Friday 4th July 2025
Blog Page 23

Oxford’s influencers: Student life, filtered through the screen

Lara Murrani
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Oxford’s influencers: Student life, filtered through the screen

There’s something about Oxford that makes people want to document it. The terms are fleeting, and begging to be captured. While Oxford students have a long tradition of photos, journals, and diary entries, a new way of capturing it all has emerged among Gen Z. You’ve probably seen them around, and you’ve probably watched their TikToks and Instagram reels. You may have even met a few of these quasi-famous figures. Student online personalities are no novelty, but a sign of the times, and Oxford’s storytelling legacy has evolved to make room for a new offshoot in the digital age: Oxford student influencers.

The student influencer online

Of course, the University presents its own perspective online. The University’s official Instagram boasts 1.8 million followers, and college social media profiles routinely attract hundreds of thousands of views. But this sanitised, institutional perspective isn’t what people are looking for. Something else has grown independent of the University’s online personality, something far more intimate: the perspective of the students behind the caps and the gowns.

Many of us searched Oxford online before we arrived. We subscribed to YouTube channels, followed Instagram accounts, and watched TikTok creators who documented their lives as students. Some of us even followed creators from their sixth form days, through the fervour of their results day, and into their fresh first weeks at Oxford. These influencers can almost feel like mythical creatures. We know they’re here, but in a strange way, their specially documented lives seem isolated from our own, mundane student experiences. That is, until we stumble on their posts, and suddenly there is this instant connection: sometimes it’s just a laugh, sometimes it feels more personal, like being seen by a stranger online who may only be 5 minutes from you at any given time, like having something that felt like your own unique experience watched by millions of people online.

The people behind the screens

To understand what it actually means to be a student content creator at Oxford, I spoke to several current and graduated Oxford students whose accounts have documented their lives and times at the University.

Oliver, @oliversoxford across Instagram and TikTok, is famous for his interviews with other students, most notably known for his satirical interviews with ‘Bartholomew Hamish Montgomery’ (‘Barty’), a fictional aristocrat who regales viewers with tales of private jets and endless trust funds. Beyond that, Oliver also puts out some “more down-to-earth content, like interviews with regular students”. Oliver’s interviews with characters like Barty help poke fun at the ancient traditions and privileges at Oxford, while his conversations with real students work to gently peel back the stereotype, revealing a more diverse and grounded reality behind the University’s image.

Next is Meagan (@meaganloyst on TikTok and Instagram), who spoke to me from New Zealand, where she’s currently staying. She shares content that blends the aesthetic Oxford life with behind-the-scenes moments, everything from study sessions to scenic shots of Oxford’s iconic architecture: “My Instagram is basically a living video diary of all my Oxford experiences and beyond”. Meagan’s content walks the line between aspiration and authenticity, trying to show a realistic display of life as a student.

Lastly, rooted in the ‘study-tube’ tradition, Chloe, @chloepomfret on Instagram and @chloerevises on TikTok, is focused on putting out content that highlights the realities of what life is like as a student, especially from a working-class perspective. Chloe’s social media presence seems to challenge the traditional view of life at Oxford, and as her footprint follows her from her years in secondary school and sixth form, it presents a rarer perspective of a journey into Oxford. 

The conversation began with a question about how each first got into content creation. Oliver said he began “during the pandemic, as most people did.” Initially, he wanted to promote his eco-friendly queer fashion brand: “you know how people joke that it took them 25 years to realise they were gay and it took the algorithm 10 minutes?” But it soon fell into Oxford-focused videos, his street interviews were popular, and their conversational style “suited him well”.

For Meagan, it was much more deliberate: “When I got to Oxford, one of my goals was to get good at video editing and hit 10K on TikTok by the end of Michaelmas, so I started posting a video a day!” She also traced her start to the pandemic. “I initially started writing in a diary to document my experiences, but it was way faster to do daily videos instead.”

Chloe, on the other hand, started her social media career before the lockdowns. She told a story from her childhood, explaining the striking visual of being sat in the hospital when her grandfather was admitted, posting her notes online just for something to do, and watching it become the most unexpected escape outlet. She was quick to emphasise how much she values the community she built around her and how it became such an integral part of her life that it just had to continue into university. 

The throughline of the COVID-19 pandemic is obvious. With the lockdown having been the first growth spurt for a lot of online circles, this isn’t a huge surprise. The pandemic was a pivotal moment for Gen-Z around the world. A generation that was already becoming defined by social isolation and a closer connection to screens was suddenly shoved entirely into the digital sphere. TikTok use exploded in 2020. Chloe, whose channel predates the pandemic, explained how she suspects that many people found community in those online groups to fill the absence of lecture halls and communal spaces. Now, even in the ‘after’ times and the real world, in-person Oxford, so much of our lives are still filtered through screens and algorithms.

Oxford: Romantic, elitist, both?

When it comes to the image of one of the world’s most famous universities, there’s an inherent tension between the romantic cobbled streets and the realities of student life: three essay weeks, high expectations, and, of course, the exclusivity at the heart of it all. I asked the content creators how they navigated the paradox that is the many sides of Oxford University when presenting such a complicated place in short videos to millions of people. 

Oliver said: “I think most people realise that the videos are satire. If someone watches one of my posh sketches and decides not to apply without doing any further research, maybe Oxford wasn’t the right fit for them in the first place.” He was undoubtedly referring here to the frequent appearances of ‘Barty’ and his merry men in the oliversoxford sketches. In one video, Barty humorously tries to navigate modern dating, poking fun at the outdated ideas of the Oxford elite. “I try to balance them with more down-to-earth content, like interviews with regular students,” Oliver explained. He went on to stress his view that most students are down to-earth people from all kinds of backgrounds who are just passionate about their subject, not “the insane brainiacs that people often imagine”.

Meagan flattered our entire country when she told me: “As an American living in Oxford, it felt like living in a movie.” She explained that for her, posting about Oxford was a way to highlight the parts of it not everyone gets to see, showing a more realistic view into a student’s day-to-day. 

Chloe explained that since day one, it was her goal to show Oxford for all its beauty while never shying away from the financial realities of studying here. We talked about the ‘work ban’ at Oxford, a rule that stops students from taking on paid work during term time. It’s something a lot of students don’t realise exists until they actually get here. She feels it is an unfair exclusion, barring certain students who may need the money during term time to afford their college rent. On the topic of college rent, she told me about a time when she approached St. Catherine’s College when she couldn’t afford her battels, and was “offered a job working in the college kitchen” to help pay them. She tells me that it’s things like this that can make Oxford feel out of reach for students who don’t have the same financial security as others, leaving them to figure things out on their own. To Chloe, bringing attention to barriers like this for prospective applicants is just as important as her other content.

Juggling TikTok and a degree

Now for the question that was really on my mind: how did they manage to juggle their degree with what was essentially a full-time job?

“I don’t do the degree”, Chloe deadpanned. 

While I must preface, for the sake of her tutors and the Catz academic office, that she is joking, Meagan seconds her point: “You have to make it a priority to give content creation a real shot. Consistency is everything when you’re starting.”

Chloe did go on to explain that for her, content was closely tied in with her daily life and, as a result, flows fairly naturally from it.

Oliver told me that he did struggle at one point. While lawyers are already professional whiners about our workload, Oliver might have more of a right to complain: he’s balancing content creation, his Master’s in Law, and work for a marketing agency. And I thought I had it bad bouncing between Law and Cherwell articles! He stressed that he found discipline was key, and his schedule was not too different from everyone else’s: “Everyone at Oxford does societies and other stuff outside of your work – it just so happened that I could monetise mine.”

Why keep the posts coming?

So, what motivates these stars of the rectangular screen? Chloe told me that she does it for the reactions to her content, both positive and negative. If you look up student life at Oxford online, you are often inundated with a flood of “posh accents” and trips to Bicester Village. She wants to be a part of challenging this, helping people find it easier to imagine themselves walking the many halls and corridors of the University. Oliver, similarly, wants to reflect that Oxford is a “much more diverse place than people think”. Meagan also explained how she knows her videos, originally just a visual diary, have been helpful to incoming freshers looking to learn more about the University: “I’ve had a bunch of students tell me they saw my videos before arriving and it helped them choose their college, get excited about their degree, and beyond.”

I asked all three to tell me about how being content creators at Oxford has affected their lives:

Oliver told me: “It’s rewarding to see how people react to the content. As for the online persona, I try to stay authentic. I’m not trying to be someone I’m not, and I think that helps me balance the two worlds.”  

Meagan really emphasised the connections she’s formed, the friends, the experiences, and the doors it opened up. She is a “huge advocate for the pros of social media, especially from a career perspective, and how you can leverage it to create and even manifest the life you want.”

Speaking about the pros and cons, Chloe mentioned the negative or disparaging comments she sometimes receives, both online and in-person. While those are par for the course, it’s the community she has built and the goals she’s working toward that make her feel incredibly lucky to have a voice and to use it to effect change, both in Oxford and outside of it. She especially highlighted her pride in being able to make Oxford a more welcoming place for student care leavers and being able to talk with them about a future at the University.

Fame, online and on the street

All three creators told me how their online fame often spills over into their everyday offline lives. Chloe has lost count of how many times she’s overheard someone say, “Oh, it’s that girl from TikTok.” Oliver and Chloe were, respectively, #2 and #6 on last year’s BNOC list. Even though it’s easy to think of them as existing solely on the screen, their fame can translate into real life far more than anyone would expect.

Lastly, I asked what’s next for these creators? Chloe discussed her work as co-chair of the Oxford Class Act Campaign, particularly a current project where she’s interviewing students who have been in local authority care or are estranged from their families. The goal is to compile a report for the University, which will use the findings to improve its support for these students. Oliver delved into his research on vaccine misinformation and the legal and ethical implications of censoring health-related misinformation. Meagan has already built up a reputation for Gen Z VCs, a global collective she founded. It’s basically a community for young people interested in investing, starting businesses, or working in startups. Her online fame has helped her get a monthly column in The Times. 

So, that’s it from our cast of Oxford student influencers. Writing this piece made me reflect on just how differently we all move through and document our brief time here. But it also reminded me that even when we feel completely wrapped up in our own lives, we’re often walking different versions of the same story. Our experiences might feel deeply personal, but they’re rarely solitary and can be shared with the people around us. In talking with these people, I was reminded of the long history of Oxford students narrating their time here, the art of storytelling, it may seem, never really dies; it just evolves and evolves.

Pagans and Presbyterians: Experiencing a sort of secular age

Satchel Walton
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Pagans and Presbyterians: Experiencing a sort of secular age

Outside a teepee in rural Kent, a woman waved a smoking bundle of herbs around me, as if I was getting extra attention while going through airport security. I dipped my hand in a bowl of water and dabbed some on my forehead. As instructed, I stepped into the tent, sprinkled tobacco in the fire, and said a prayer.

I was surely the only Presbyterian at this neo-pagan ceremony, a four-day event of fire tending and singing and storytelling to commemorate friends and relatives who had recently died. This made me stand out not just in the teepee, but also in my own country. In 2018, Pew Research Center found that there were more Americans who identified as pagan witches than there were members of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In the seven years since, the liberal-leaning denomination has only continued its long decline, alongside so many other churches across the Western world.

The statistics hardly need repeating at this point. Across the West, people’s participation in religion, its importance to them, and their belief in it have all declined. Oxford’s college choirs keep singing and chapel bells keep ringing, but only a third of English people in their 20s identified as Christian in the last census. But even as the West becomes less devout, many still experience the world as a deeply spiritual and enchanted place.

Image credit: Oscar Reynolds for Cherwell christian presbyerian

Image credit: Oscar Reynolds for Cherwell

The days of miracle and wonder

For many intellectuals, religion has been falling out of fashion for centuries. The great German philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher ran in a circle of friends in the 1790s so secular that he prefaced his book by acknowledging that it would shock them that he defended religion, something they “so completely neglected”. Thomas Jefferson happily predicted that by the middle of the 19th century, every American would renounce the superstitious elements of Christianity and become a more rational Unitarian. The future Christian apologist C.S. Lewis wrote that during his first years at University College, he was “busily engaged (apart from ‘doing Mods.’ and ‘beginning Greats’) in assuming what we may call an intellectual ‘New Look’. There was to be no more … flirtations with any idea of the supernatural, no romantic delusion.”

Despite religion’s continual death in the academy, Christianity and Islam have hardly ever been so alive as they are now in much of the Global South. Devotion is strong in Africa and Asia, continents with the large majority of the global population. But even in the supposedly secularised West, spirituality has signs of life, even if it’s not what it looked like in centuries past.

Yes, an all-time high of 30% of Americans are ‘nones’ – that is, they claim no religious affiliation. But when you probe them, many are deeply spiritual. In a recent survey, less than a third deny the existence of spirits, most believe in God, and most are open to the ideas of heaven and hell.

There is more reason for Enlightenment rationalists like Jefferson to despair. Half of Americans say they definitely believe in religious miracles, and another quarter say they probably believe. And substantial majorities now say they definitely or maybe believe in a whole range of supernatural phenomena you wouldn’t hear about at Sunday school, like Karma, psychic abilities, and (non-Holy) ghosts.

Edward A. David is an associate member of Oxford’s Faculty of Theology and Religion and a lecturer at King’s College London. In a recent pilot study, he analysed how young people from countries across the world understand religion and who they see as spiritual role models.

David told Cherwell: “I’m coming to view religion – at least perceived by Gen Zers – as being a deeply emotive, affect-based phenomenon, not so much doctrine-based or rationally-based, but very much  ‘How does this make me feel?’ and going from there.”

Dr. David’s participants from the Global South – both Christian and Muslim – tended to have relatively conservative and traditional religious views. But even in England, traditional religious practices show some signs of revival among Gen Z since the pandemic.

Recent data find a large uptick in churchgoing among young people in England over the last six years, especially among young men. As in the U.S., young men now outnumber young women in churches – an unusual pattern, as women in Christian societies have historically tended to be more devout than men. In the same report, commissioned by the Bible Society and conducted by YouGov, the 18 to 24 cohort was the most likely to definitely believe in God, the most likely to pray regularly, and the most likely to participate in other spiritual practices like meditation.

Many among Gen Z see religion as something of a set of self-help practices. Even those who claim a religious affiliation often draw from a variety of spiritual traditions.

“Gen Z is a generation of authenticity and personalisation, which informs their identities, so their notion of categorisation is much more fluid,” David told Cherwell. “They might land on a certain religious affiliation, but I think if you were to actually ask them, there’d be a much wider spread in terms of religion or spirituality from different traditions informing how they view the world.”

Life and death and life

There were only about a dozen people at that pagan ceremony in Kent – but that was nearly as large as the weekly attendance at the 13th century Anglican parish in the nearest village.

Five weeks later, I was in a much more vigorous ceremony on the other side of the continent. Greeks were flocking to central Athens for Holy Week, kissing icons and crosses, lighting candles, and crowding the streets for a midnight procession singing “Christos Anesti” (Christ is risen).

Did the people squeezed into churches for the Easter vigil skew old, or is it just that Greek people are on average more elderly? Was this an impressive display of the faith of Europe’s most religious country, or a pittance compared to the devotion of previous decades and centuries? I couldn’t tell. The most important bits were all there – the emotion on the faces of old women as the incense came by, the spirit with which the priests read the Byzantine-era liturgy, and my own persistent doubts about whether a word of it could be true – but they couldn’t be readily quantified.

While in Greece, I met a nice young Anglican who is set to be ordained this summer. He told me that he is one of 19 seminarians in his program at Cambridge, where there used to be over triple that number. We talked about the state of our college chapels, and the political weaponisation of Christianity in America, and the Church of England’s declining number of clergy. More importantly, along with thousands of people, we sang Christos Anesti.

Review: 113 – ‘An elusive, intangible, and shifting reality’

Georgina Cooper
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Review: 113 – ‘An elusive, intangible, and shifting reality’

When I entered the Burton Taylor Studio to the sound of a mildly haunting cover of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’, the whispered-yet-screechy vocals verging on the absurdly comic, I knew Ethan McLucas’ 113 was going to be an interesting watch. Indeed, I realised early into the show that I was making more use of my notebook as a detective gathering clues than as a critic, playing along with the play’s emphasis on its set and props as clues to help inmates 49 and 64 remember what they had forgotten. Did my clue hunting help me reach any conclusions? In terms of the repeated question ‘why are they there?’, I soon realised that this was not a mystery that was going to be solved by the inmates, let alone by me. Other mysteries did, however, reveal themselves to me over the course of the next 70 minutes.

The play questions how identity can be constructed in the absence of memories, with the two inmates initially not being able to remember anything about themselves. Their task is to remember, but what if remembering is more unpleasant than amnesia? The play therefore suggests that memories are not the determining factor in identity, but the illusion of themselves that they have “dreamed up”. There are some remaining questions that I absolutely cannot let go of – most frustratingly of all, why did the character 49 have 47 written on her shirt? Secondly, I am still in total darkness as to the purpose of the bedsheet wrapped around a small section of a railing above the stage. I am tempted to believe that my spiralling is an intentional aim of the creative team to make audience members feel a similar sense of confusion to the panicked and questioning inmates themselves. If it was all part of the directorial aim of keeping the audience on their toes – job well done on that count.

Lingyi Wang’s sound design greatly contributed to building a sense of an elusive reality. At some moments, the sound functioned diegetically in a scene (as when 64 grew increasingly frustrated at the choral music played and, in a moment of comedy, requested David Bowie) but it would then swiftly shift to being distinctly non-diegetic (with fast-paced thuds cinematically accompanying moments of rising tension). Characters’ voices seemed to move in and out of earshot of the other characters, despite their locations not changing, with crucial information not being overheard by the other and speech turning into brief monologues. The characters’ lack of autonomy over both their physical and mental capabilities may reveal logical fallacies in the script, brought about by the need to keep 64 & 49 onstage at all times (except on one occasion), but even if this is the case, it speaks to the play’s emphasis on an intangible and shifting reality. For each, there is something explicitly unknowable about the other, but also about themselves.

When I decided to sit down on the left side of the audience, I did not realise the significance this decision would have. With the stage being divided in two to create the two cells, the side you sit on privileges the corresponding character’s story. This sense of separation is achieved despite the ‘wall’ merely being made of stretchy fabric (which spent a large portion of the play dangerously tilting to one side) and 64 (George Loynes) basically being tall enough to peek over it. However, my emotional investment in 64 was not only because I was sitting on his side of the stage. His performance was dynamic, shifting between a vast range of emotions to craft a real sense of evolution across the play.

49 (Isobel Glover), too, brilliantly conveyed a sense of ennui, with her emotional restraint a tonic to the panic of the newly-arrived Loynes at the top of the play. However, as the roles began to shift over the course of the play, Glover’s emotions sometimes became restricted to facial expressions, rather than being fully embodied. This did not work as effectively for her character as the glazed-over, disembodied moments did for Sali Adams in her performance as J Doe. These little moments brilliantly added to showcase Adams’ ability to deftly switch in and out of roles, sometimes before the audience’s eyes – skills which her time as an Oxford Imp will undoubtedly have nurtured. Overall, the acting onstage was excellent but on occasion required a bit more punch.

Similarly, the reveal that the play’s title – 113 – originated from their skeletal ‘prison break’ plan felt underwhelming. Where the show had up to that point evaded my detective attempts, the introduction of the attraction between the two inmates and their escape plan steered the play into the territory of predictability. For a show that seemed to prize itself on its weirdness and ability to disorient, the closing of the play simply did not land. It was an enjoyable watch, and did leave me wanting to watch it again from the other ‘side’. However, if you are looking for a show that consistently leaves you not knowing which way is up, this one does not quite hit the target.

Mini-crossword: TT25 Week 2

Zoë McGuire
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Created by Cherwell Editors using the online crossword puzzle builder from Amuse Labs

Previous mini-crosswords this term:

Follow the Cherwell Instagram for updates on our online puzzles.

For even more crosswords and other puzzles, pick up a Cherwell print issue from your JCR/Plodge!

India Society cancels cricket match with Pakistan Society

Lilly Law
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India Society cancels cricket match with Pakistan Society

Oxford India Society have cancelled a scheduled cricket match with Oxford Pakistan Society, citing the “ongoing hostilities” between the two countries.

In a statement posted to India Soc’s Instagram page, they stated their belief in “sportsmanship and unity”. They maintained that their opposition to the “Pakistani military’s continued support for terrorism as state-policy” meant they were unable to “engage in a ‘friendly’ match”. The statement ended with “Jai Hind”, a slogan meaning ‘Hail India’ which dates back to the country’s independence movement from Britain. 

Tensions between India and Pakistan have risen significantly over the past month, following a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 dead. On 7th May, Indian missile attacks killed 31 people in Pakistan, and the countries have both accused each other of firing missiles onto military bases. 

India Soc posted a statement yesterday (9th May), condemning the attacks in Kashmir. They stated their support for “decisive action against terror” while lamenting “the cycles of violence” continuing in the region. Pakistan Society also posted a statement, urging unity, and hoping for “peace, justice, and liberation” against “senseless state violence”. 

India Soc and Pakistan Soc have run events together in the past, including screenings of India-Pakistan cricket matches, and their own annual match against each other. Pakistan Soc’s Trinity term card includes ice hockey with India Soc in Week 4. Whether this will go ahead is currently unconfirmed, but India Soc told Cherwell they “value the principle of mutual respect” and “look forward to collaborating [with Pakistan Soc] in the future”. 

Pakistan’s deputy prime minister announced an “immediate ceasefire” on Saturday, which may further impact the societies’ decisions. 

India Soc told Cherwell: “We have taken the decision to call off the match as we believed it unseemly to flaunt our privilege of enjoying a ‘friendly’ match whilst being sheltered in Oxford. We are sure that members of the Oxford Pakistan Society share our concerns about the safety of family members back home and like us would be unable to enjoy the Dev-Khan match in this climate.

“The Oxford India Society is the largest cultural student society in Oxford; we remain incredibly proud of the diverse range of experiences, beliefs and opinions held amongst the membership. The decision was taken following conversations with the committee and was informed by sentiments from the membership.”


Cherwell has approached Pakistan Soc for comment.

Oxford’s deathtrap – the semi-pedestrianised nightmare

Oscar Whittle
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Oxford’s deathtrap – the semi-pedestrianised nightmare

To take a stroll down the quaint New College Lane, to bask in the beauty of a summertime stroll along the canal, to ponder (or procrastinate) your upcoming tutorial while promenading down Broad Street is what it means to truly enjoy being here at this university. What is equally quintessential, but far less enjoyable, is the nightmare that brutally tears you out of your daydream – the cyclist.

It was only the other day that I was nearly turned into a road traffic statistic by an overly-keen two-wheeled menace on Turl Street. After having exchanged some choice words with this Evel Knievel wannabe, I strutted off, indignant (and looking rather undignified). However, after having gotten over the loathing I felt at the gall of the cyclist, who had not only nearly hit me but had dared to complain about my simple existence, I gradually turned towards a different conclusion. I realised that delightful interactions such as these are neither the fault of the cyclist nor the pedestrian, rather are the result of a structural issue that Oxford faces as a semi-pedestrianised city.

Oxford is undeniably a city of bikes. Before the current station was built, you would walk out of the building only to be confronted by a sea of bikes chained up. Thankfully this is no longer the case, but given that the number of bikes being ridden across the city has increased with the expanded student population, it seems that this problem is not going to go away. They are without a doubt useful, I will concede, and I myself have even found myself borrowing one of the college bikes and riding it up to the sports ground whenever I have felt the need to terrorise my peers with some truly dire cricket or football. 

The issue is not the existence of bikes (nor pedestrians) but rather the fact that many of the roads, especially in the city centre, have become near impossible to navigate because of the lack of clarity over who belongs where. Trying to cross Broad Street has become akin to the Herculean task that Hannibal faced when he crossed the Alps. As previously mentioned, Turl Street is another minefield, along with Cornmarket Street (despite the fact that bikes are supposedly banned there). The issue is that no one space is properly delineated for either form of transport. Queen Street, running along the main entrance to Westgate, is the most egregious offender of this battle for priority. Buses, bikes, pedestrians, horses – anything goes.

While it is a worthy effort to try and cut Oxford’s emissions and make the city a generally more pleasant and less polluted place to walk around, the issue with the current halfway house is that it fails to be one thing or another. By failing to clearly indicate which spaces are to be used by bikes or pedestrians (let alone buses!), Oxford has found itself with several streets that are more a test of endurance and agility than enjoyable places to find oneself walking down. If we want to pedestrianise, then we must pedestrianise properly.

A ‘Closer’ look at intimacy in Labyrinth’s new production

Faye Chang
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A ‘Closer’ look at intimacy in Labyrinth’s new production

Labyrinth Production’s upcoming production of Patrick Marber’s Closer is a novel step up in the kinds of physical and emotional intensity that the Oxford student drama scene has previously engaged with. The play follows the intertwined lives of Alice (Catherine ‘Catty’ Claire Williams-Boyle), Dan (Vasco Faria), Anna (Vita Hamilton) and Larry (Robert Wolfreys) in their flirtations, affairs, and entanglements with each other over the years, as they fall in and out of love again and again, breaking each other’s hearts. 

Directed by Rosie Morgan-Males and produced by Natascha Norton, Closer brings a distinctly challenging level of intimacy for the cast and crew to contend with. Luckily, I had the chance to sit in on one of their rehearsals, and chat with the team about how they were able to deal with the difficulties. 

From the moment I stepped into Cohen’s Quad in Exeter, it was clear that Rosie ran a strict rehearsal room, but the cast and crew were still very comfortable with each other; they jokingly reminded each other to “lock in, lock in” before the start of a scene. After one-and-a-half hours of intense rehearsal, in which the cast scream, fight, and betray each other in character, the return to a strong sense of camaraderie when we sat down for an interview, although abrupt to me, seemed to come very naturally to the cast. 

When I asked them to talk about the scenes they had just been rehearsing, for example, Vasco started providing a comprehensive summary of the plot intricacies, before the other members of the cast started ribbing him to cut it short. 

“I think from a dramaturgical point of view…” Rosie interrupted, as the rest of the cast laughed, “…it’s the first time that we see a scene that has all four [characters] in it. It’s the first time you can go, ‘oh, okay, I see two relationships side by side; how are they different, how are they going to cross?’”

“If Scene Five is like planting the seeds of the contracts that need to be made,” Catty also explained, “when you enter into Scene Six, those contracts are being finalized and you can see the dissolution of everything, which is then to be rebuilt in Act Two.”

The cast’s easy ability to transition from the heavy, emotionally intense scenes they’d been practicing to the light-hearted joking typical in rehearsal rooms was partly due to the help they’d had from a professional intimacy coordinator, Lex. Some of the cast had worked with her before on Labyrinth’s previous production, Julie. About this previous experience, Catty told Cherwell: “It makes you feel more comfortable, having someone to process your thoughts [with]… It’s easier for me to commit to what I have to do if I have this very professional presence guiding the room.”

For this play in particular, working with a coordinator had also improved their performances outside of specific intimate moments. “If you’re sort of fussing about leaning the right way and moving your hand here and there without feeling completely comfortable,” Vasco explained, “it can actually disrupt the rest of your performance because you’re too worried about that.”

Like line deliveries and stage blocking, moments of intimacy were also closely choreographed by the cast and crew. I got a first-hand insight into this during the earlier rehearsal, where the entire cast spent five minutes critically refining a brush of a hand across someone’s cheek. The level of attention to detail stood out to me, as well as the types of language these discussions contained; Rosie had an emphasis on asking how a scene ‘felt’ to actors, rather than just telling them how it looked. 

This was also based on advice from the intimacy coordinator: “My favorite thing that Lex does, that not all intimacy coordinators do, is the ‘tap out’ at the end. …[When] you tap out, it’s not a conversation between me and the actors of ‘how did it look’; it’s a conversation between them in terms of ‘how did you feel in that moment?’

“It means that everyone is on that constant page of communication without shaming anyone if something slips up and goes wrong. It’s about putting precautions in place… Even if you’re not doing intimacy at that moment, the play is so emotionally vulnerable that it’s just a really good practice [to have] in place.”

Among other things, Closer boasts an all-star cast of OUDS BNOCs. Not only have many of them acted together in other major student productions, like Matchbox Production’s Moth and Clarendon Production’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses, but their skills as actors have already been well-recognised, and are particularly well-suited for this play. 

“I just want to make people feel things, you know,” Rosie explained. “And I think we have a really strong pool of actors who are really good at this psychological-realism [in] theatre.”

Because of this, the staging for this production of Closer has been deliberately stripped-back, allowing the audience to focus on the lust, tension, love, and betrayal between the four characters in the play. In Rosie’s words: “It’s a real actors’ play. They don’t really have anything to hide behind.” I asked if this stylistic choice, or any of their acting choices, had been affected by previous performances of the cult classic; many of them had watched the movie before, but felt that this production was still distinctive. 

“There’s a lot of stretch with the characters,” Rob said. “They’re a bit like archetypes and hopefully we’re doing something more fresh. 

“I grew up with it being one of my favourite films, but… I don’t feel particularly attached to it,” Vita agreed. “[This production] does feel nice and fresh and like we’re building something new.”

When I asked what highlights the audience might be able to look for, there were audible groans from all of the cast. 

“Every single scene?” Rosie suggested. 

For many of them, it seemed to be the play’s realism that stood out most. “It’s not boring, but it is long,” Vita promised, “and there are only four characters, there’s not a [big] set, so you really do just sit with [the story].”

“Which I think is one of the most cathartic experiences you can have,” Rosie added. “When else does that happen?”

For Vasco, it was the time scale of the play that was unique: “It spans across 10 years, and [you’re] getting snapshots of key events. It feels like you’re living a whole lifetime with them… For the audience – we’re young, we’re students, we have our whole life ahead of us – it’s a cool way to see what’s going to happen.” After this response, he seemed to remember the full events of the play, and jokingly added, “Hopefully not quite that.”

Aside from a forward-looking view, Closer also seemed to reflect past experiences that audience members might share. “No matter who comes to see it, they’ll find a character that they intensely relate to and identify with,” Catty told Cherwell. “And I think that everyone will leave having felt a bit like something in their life was just represented for them.”

“If you’ve ever been broken up with or broken up with someone,” came the final word from Rosie, “this play is literally for you.” 

Labyrinth Production’s staging of Closer will be running at the Michael Pilch Studio from 21st-24th May. 

Christ Church proposes construction of new graduate centre

Archie Johnston
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Christ Church proposes construction of new graduate centre

Christ Church has proposed the refurbishment and extension of the Faculty of Music building on St Aldate’s in central Oxford. Once the Faculty moves to the new Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, the College aims to repurpose the building into a graduate accommodation complex. Christ Church is in the process of acquiring the site, which is currently owned by the University.

The building concerned was designed in 1936 by neo-vernacular architect Hubert Worthington, and was previously used as student accommodation before becoming the home of the Music Faculty in 1981. The redevelopment would largely retain the existing structure, although the plans include fairly significant “filling in” of the existing silhouette, and redevelopment would raise the height of some more modern additions to the building.

The building is not listed but is a part of the Central (City and University) Conservation Area. Christ Church has stated that the scheme has been “carefully designed to respect the historic character of the area”. While the extensions to the building have a more modern style, their materials and silhouette have been selected to fit into the site’s existing appearance.

Christ Church have stated that the proposal intends to expand its College-provided accommodation, saving graduates the inconvenience of dealing with the private rental market, and providing “stable, fairly priced housing”. They hope that this will encourage graduates to engage more fully in college life, and will support “research, collaboration, and community-building”.

The proposed plans would replace Music faculty meeting rooms, offices, and practice rooms with en-suite graduate studios, each with its own kitchenette and double bed. As proposed, the redeveloped site would contain 62 such studios, two of which have been marked out as accessible. Accessible rooms are larger than standard, and are designed so that the students using them can have carers in adjacent studios if necessary. The building would also contain a variety of communal spaces and practice rooms.

Sustainability is a focus of the proposed design. The plans highlight spaces for biodiversity on the site as well as incorporating a rainwater garden, energy efficient fittings, solar panels, a heat pump, and a large number of bike spaces. Christ Church rated the project as falling within the standards of “Best Practice”, measured against its own Responsible Ownership Policy for Property (ROPP). Carolyn Puddicombe, Christ Church’s Director of Planning and Housing, told Cherwell that the ROPP was put in place by the college to balance the Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria for its invested endowment.

A Christ Church spokeswoman told Cherwell: “The proposed Christ Church Graduate Centre at St Aldates aims to create a high quality, sustainable, and well-integrated residential environment to meet the needs of the college’s graduate community. It will allow Christ Church to expand graduate numbers and provide a higher proportion of graduate accommodation than can currently be offered.

“This work has been carefully designed to respect the historic character of the area, responding sensitively to the surrounding context while delivering modern, functional, and high grade living spaces.” 

Christ Church is currently in pre-planning discussion with Oxford City Council, and hopes to obtain planning permission over the summer. According to the proposal, work on the new graduate centre could be complete as early as the beginning of 2028, meaning it could begin full operation in the 2028-2029 academic year.
Cherwell has approached the Music Faculty and the Oxford Preservation Trust for comment.

Oxford’s DPIR issues guidance on US travel for students

Joshua McGillivray
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Oxford’s DPIR issues guidance on US travel for students

Guidance on travel to the US has been shared with all postgraduate students in the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) at Oxford University in light of recent measures which have increased checks on those travelling to the country.

This follows revisions by the UK Foreign Office of its US travel advisory after the detainment of a British national for over ten days at the border.

The document distributed by the DPIR notes that the country’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has the authority to examine electronic devices owned by those crossing the border, even those belonging to people not suspected of breaking the law or posing a threat to national security.

It advises students to only bring necessary devices, to remove sensitive data and apps that collect such data from their phones where possible, and to store all important files on a device separate from the one they are travelling with. It also recommends that students do not argue with CBP officers or attempt to interfere with the examinations.

Moreover, Information Security (InfoSec) at Oxford recommends that those considered to be at a high risk of inspection remove Outlook, OneDrive, and other related accounts from their phones and laptops, in order to reduce the likelihood of compromised research integrity or a data breach.

The guidance also encourages those travelling to the US on business to ensure that they have sufficient insurance and to book their flights through authorised channels such as Key Travel. It also recommends that students devote sufficient time to the preparation of their travel applications, as complications relating to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and visa applications can lead to foreign nationals being denied entry.

In an executive order issued on 20th January, President Trump declared that the Secretary of State would henceforth “vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted [to] the United States.”

Following this directive, the Trump Administration revoked the visas of over 1,000 international students across over 280 universities around the country. Additionally, multiple international students and faculty members were forcibly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

Those targeted had generally either faced prior criminal charges for offences like speeding and drunk driving or else had publicly expressed views that were critical of Israel. As a consequence, several international students left the US voluntarily owing to their fears that they might ultimately face deportation.

On 25th April, after over 100 lawsuits were filed by the students concerned, the Trump Administration reversed the decision to repeal the visas. 

However, the US Justice Department has declared that ICE still has the authority to terminate records on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a database which includes the visa statuses of international students. Moreover, several students, including the activist Mahmoud Khalil, are still being detained and processed for deportation.

The Head of the DPIR, Dave Doyle, told Cherwell: “The travel guidance we issued was in response to queries from students and staff. 

“This guidance stressed that the risk of any incident at the US border remains very low but all those travelling to the US should be cognisant of increased enforcement at border points and it pointed travellers to the latest guidance from the University’s Information Security Team.

“Our students and faculty travel all over the world, and we offer all of them the same support as part of our risk assessment and travel insurance procedures.”

Oxford study to explore treatments relating to bipolar disorder

Arina Makarina
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Oxford study to explore treatments relating to bipolar disorder

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is set to conduct a study exploring the treatment options for depressive symptoms related to bipolar disorder. The ASCEnD study will be carried out by the Mental Health Research Delivery Team and is scheduled to end in August 2026. Currently, ongoing recruitment of participants for the study is taking place to conduct the open-labelled, randomised controlled trial.

As of now, 5 participants have been screened and recruited for the study. Volunteers must be over 18 years old, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and experiencing depressive symptoms. Shun Yan Toto To, clinical research facilitator, told Cherwell that the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is “continuously working hard with different primary and secondary care to optimise recruitment.”

The ASCEnD study aims to determine whether a combination of Aripiprazole and Sertraline “offers superior clinical and cost effectiveness compared with current standard treatment”, such as just using Quetiapine, to mitigate bipolar depression. Current treatments have their limitations, and bipolar depression still has significant morbidity and mortality. 

Shun Yan Toto To, told Cherwell that if the combination of Aripiprazole and Sertraline proves to be safer and more tolerable, “it could represent an impactful shift in how it can be appropriately initiated in primary care.”

If the new treatment is successful it has the potential to reduce significant delays in the provision of secondary care input, such as psychiatrists or specialised clinics. Overall it may enhance “patient’s access to an effective and safe treatment option via their GP, and improve the quality of life of themselves and their carers”.

The Oxford NHS Foundation Trust study is a part of a larger project, the ASCEnD trial, in which 8 other NHS Trusts will be involved. The trial will consist of 270 adults with bipolar depression, who will be observed for 24 weeks with questionnaires assessing any longer-term improvement on depressive symptoms, quality of life, and costs.

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