As our politics becomes ever more polarised, Channel 5's move to revive one of British television's most influential series deserves to succeed Reflecting on the impact of the BBC drama seri…
Welsh culture is in crisis. The actor's intervention is to be applauded, but it is not a long-term solution Michael Sheen's statement of intent for his newly founded national theatre for Wal…
The UK's world-class arts festivals are in crisis. They need proper support in order to survive and flourish At a press conference for the Sarajevo film festival in the early 1990s, its foun…
Sixty years ago this week, Jennie Lee launched Britain's first culture white paper. Lisa Nandy must pick up the baton The date is not in many history books. But it should be. It is 60 years …
From Ballet Shoes to Wicked, stories of female empowerment and friendship are triumphing on stage and screen "I'd start with Ballet Shoes first. It's my favourite," Meg Ryan's character urge…
From the Marx Brothers to Albert Camus and Claire Keegan, concise storytelling can get to the heart of the matter What role do the arts have at a time of political change when little is cert…
Not every great work of art is an instant hit " just look at Stephen Sondheim's Tony-winning Merrily We Roll Along The triumph of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in last weekend's T…
The real culture war is the battle to fund it properly, in the face of politicians bemoaning a lack of money As summer arrives, so too does big culture. The Hay festival has just wound up, w…
Featuring awe-inspiring aerial antics, Welsh National Opera's Death In Venice shows how innovative the art form can still be Conversation about opera has become an increasingly cronky merry…
The future will be bleak for drama if the young and the low-paid are excluded When it comes to the cost of entertainment, there is a resigned acceptance that the only way is up. This reality…
As a decade of assaults on local democracy takes its toll, it is more important than ever to keep faith with the value of culture How do you put a value on culture? In this age of austerity,…
Their status has fallen since the great days of Under Milk Wood or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but we still need audio dramas On 25 January 1954, Dylan Thomas's great radio play Un…
It is refreshing to hear new ideas, but dividing culture into the best and the rest won't do anyone any good The arts have taken such a battering in the UK over the last decade that they som…
Despite losses caused by funding cuts, a diverse range of vibrant work is pulling in new audiences Hayao Miyazaki's glorious animation My Neighbour Totoro reimagined for the stage; a Tenness…
By channelling money to Edinburgh performers, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is passing on some of her own good fortune The Edinburgh fringe is a shaggy old beast with many ailments. It's too big, too…
By cancelling all its shows from March, the Oldham Coliseum has thrown down a challenge to both central and local government Pity the poor Oldham Coliseum. This venerable regional theatre h…
Despite Nick Cave's broadside against computer-generated lyrics, they're here to stay. Artists need to be educated and protected Faced with an attempt by a new chatbot to imitate his own lyr…
A bold attempt to reframe England's cultural life might be laudable but it comes at a price After a brief period of bafflement, accompanied by scrambled responses to the effect that "We are …
A delayed announcement about the next three years of support has left the arts world in limbo " but also with time to fight and rethink In the turmoil of the new government's stock-taking ef…
Don't assume that the arts are just about entertainment " they have a crucial part to play in the mental health of the nation The playwright Alan Ayckbourn is a standout figure in British t…
Changing Arts Council priorities are raising the stakes for a sector that deserves steady support The reopening of London's historic Africa Centre in new premises south of the Thames is happ…
The latest city to win the cultural crown must now work to transform its citizens' hopes and possibilities Bradford is celebrating: it has won the competition to become UK city of culture 20…
The closure of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella is a sign of the fragility of theatre in the wake of Covid-19 Cinderella will not, after all, be going to the ball. The big new Andrew Lloyd W…
A short-time work scheme would help freelancers when the going gets tough It is not just the hospitality industry that is facing chaos in this moment of not-lockdown. The cultural sector, e…
They may be smaller and quieter than they once were, but Scotland's capital has its summer arts events, and even some visitors, back The Edinburgh festivals are back " but not as we know the…