Wednesday 1st July 2026

Culture

How an Oxford undergraduate made a name in choral music

When he arrived at Oxford, he expected his future to lie primarily in orchestral music. Instead, it was choral music that transformed his direction.

‘Scenes With Girls’ and complicated female friendships

'Scenes with Girls' deserves to be seen as one of Labyrinth Productions’ (Rosie Morgan-Males and Emily Cullinan) most impressive accolades.

‘The Moro Affair’: Astonishingly original, but not quite a story

The acting in 'The Moro Affair' was superb across the board, with Harriet Wilson’s Pope as a standout, and Rosie Sutton’s direction was flawless.

‘Music can be everything’: Aurora Orchestra’s Jane Mitchell on the narratives around classical music

The Aurora Orchestra, who are playing at Oxford’s Schwarzman Centre on the 19th June, are best known for performing their orchestral repertoire from memory.

Monkeying Around

Andrew Campbell Black takes a penetrative look into the life of primates

Review: Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the New Theatre

The South African troupe prove that age is just a number as they bring energy and virtuosity to the stage

Review: Amadeus

Marcus Roberts finds much to applaud in this entertaining retelling of the Mozart myth

Review: Blue Remembered Hills

Dennis Potter's play provides a telling look at the trials of a rustic childhood and human cruelty for May Anderson

Review: C.A.R.N.

In the hidden recesses of Oriel, Rebecca Tatlow plays along and tries not to lose the plot.

Review: A Row of Parked Cars

Josephine Sarchet is engaged by this revival of Matthew Parvin's two-man play about suicide and psychotherapy

Review: Act before you Speak

Hail to the Silence. Fiamma Mazzocchi Alemanni watches a play inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet

Review: Lovers: Winners

Lovers triumph in this production of Brian Friel's one-act play about the difficulties of young love

Review: 4:48 Psychosis

May Anderson diagnoses a case of dramatic apathy in this production of Sarah Kane's final work

From Page to Screen

Following the success of We Need To Talk About Kevin at Cannes, Cherwell asks what makes a good adaptation of a book to film

Here comes the sunflower

Remi tells us what happens when you put a bunch of hipsters in a room full of poetry, indie music and 60s rock n' roll

First Night Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

Eleri Thomas finds a new production of Wilde's farce 'utterly droll'

Interview: Shabazz Palaces

Ishmael Butler from the Seattle based hip hop group, Shabazz Palaces, ironically talks to Cherwell about shying away from press

Review: Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, New Theatre

Cherwell is blown away by the energy and passion of this Grammy Award Winning latin collective

Review: The Oresteia

Finola Austin is thoroughly turned off by a reworking of The Oresteia and discusses how it takes metatheatre too far

First Night Review: DNA

Rosalind Stone is blown away by the open air production of the play,DNA

Send in the Clowns

Lauri Saksa takes advantage of a ringside seat at Michelle Obama's address at Christ Church on Wednesday and sneaks some snapshots of FLOTUS and her attendant media circus

From Page to Picture: Kazuo Ishiguro

Cherwell meets the authors behind the books behind the films you love. Kazuo Ishiguro speaks about the complex relationship between film and the written word

Review: The Merchant of Venice

Conor Tucker discusses how RSC's most recent production of The Merchant of Venice doesn't quite add up

Review: An Evening of Dance

Rebecca Tatlow watches dancers reach for the stars at Wadham's town and gown charity event, An Evening of Dance

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