittington: not quite the win the National was hoping for

This version attempts to be the Hamilton of pantomimes, incorporating street dance, rap, pop ballads and frequent references to TikTok trends into an otherwise familiar tale.

Bodleian Bangers: Dame Helen Ghosh

"If you asked me “what am I proud of?”. I did Couch to 5k. Okay, so going with that for a running song I would say Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985). Definitely one of my pandemic songs."

Read, Listen, Learn: The Everchanging World of Books

Flash forward 100 years. Surprise! People still read — just not in the same way as we do now, and we can be pretty...

It is the light

"It is the light/That engulfs me/Its fingers of dust waltzing ever so softly"

It’s a Sin: a sublime and sorrowful social history

Davies understands that tragedy is awfulness plus its antithetical counterpoint

Debating the Preservation of Cultural Infrastructures: the Example of Tolkien’s Property

Fans of J.R. Tolkien have been troubled by the prospects of having Tolkien’s home sold to private buyers. Should it go on the market...

‘Ah, bitter chill it was!’: John Keats, the winter Romantic

If these next months feel dreary and dark, as they undoubtedly will, do seek solace in the strange, mysterious world of Romantics.

Backstage takes centre stage: a look behind the scenes

It is at this moment that it becomes obvious just how important backstage is; it can quite simply carry the play or allow it to flop, making the phrase ‘break a leg’ cut a bit close to the bone.

A Recipe for the ‘Great British Sitcom’

It seems difficult to think of anything so integrally British as the phenomenon known as the ‘Great British Sitcom’. Up there with scones, Big...

Biting the hand that so rarely feeds us?: an honest review of Happiest Season

*Spoiler alert* At some point during the festive period, without fail, I curl up on the sofa and binge watch Christmas films. The usual contenders...

Becoming Hir

The play’s cathartic nature hinges on New York playwright Taylor Mac’s darkly playful approach to gender issues.

Review: Playboi Carti’s ‘Whole Lotta Red’

The most interesting thing about Playboi Carti is that despite the immense attention and hype he draws, he remains a relative mystery. Past projects...

Bodleian Bangers: Alan Rusbridger

"If you want 45 minutes of music to die to, surely it's last bit of Act I of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro - as good as any 45 minutes of music." Alan Rusbridger, LMH Principal and former Guardian Editor-In-Chief, is the first to feature in Music's new series, Bodleian Bangers.

Time Alone

"The echo in the chapel chimes as I take my unlikely seat."

The Potter

"Did you ever meet the man, Who lived once in this place?"

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