In 1980 I had a gonzo interview with an ever more wasted Dennis Hopper in a suite of the Copley Plaza Hotel. He was there to do PR for the American Premiere of Out of the Blue the third film he directed after a hiatus of a decade. His directorial debut Easy Rider was a counter culture masterpiece. The second, The Last Movie, 1971. was a bomb and never released. The five images that accompany this article document his volatile mood. He spoke without restraint of his epic struggles as an artist with poignant revelations of his unique genius.

Without evidence, Shakespeare's wife Agnes, known commonly as Anne Hathaway, has been scorned in a misogynistic way by male historians over the centuries. The novel by Maggie O'Farrell, followed by this play and the well-regarded movie, takes a different, and perhaps more plausible look at the mysterious woman and her relationship with Will.

Verdi's timeless masterpiece with libretto by Piave and based on the fictionalized autobiography of Alexandre Dumas the son continues to appeal. Among opera's most beautiful scores, the music is complemented by an engrossing story of social conflict, sacrifice, and tragic loss of life.

Tippex and carbon paper were the greatest technological innovations for a generation of writers. In the U.S. Tippex was called White-out or even better Liquid Paper. It did what it said, whited out errors and mistakes, and left a liquid blank space on which to try again.

The Mount, Edith Wharton Cultural Center is pleased to announce the opening of its 2026 season on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Visitors are invited to return to this historic estate to experience the beauty, history, and cultural legacy of one of America’s most celebrated literary figures, Edith Wharton.

Founder Ed Bride has retired. This is the first program organized by the new president Chuck Walker.

Benjamin Britten hits the right notes with a delightful condensation of Shakespeare's complex but lovable comedy, full of clever plot devices and fun characters. Pocket Opera excels in casting over 20 parts with fine matches, and the score is a great fit for the world premiere concert orchestra version.

Manatee Performing Arts Center quickly outgrew the building that opened in 2013. A new four-story structure will add more space for rehearsals and education programs.

“Once Upon a River” is an interactive “enviromagic” fairytale show performed by CJ May as Cyril the Sorcerer, designed to teach children about environmental stewardship

Announcing seven titles in The Huntington’s bold 2026/27 season, featuring world premieres, acclaimed Broadway hits, and fresh interpretations of enduring stories. The Huntington is premiering a stirring new musical adaptation of New York Times best-seller Unorthodox by Broadway dream-team Benj Pasek (Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman), Shaina Taub (Suffs), and Joshua Harmon (Prayer for the French Republic, Bad Jews).

Rafael: The relationship between the photo booth pictures and my photo-canvases was philosophically intimate. By that I mean that both seemed more real to me than oil self-portraits.

Andris Nelsons will leave the Boston Symphonhy in 2027.  Everything about his departure is guesswork until Chad Smith, President and CEO, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra board speak publicly.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs has certainly been on a creative tear with his brother Michael Jacobs recently, creating three wholly different and original world premiere musicals at the theater in just three years.

Sarah Sutro will be showing landscape paintings at Gallery North, 9 Eagle Street, North Adams, MA. The exhibit will accompany new work by permanent gallery artists Marilyn Cavallari, Sean McCusker, Barbara Patton, and Carol Shumans.

Sensory memories became the catalyst for the choreographer’s latest work for Tania Vergara Dance-Theater, the contemporary ballet company she founded in Cuba as Endedans Contemporary Ballet more than two decades ago and revived three years ago in Sarasota.

Barbara Hannigan arrives at the New York Philharmonic on April 23.  Her memorable debut was  in Grigor Ligetti’s opera Le Grand Macabre under conductor Alan Gilbert  fifteen years ago. It sold out. The production was the Philharmonic's first opera, directed by Doug Fitch with a multimedia set and backdrop. Hannigan will sing and conduct Poulenc's Human Voice.

Music isn’t the only art form you can experience outdoors at MASS MoCA this summer: Amanda Lovelee's Homecoming and Pep Rally for the Trees opens on our annual Community Free Day (June 13), and invites visitors to contemplate and celebrate the assisted migration of two “trees-in-residence”. MASS MoCA’s expansive collection of long-term outdoor exhibitions will reopen for the season (May 23) and the indoor galleries continue to sing with newly installed works by Laurie Anderson, the recently opened Technologies of Relation, and a participatory commission by Boston-based Chilean artist Daniela Rivera (on view beginning July 11).

“Daniel Chester French helped give form to America’s highest ideals – liberty, courage, sacrifice, and shared civic purpose,” says Chesterwood Executive Director Miguel Rodriguez. “His sculptures continue to remind us that democracy is not only preserved in our institutions, but also in the values and stories we choose to honor. At Chesterwood, keeping his legacy alive means preserving not just the home and studio of a great artist, but a space where art, history, and the American spirit continue to speak to each new generation.”

Giant, which won multiple awards in London, is based on a true incident in 1983; the children’s author Roald Dahl wrote a book review about a non-fiction book on the 1982 Israeli-Lebanese war. In his review, Dahl expresses multiple statements that most would consider antisemitic condemning Israel.

We often treat awakening as a destination—a distant mountain peak we must climb through sheer effort, “magic” mantras, or intellectual gymnastics. But there is a persistent shadow that follows the practitioner: the Delusion of Lack. It tells us that who we are right now is insufficient, and that the peace we seek is always just one more book, one more form, or one more retreat away. In my work with students, I see this delusion manifest in two primary ways: the Abyss and the Shield.

One afternoon we went to see a Robert Rauschenberg show at the Galerie Sonnabend on the rue Mazarine. It consisted of, among other things, flattened, used, tattered, cardboard boxes stuck to the gallery wall.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Andris Nelsons announce their 2026–27 subscription season — the orchestra’s 146th — running from September 18, 2026, through May 9, 2027. Subscriptions (fixed and flexible “choose your own” packages) are available now, and single tickets may be purchased starting July 31.

Sinuous planes of flat aluminum, intersected and punctuated by bright swirling aluminum tubing, create counter movement, suggesting rivulets of water, creeping vines, or musical notation, and coaxing the curving leaf-like, wave-like forms into a rhythmic stream of luxurious movement.

This intimate, 50-minute performance (no intermission), sung in English, brings to life one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages—queen of two nations, mother of kings, and a commanding political force. Set during her imprisonment in Salisbury Tower, Flower and Hawk unfolds as Eleanor reflects on the triumphs and betrayals that shaped her extraordinary life.

The Crochet Coral Reef was created in 2005 by the artists and sisters Christine and Margaret Wertheim to raise awareness to the beauty and plight of coral reefs worldwide. The Berkshire iteration features hundreds of corals crocheted by community members in the Berkshires and beyond over the last year. The corals, made of a variety of colors and textures, are being assembled into a vibrant reef in the CenterStage Theatre, where lighting and sound will immerse visitors in an underseas wonderland.