Culture

How books are burned today

It is a worrying thought that what sits on your bookshelf today could be out of reach tomorrow. You might believe book banning to be a thing of the...

The burden of the face: Why are so many singers wearing masks?

We can all name at least one musician who has performed behind a balaclava, helmet, or hood. Whether to preserve anonymity, cultivate mystery, or construct an entirely new artistic identity, masking the face is common among those under the limelight.

New Oxford Windrush generation exhibit opens for Black History Month 

Amidst recent political tension provoked by the government’s refusal of slavery reparations to the...

“There’s a play in that”: interview with ‘The Gang of Three’ playwright Robert Khan

It’s Budget Day as I sit in the foyer of the Oxford Playhouse. Down...

Getting it right: political commentary and rap

David Lawton highlights the political potential of rap, and consigns folk and punk to the dustbin of history

A dark trend in music documentaries

David Lawton argues that the rebirth of the tortured artist’s image in music documentaries exploits pain

Rewind: The Gunpowder Plot

Thomas Athey seeks to learn the lessons of the Gunpowder Plot

Memes, Trump and MLG

William Shaw analyses the past, present and future of YouTube memes

Preview: Frankenstein

Nina Sandelson comments on this week's bold reimagining of the classic Gothic horror at the O'Reilly

“Dear Non-American Black…”

Hannah Chukwu discovers a new way to talk about race and multiculturalism in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah

Scientists of the literary world

Daniel Villar marvels at those who bridge the divide between disciplines

US Elections: The Movie

Katie Sayer gives you comedy options for the end times brought about by the turbulent US election

Review: The Accountant

Despite Ben Affleck's performance as an action-ready autistic accountant, Markus Beeken is left amused but unconvinced by The Accountant

Review: The Nether

Nina Crisp is sucked into virtual reality by a magnificent production at the Playhouse

Backstage with Sharon Yip

Sapphire Shoferpoor and Sharon Yip talk clubs, directors, and getting creative on a budget

Review: The Skriker

Matt Roberts is seriously creeped out by this baby stealing, terror inducing Pilch show

Drugs, Childbirth, and Sandwiches: Trojan Women Review

Olivia Cormack enjoys an enthralling production of a darkly comic play about women after war

Review: Copenhagen

Mark Barclay tackles quantum theory and self referentiality at the Pilch

Folk, it is a-changin’

Daniel Villar discusses Bob Dylan’s legacy and the folk revival

Review: Michael Kiwanuka at the O2 Academy

Ellen Peirson-Hagger is enthralled by the variety of musical influences in Kiwanuka’s endearing set

Review: A Woman Killed with Kindness

Priya Khaira-Hanks is impressed by emotionally nuanced performances which compensate for the lack of sub-plot

Preview: The Nether

Matt Roberts grapples with the ethics of child abuse and virtual realities ahead of this astonishing Playhouse production

Review: Guys and Dolls

Katie Sayer is blown away by Guys and Dolls at the O'Reilly

Review: The Lesser Bohemians

Benjamin Davies finds emotional intimacy marred by gimicky style

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