Arts & Culture
Discover Arts & Culture in Oxford and just beyond, from theatre, music and film to literature, exhibitions, museums and the people shaping the creative landscape.
-
New book explores the overlooked history of Oxford’s black scholars
A new edition of Black Oxford: Untold Stories of Oxford University’s Black Scholars will be launched in November with a heritage bus tour through Oxford, followed by a free public talk at the Bodleian Libraries’ Weston Library.
-
Stage Watch: Annie, Cinderella, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Popinjay Cavalier, Devil Wears Prada
Stage Watch rounds up five standout productions coming to London and Oxford, from Annie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, The Devil Wears Prada and Quentin Tarantino’s West End debut.
-
Oxford residents to regain free entry to Museum of Oxford after council U-turn
Oxford residents will be able to visit the Museum of Oxford for free again under a three-month pilot scheme, following a year of controversy over the introduction of entry charges. The council hopes new fundraising initiatives will help address the museum’s continuing funding gap.
-
Blenheim Palace Festival announces second headliner for 2027
David Gray will headline Blenheim Palace Festival in July 2027, with Jack Savoretti joining him as special guest. The concert is the second headliner announcement for next summer’s open-air music series in Woodstock, with tickets going on general sale on 30 October.
-
Alex Warren announced as first headliner for Blenheim Palace Festival 2027
Alex Warren will headline Blenheim Palace Festival in June 2027, becoming the first artist announced for the open-air concert series in Woodstock. The Grammy-nominated singer will bring his Finding (More) Family on the Road World Tour to Oxfordshire, with tickets going on general sale on 30 October.
-
Oxford-based Susie Dent to chair 2027 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction judging panel
Oxford-based broadcaster and lexicographer Susie Dent will lead the judging panel for the 2027 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, alongside a panel of writers, journalists and experts.
-
New Oxford theatre company to make debut with The Pillowman
A new independent theatre company founded in Oxfordshire, will make its debut at the Old Fire Station in January 2027 with Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy The Pillowman, exploring storytelling, artistic freedom and responsibility.
-
Oxford museum to explore critical materials through Megalith immersive live art show
An interactive installation and live techno performance at Oxford’s Museum of Natural History will explore mining, critical raw materials and the environmental challenges behind the transition to renewable energy.
-
Stage Watch: Cirque Berserk!, Heathers the Musical, The Guilty, Avenue Q, & Nevermore
From a high-octane circus spectacular to darkly comic musicals and gripping psychological drama, this week’s Stage Watch highlights five productions coming to stages in Oxford and London.
-
Stage Watch: John Partridge and Mollie Gallagher on bringing The Silence of the Lambs to Oxford
John Partridge and Mollie Gallagher discuss bringing The Silence of the Lambs to the stage, from the challenge of reimagining Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling to the differences between film and theatre, ahead of the production’s arrival at New Theatre Oxford.
-
Stage Watch: Sinatra, The Truth, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Million Dollar Quartet, & Silence of the Lambs
From Sinatra’s musical legacy and a sharp-witted comedy of deceit to a Harlem salon drama and the world stage premiere of The Silence of the Lambs, discover five theatre highlights in London and Oxford.
-
Stage Watch: Burning Down the House asked who owned a story when the person who lived it was written out
Breach Theatre’s Burning Down the House revisited the relationship between Henrik Ibsen and Laura Kieler, exploring the ethics of artistic appropriation, the biases of historical storytelling and the challenges of translating another person’s experience for a modern audience.
-
Stage Watch: Six, The Traitors, Strictly Come Dancing, Little Dancer, and Dirty Dancing
From Tudor pop and psychological drama to spectacular dance, new musical theatre and a much-loved Oxford classic, Stage Watch rounds up five productions to see in London and Oxford this season.
-
Stage Watch: Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios brings a cabinet of curiosities to London’s Royal Albert Hall
Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios is bringing its extraordinary world of acrobatics, invention and imagination to London’s Royal Albert Hall for a limited seven-week run in 2027.
-
Chart-topping Welsh Fron Male Voice Choir to perform with Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir
Chart-topping Fron Male Voice Choir will join Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir at Oxford Town Hall on 31 October for a gala concert bringing together two Welsh choral traditions.
-
Westgate Oxford unveils Van Gogh Sunflowers mural in first UK installation outside London
A giant mural inspired by Van Gogh’s Sunflowers has been unveiled at Westgate Oxford as part of the National Gallery and Global Street Art’s Murals reMastered project, marking the programme’s first installation outside London.