The Culture Show Podcast

Summertime, and the living is easy. Or, if you’re Audra McDonald, you make it look and sound easy. The award winning singer and actor earned her fifth – of a record-breaking six– Tony awards for her portrayal of Bess in the Broadway hit “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess,” which was mounted right here at The American Repertory Theater. The Culture Show caught up with McDonald when she was in Boston for a one-night only performance.Then it’s another star of the stage Leslie Odom, Jr. His portrayal of Aaron Burr in “Hamilton,” gave us a new way to think about America’s historyAnd if history doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes. In his latest return to Broadway, Odom starred in a play that skewers racism in America. He joined The Culture Show ahead of a one-man show in Boston to talk about how music remains at his core.

Through her poetry, Tracy K. Smith probes the meaning of life, she meditates on what happens to our souls when we die, she communes with the dead. She uses poetry to explore her own role in the world as a mother, making the personal profound. Her poems also scrutinize historical racial oppression, the paradox that is the American dream, and the injustices that plague our nation. All of these themes come together in her new book, “To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul.” She joins The Culture Show to talk about it. In 1761 a young girl crossed the Atlantic on a slave ship. Captured in West Africa, she arrived in Boston where she was purchased by John and Susanna Wheatley. They named her Phillis, after the name of the slave ship that brought her to America. They taught Phillis to read and write. Able to express herself on the page, she went on to become the first African American to publish a book of poetry. Wheatley traveled to England to promote the volume and on her voyage back to America she wrote the poem, “Ocean.”The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture recently acquired this rare, handwritten manuscript along with a trove of other texts that shed light on the life –and the life of the mind—of Phillis Wheatley. Joining The Culture Show to talk about what is the largest collection of Wheatley material in public hands is Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Juneteenth is the annual commemoration marking the end of slavery in the United States. The name is derived from the date June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger informed a Texas audience that all enslaved persons were now free…that was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s an important fact to underscore because justice delayed is justice denied. In this context, Kerri Greenidge, Associate Professor in history in the Department of Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora at Tufts University, joins us to talk about how we consider Black history in 2024.From there, we get a preview of the Mars symphony premiere, created in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Museum of Science. Boston composer David Ibbett, whose score reveals the music of Mars, joins The Culture Show, along with James Monroe, creative director of programming for the Centers for Public Science Learning at the Museum of Science.

In the documentary film “More Than Our Skin,” five women share their stories about what it’s like to live with vitiligo, an autoimmune disease in which the skin loses its pigment cells, resulting in discolored patches throughout the body. As the film details, while the disease can’t kill you, it can kill your spirit as people with vitiligo are more prone to depression, social stigmatization and isolation. Tonia Magras, the producer and director of the film, and Valarie Molyneaux, one of the women featured in this documentary, join The Culture Show to talk about their work.From there it’s Alan Cumming. He’s an actor, singer, and advocate who has starred on Broadway, on network television and now he’s hosting and producing the reality TV series streaming on Peacock, “The Traitors.” However, he is no traitor to his demographic. At age 59 Alan Cumming is a font of wisdom when it comes to America’s obsession with the fountain of youth—breaking down how abstract and absurd ageism is in his cabaret show, “Alan Cumming is Not Acting His Age”. He joins The Culture Show to talk about this and a tote bag epidemic, which he says is perpetuated by NPR pledge drives.

Today on The Culture Show co-hosts Callie Crossley, James Bennett II and Edgar B. Herwick III cover the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, greatness recognizes greatness. Who surprised Tom Brady at his Patriots Hall of Fame Ceremony with a pop up performance? JAY-Z.And onto another sports Hall of Famer: Jerry West. We remember the LA Lakers legend whose silhouette inspired the NBA’s iconic logoFrom there, it’s an accidental all-star. Kendrick Lamar, whose track “Not Like Us,” which doubles as a Drake diss, is sweeping sports stadiums across the country.Plus it’s “quiet on the set!” Late Night with Seth Meyers is dropping its live house band amid budget cuts.Finally, it’s follow up Friday, which includes a Battle Royale with protestors vandalizing King Charles’ portrait in the name of animal welfare.

Salvatore Del Deo is a contemporary painter whose 75-year career has been inspired by the light of Provincetown, the landscape, particularly the dunes, and the people who cycle in and out of town.If you don’t know his paintings you likely know his plight.Since the early 1940’s, his part-time home has been a dune shack . But he nearly lost it when the National Parks Service served the Del Deo family an eviction notice. After a lengthy and public fight to stay in the shack –Salvatore and the Del Deo family received a five-year reprieve. He joins The Culture Show to talk about this and his new show at the LaMontagne Gallery.And Rebecca Bradshaw knows the local theater scene. From SpeakEasy Stage to the Huntington and beyond, she’s been a triple threat: producing, directing and developing new work.Now she is bringing her talent and expertise to Gloucester Stage Company. Last year, after a nationwide search, the seaside theater named her its new Artistic Director. She joins The Culture Show to talk about her vision for the company. And its 2024 season which recently kicked off with the comedy Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike playing through June 23rd.

Playwright Jo Clifford performed the first production of her one-woman show, “The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven,” in 2009. The play reimagines the parables of the New Testament as told by a modern day Jesus who has come back to earth as a transgender woman.Fifteen years on, “The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven,” has been translated into seven languages and performed in nine countries. This tour has landed in the United states for the first time, with performances in Northampton, Provincetown and Boston.Jo Clifford is an English-born, Scotland-based award-winning playwright, translator, poet and performer. She joins The Culture Show us ahead of her performances at Provincetown’s St Mary’s of the Harbor and Boston’s Cathedral Church of St. Paul.From there, it’s “Django in June.” Jazz Django Reinhardt was a Gypsy jazz genius. Born in Belgium in 1910, into a French family of Romani descent. After surviving a horrible fire, doctors said he would never play guitar again because his fingers were so severely burned. He didn’t listen. Instead, he created a whole new technique for playing the guitar that made up for the limited use he had of his 4th and 5th fingers.He became a star, and then a legend. And for years he’s been celebrated by way of “Django in June ” in Northampton.Guitarist and composer Jack Soref has been a mainstay of Django in June, where he has been teaching since 2009 . He joins The Culture Show for an overview.

Ken Field is a composer, flautist, saxophonist and the leader of the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble–a New Orleans inspired brass band, which is marking its 35th anniversary this Friday at Regattabar. The celebration doubles as a live recording session of new material. Ken Field joins The Culture Show for a preview, to talk about leading a band for 35 years and the origin of his group’s name.From there Lisa Simmons, artistic and executive director of The Roxbury International Film fest gives us a preview of the largest New England film festival that highlights films by, for and about people of color. It takes place June 20th through June 28th and online June 27th through July 2nd.

What do you call three lost souls left on a prep school campus during the holidays? The holdovers. That’s also the title of Alexander Payne’s film. Set in the 1970’s, Paul Giamatti plays a scrooge-like New England teacher–stingy with good grades and generosity. But over the winter holiday break, his heart thaws –slightly –and he forges an unlikely fellowship with a student and the school cook. The Oscar-winning filmmaker joins The Culture Show to talk about making a quintessential New England film.From there it’s local artist Robert Freeman. He went to see the movie “American Fiction” and to his surprise his paintings played a supporting role, hanging on the walls in several scenes. We talk to him about this 20-feet from stardom moment and what it means to have one of his paintings selected to hang in Governor Healey’s office.Then Edgar B. Herwick III and producer Kate Dellis take us into the room where the movie magic happens: the projectionist’s booth at Somerville Theatre.

Today on The Culture Show it’s our arts and culture week-in-review.GBH’s Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley, and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons, who is artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Fest and program manager at Mass Cultural Council , go over the latest arts and culture headlines.First up, exterior design. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is on a mission to make its Huntington Avenue entrance more representative of what’s happening on the inside. It’s commissioning artists to make public work. And the inaugural one will respond to a controversial bronze sculpture in front of the MFA depicting a Native American man astride a horse with his arms outstretched… suggesting surrender.Then, actress Lupita Nyong’o calls out the junk in press junkets, saying they’re torture!Plus, it’s a breakthrough moment for breakdancing. In a first, as we’ll see in Paris, it’s now an official Olympic sport. Finally, Cyndi Lauper is going to “She Bop” her away around North America one last “Time After Time” with her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell tour.

Berklee College of Music and the Audio Engineering Society are hosting an inaugural international symposium at Berklee on AI in music, exploring the benefits, the ethics and the caveats. Two people instrumental to this symposium join The Culture Show for a preview: The event organizer, Berklee music production and engineering professor Jonathan Wyner and keynote speaker Tod Machover. Tod Machover is a pioneering composer and the Muriel R. Cooper Professor of Music and Media and director of the MIT Media Lab's Opera of the Future group. Chris Copeland, Manager of Plant Production at the Arnold Arboretum is also the curator of their Bonsai and Penjing collection. He joins us to talk about these miniature masterpieces, the tradition of Bonsai, what it takes to care for these plants and how people can see them all —for free.Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra music director Federico Cortese joins The Culture Show to preview their 66th season finale concert and to talk about their first permanent home in the orchestra's history, which opened last month.

What does it mean to be a restless soul in-between two worlds? That is the definition of a dybbuk. With an ongoing immigration crisis and refugees displaced by war– a new adaptation of the play “The Dybbuk,” has deep resonance. And who better to wrestle with these themes than the Arlekin Players Theatre, which has a reputation for examining such existential plights. Their artistic director–and director of this production, Igor Golyak and one of the lead actors, Andrey Burkovskiy join The Culture Show.From there Edgar B. Herwick III explains some Bay State and Baseball curiosities.Finally we look at Boston’s housing crisis. It’s one thing to have a home office. It’s another thing to turn an office into a home. Is the push to retrofit commercial real estate into residential real estate feasible and fiscally sound? Boston Architectural College president Mahesh Daas joins The Culture Show for that conversation.

Embrace Boston is gearing up for its third annual gathering to celebrate Juneteenth with the Boston community, and it promises to be more than an event but a conversation about reimaging Boston ahead of its 400th Birthday. Plus, no festival would be complete without a block party, DJ’s and dancing. Imari Paris Jeffries, CEO and President of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show for a preview. From there carnival and colonialism converge in “The Procession,” a large-scale installation making its North American debut at the ICA Watershed. In fact, it’s the only place in the U.S. you can see the show. By large scale we’re talking about some 140 life-sized figures–all of them staged in a march through time. The mastermind behind this monumental work, artist Hew Locke, joins us.And finally, the Boston Waterfront is in full swing. We get an update on the free and accessible events that await us this summer from Luz Arregoces. Director of New England Aquarium’s community engagement and member of the Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront.

The three-time U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky joins us to talk about his new book of poetry, “Proverbs of Limbo.” His book launch is June 11th at the Cambridge Public Library at an event presented by Harvard Book Store.Robert Pinsky is the author of “At The Foundling Hospital”, “The Figured Wheel” and “The Want Bone.” He is also a professor in the graduate creative writing program at Boston University,From there we talk to Dan Cummings, the lead singer of local punk band “Already Dead,” about their latest track “The Spirit of Massachusetts Avenue.” It’s the lead single on their forthcoming album, “Something Like War.”Finally, we talk about the role of the diva and prima donna and explore how often we misuse those words. Grammy-winning dramatic soprano Jane Eaglen joins us to break down opera parlance. She’s on the faculty at New England Conservatory and she’s the President of the Boston Wagner Society. She joins The Culture Show regularly.

First up, Richard Dreyfuss didn’t just make waves, he sent shockwaves through Beverly’s Cabot Theater ahead of a special screening of “Jaws.” Offending audiences by spewing transphobic, misanthropic rhetoric. And it turns out this wasn’t the first time.From there it’s time to meet Josh Gibson, Major League Baseball’s new GREATEST OF ALL TIME PLAYER. With the MLB integrating statistics from the Negro Leagues, they’re also obliged to rewrite baseball’s history.Plus we remember Bill Walton, the Celtics star who created a legacy on and off the court.Then, how conflict and climate change continue to threaten cultural sites and institutions around the world.And, “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” the Wu-Tang Clan album you won’t be able to hear for 88 years - unless you go to Australia today.

New York Times best-selling writer Ann Leary’s latest book is a collection of Essays titled “I’ve Tried Being Nice.” In total they are a reflection on her life…on the liberties that come with being older, on moments of mayhem and on scenes from a marriage that has had its ups and downs–on the tennis court, on the red carpet and behind closed doors. The essays are funny and frank. They are personal while also being very universal.Ann Leary and her husband Denis Leary – Worcester born actor and standup comedian – join The Culture Show ahead of their June 5th event at The Cambridge Public LibraryThen it’s Thorgy Thor. She came to international attention on “RuPaul's “Drag Race” and on Ru Paul’s “Drag Race Variety All Stars Show.”.She will be bringing her all star performance to the Boston POPS, kicking off Pride month this Saturday, June 1st at 7:30 at Symphony Hall. It’s a perfect venue for someone who is committed to combining classical music and drag. She joins The Culture Show to preview Boston POPS Pride Night.Finally, we head to Charlestown Navy Yard for a preview of “Lot Lab 2024.” Launched by the Boston Public Art Triennial, their assistant curator Jasper Sanchez joins the culture show to preview this public art exhibition, which opens June 10th.

On this episode of The Culture Show MassArt President Mary Grant joins us for her monthly appearance. Today she talks about the cost of college, if the expense is worth it and what higher-ed institutions need to do to meet incoming students where they are.From there we head to Colby College Museum of Art. Their head curator Beth Finch joins The Culture Show to give an overview of their current exhibit “The World Outside: Louise Nevelson at Midcentury.” Finally, the Grammy and Emmy award-winning film composer and guitarist Claudio Ragazzi previews the Claudio Ragazzi Quartet’s performance on May 30th at Long Live Roxbury.

Writer Percival Everett’s satire verges on prophecy. He is prolific–he has written westerns, mysteries, thrillers, and collections of poetry. You likely recognize his name because of his book “Erasure,” the sardonic take on the publishing industry on which the film “American Fiction” was based.Everett’s latest book, titled “James,” is a retelling of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” from the perspective of Jim, the novel’s enslaved runaway. Everett joins The Culture Show us ahead of his event next week at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.Then we discover an oasis of tranquility tucked away in the bustling Seaport district. Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson joins The Culture Show to talk about Eastport Park on D Street. Julia Swanson is a multidisciplinary artist and award winning photographer who is the creator of The Art Walk Project, a series of self-guided micro tours.Finally, it’s Bach to Basics. Emmanuel Music is only one of five ensembles in the U.S. to be invited to this year’s “Bachfest Leipzig,” a sprawling and prestigious music festival. Emmanuel Music’s artistic director Ryan Turner joins The Culture Show us to talk about this honor.

Today on The Culture Show it’s the pharaoh of the opera. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo has made a name for himself starring in the MET’s production of Akhenaten – earning a Grammy award along the way.He’s also figuratively found his voice and the freedom to have fun by collaborating with cabaret performer Justin Vivian Bond in their hit performance and accompanying album, “Only and Octave Apart”Now Anthony Roth Costanzo is performing it all–from cantatas to camp, in a one-man recital that ranges from Verdi to Barbra Streisand. From there, will the Grammys ever create a category for best song recorded by a state auditor? If so, Diana Dizoglio’s newly mastered release “This Is The Time” could be a winner. The auditor joins The Culture Show to talk about her relationship to music and how singing has made her voice known –and heard–on Beacon Hill.

Today on the Culture Show, Callie Crossley, James Bennett II and Edgar B Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review. The topics they discuss include, Scarlett Johansson’s feud with Open AI, Elvis Presley’s Graceland having a brush with foreclosure fraudsters, and Apple’s 100 best album list. They also look at a taco stand in Mexico City that has just received a Micehlin star, discussing if this is a burden or a blessing. Plus, they analyze how two antitrust headlines affect the arts and culture universe: the NCAA settlement and the Department of Justice suing Live Nation for having a monopoly on the concert industry.Finally, they deliver another edition of follow-up Friday, bringing listeners up to speed on some of the stories we’ve been covering on our weeks-in-review, which include an update on the American Museum of Natural History, the photography of the late, great Charles Daniels AKA “Master Blaster,” and the public art exhibit that connects Dublin and New York City via a live streamed portal. What can go wrong when you have a huge webcam connecting two major cities? Well, it turns out a lot of nudity and other offenses but the overseers of the portal have decided to give humanity a second chance.

When it comes to opera performances, Boston Lyric Opera is literally putting the wheels in motion. On June first the BLO is rolling out its “Street Stage Series” and by rolling out, we mean driving a semi-trailer that converts into a stage, which will travel to different neighborhoods throughout the summer, offering opera and popular music performances. The BLO’s Brad Vernatter, the Stanford Calderwood General Director and Nina Yoshida Nelsen, the BLO’s Artistic Director join The Culture Show to preview this summer’s series.From there Jared Bowen goes to Wellesley College's Davis Museum to talk with artist Lorraine O’Grady about her first-ever museum retrospective.Finally, Lydia Diamond. Her latest play tells the story of Toni Stone, a sports phenom who is rejected by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because she is black. Instead she becomes the first woman to play professional baseball on a man’s team in the Negro Leagues. Lydia Diamond joins The Culture Show to talk about bringing this story to the stage.

Aaron Lansky is credited with saving a world of Yiddish literature, language and culture. It started in the late 1970’s when he was studying Yiddish literature at Mcgill University and was having a hard time finding the books he needed to pursue his scholarship. So he organized a nationwide network of volunteer book collectors and launched a campaign, now known as The Yiddish Book Center, to save the world’s surviving Yiddish books. At the time, it was estimated that there were 70,000 Yiddish books to rescue. His team saved 1.5 million. Today the Yiddish Book Center, located in Amherst on the campus of Hampshire College, is one of the largest Jewish cultural organizations in the worldAaron Lansky joins The Culture Show to discuss why he has decided to retire as the center’s president.From there Culture Show co-host James Bennett II joins us with and arts and culture roundup, which includes a photography exhibit at the Boston Athenaeum, “Framing Freedom: The Harriet Hayden Albums,” which features nearly 90 photos depicting Black lives and Black freedomFinally we get a preview of the first-ever Boston Public Art Triennial which will happen in May 2025. It will distinguish Boston as one of the few cities in the U.S. to do this and it could forever change Boston’s relationship to public art.I’m joined by two of the people behind this effort: Kate Gilbert, Executive Director of Boston Public Art Triennial, and culture show contributor Pedro Alonzo. He’s an independent curator who is the Artistic Director of the triennial.

Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show every month.With Memorial Day approaching, we’re going to get his take on the role black military members have played in U.S. history, from emancipation to protecting our democracy, and how recent developments in local government are supporting Embrace Boston’s call for reparations. From there, we’re fashion forward, backward and everything in between. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is making a fashion statement with its new exhibit “Dress Up.” With more than 150 objects on view, it is a survey of the history and histrionics of fashion, from fast fashion, to fashion as fantasy, to fashion as identity. theo tyson, curator of Fashion Arts at the MFA, joins us to talk about the exhibit.Finally, GBH’s Haley Lerner and Molly McCaul–our resident live music experts– give us a preview of “Boston Calling,” one of the region’s largest music festivals.

Writer Flannery O’Connory was a devout Catholic. She grew up in Georgia and eventually lived on a farm among peacocks. She negotiated life under the threat of looming death because she had lupus. But her imagination took her elsewhere. Mostly to peculiar places, often violent ones, where prophets, sinners and outsiders sought truth and redemption.Now her biography, her characters and her life of the mind converge in the new film “Wildcat.” It’s directed by Ethan Hawke, he also co-wrote it with Shelby Gaines and it stars his daughter, Maya Hawke as Flannery O’Connor.Ethan Hawke joined The Culture Show ahead of his event at Coolidge Corner Theatre for a screening, followed by a Q and A on May 23rd and May 24th.From there we meet the artists behind an upcoming exhibit at the South Shore Art Center titled “Young Black Woman|Old White Man.” It shows two very different perspectives and experiences of events that have rattled the world: From the murder of George Floyd to the January 6th insurrection.It features the work of Devyn Casey, an artist and art teacher based in Norfolk, Virginia and South Shore artist James Burke. Opening night is May 30th, the exhibit is on through June 30th. Finally, writer Lucas Mann joins us to talk about his latest book, Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances.” Lucas Mann teaches English at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and lives in Providence, Rhode Island where he and his wife co-own Riffraff Bookstore and Bar.

Coming up on the Culture Show, live from our GBH studio at the Boston Public Library, it’s our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, The Red Scare. The new portrait of King Charles III is saturated in reds and sparking controversy. Is it a monarchy masterpiece? Or a monstrosity? Then we remember culinary legend Jasper White who elevated New England’s food scene by taking us out of the era of plain old corn pudding and fish chowder with a series of successful seafood restaurants, including Summer Shack. Plus, a live stream installation connecting Dublin to New York City has been shut down because people are using the exhibition to be exhibitionists baring bosoms, butts, and beyond.

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said “There are no second acts in American lives.” but there are certainly second acts when it comes to Fitzgerald’s own classic “The Great Gatsby.” Fitting for a story about reinvention, The Great Gatsby has been adapted to the screen and stage countless times. Now the American Repertory Theater is bringing it to life in a world premiere musical “Gatsby: an American Myth.” The score is by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett and the book is by Martyna Majok, whose Pulitzer prize-winning play “Cost of Living” recently had a critically acclaimed run in Boston. Martyna Majok joins The Culture Show to talk about diving into the glittery Gatsby galaxy. From there GBH’s James Bennett II joins us for an arts and culture roundup, from a photo exhibit sparking controversy in Newton for featuring Palestinian refugees to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum giving an 18th century viola d’amore a stress test.Finally, Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons joins us to talk about a range of topics, from a roundup of upcoming film festivals to her take on normalizing 90 minute movies. Lisa Simmons is the artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Festival and program manager at Mass Cultural Council.

Miranda July, a triple threat in the art world as an innovative visual artist, filmmaker, and writer has just released a new novel titled “All Fours.” It’s a coming-of-middle-age story about a married woman who is either experiencing a turning point or is turning her world upside down when she derails a solo road trip by abruptly checking into and staying at a highway motel. She joins The Culture Show to talk about it and her creative process.From there we look at another innovative artist, the illustrator and activist Ekua Holmes who has redefined children’s books with her bold colors and sophisticated collage work. She’ll joins us to preview this Saturday’s Roxbury Book Fair and to discuss her latest book, a biography of Coretta Scott King.Finally Culture Show contributor Joyce Kulhawik joins us. She’s president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association, which sponsors the Elliot Norton Awards. She’ll talk through this year’s nominees and preview next Monday’s awards ceremony.

Climbing a mountain is a metaphor frequently used to describe something that seems insurmountable. For the Chelsea-based Apollinaire Theatre Company, they are both figuratively and literally climbing a mountain in their latest production “Touching the Void.” The play involves a climbable mountain, a Scottish pub, a base camp, and the ever-present void. Two of the actors starring in this production, Parker Jennings and Patrick O’Konis, join us to talk about taking theater to new heights. Then author Colm Tóibín joins us. He doesn’t care for sequels. He thinks of them as kind of a literary copout. But 15 years after he published his critically acclaimed novel “Brooklyn,” he has written a follow up: the novel “Long Island.” He joins us to talk about the hold that his protagonist, Eilis Lacey has had on him. Finally, do you want plastic or plastic? You have only one option at “The Plastic Bag Store,” an immersive art experience now open at MASS MoCA, presented in association with Williamstown Theatre Festival. We talk to the creative force behind this, artist Robin Frohardt who has found multiple uses for single use plastics.

The landmark Supreme Court case that struck down racial segregation in public schools helped to dismantle the legal apparatus of white supremacy. It also prompted a civil rights movement. With This Friday marking the 70th anniversary of this ruling, Kerri Greenidge, associate professor in history and in the department of race, colonialism, and diaspora at Tufts University, joins us to talk about its legacy and limitations. From there we look at racial imbalance in another realm, classical music. U.S. orchestras have come under scrutiny in recent years for being predominantly white –now they’re working to change that. CRB’s Brian McCreath takes us to Symphony Hall with a look at how the Boston Symphony Orchestra is encouraging a new generation of diverse musicians.Finally, sisters are doing it for themselves. As America prepares to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, Lexington, Massachusetts is telling a story about the women who were a part of this history but were forgotten or erased and never celebrated. Hence, the monument “Something is Being Done.” Years in the making it will be unveiled this Wednesday at 10:30 . It depicts women with Lexington roots, from the 18th century to the present.Jared Bowen talks to Meredith Bergmann, the acclaimed Massachusetts sculptor who created this monument and Jessie Steigerwald, president of LexSeeHer, Inc.

Today Culture Show co hosts Callie Crossley, Edgar B. Herwick III and Jared Bowen go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review, which includes Eurovision. in 2019 Tel Aviv hosted the song contest. Now, amid Israel’s war on Gaza, the Olympics of pop music is politically charged as pro-Palestinian protesters denounce Israel’s participation. And we remember the inventive artist, who even reinvented himself, Frank Stella. Born in Malden, he found outsized success in 1960’s New York – and he never stopped, from minimalism to maximalism, he remained a giant in the art world. Plus, “The Walking Dead” stages a zombie takeover in Worcester. And, when it comes to Marylin Monroe, something’s gotta give as owners of her house sue Los Angeles so that they can demolish it.

The new film “I Saw the TV Glow” is a complex exploration of childhood nostalgia and how it can haunt us into adulthood. It also explores the irresistible pull of pop culture. Writer and director Jane Schoenbrun joins The Culture Show ahead of their Saturday appearance at the Coolidge to receive their Breakthrough Artist Award, which spotlights the next generation of filmmaking talent. From there we talk to another innovator, William Forsythe. He is known internationally as one of the most influential choreographers working today, lauded for the contemporary perspective and consideration he gives to classical ballet. He joins us to talk about Boston Ballet’s Spring experience, which includes Forsythe’s Blake Works III (The Barre Project). Finally, Elizabeth Heilig, president of the West Newton Cinema Foundation, joins us to talk about how an anonymous donation changes their race to save the beloved institution–nearly 90 years old– from demolition.

Is it the human condition to take life for granted? Do we need to be confronted with death as a way to acknowledge life, appreciate life and to find meaning in life? These are both metaphysical and matter-of-fact questions that are central to Dael Orlandersmith’s solo play “Spiritus/Virgil’s Dance.”It is described as being in conversation with Dante’s Divine Comedy, where Virgil guides Dante’s journey through hell and purgatory. In Orlandersmith’s hands, Virgil is an adrift 20 something –a Bronx native who instead of navigating hell, is navigating Manhattan. When Virgil’s mother and father die just a year apart, it’s a loss that reorients Virigl’s life and renews a sense of purpose.“Spiritus/Virgil’s Dance” is written and performed by Dael Orlandersmith and directed by Neel Keller. Orlandersmith joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest work. From there it’s purple reign. This Sunday more than 400 lilacs will be in bloom at the Arnold Arboretum. Arboretum horticulturist Conor Guidarelli joins us for a preview. .Finally, most of us know the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. But what do we know about the woman behind it? Writer Natalie Dykstra’s latest biography, “Chasing Beauty” conveys the spirit of Gardner's complicated personality and how she found her niche, and created a legacy, as a patron and friend of the arts.

From guns to reproductive rights, the majority of Supreme Court justices think we should follow the original intentions of the Constitution as closely as possible. So what does that mean in modern-day America? Writer A.J. Jacobs went to find out.In his latest book, “The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning.” Jacobs documents living as closely to the original meaning of the Constitution as possible, which includes carrying a musket, and personally delivering a list of grievances to Congress. Though this full constitutional immersion is humorous, Jacobs is not in this just for the laughs. He also finds a nation losing its hold on the values implicit in the constitution: responsibility, community and civic engagement. He joins The Culture Show to talk about it all.From there Revolutionary Spaces gives us a different look at American history with a program that spotlights the people who exercised their right to petition because they didn’t have the fundamental right to make their voice heard, the right to vote. Spoken word artist Amanda Shea, and Anne Freeh Engle, Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer at Revolutionary Spaces join The Culture Show to preview “All the Voices in the House: Hear My Plea, Know My Truth.” Finally, all the world’s a Porch. Culture Show producer Kate Dellis gives us a primer on Somerville’s forthcoming, annual music festival: Porchfest.

When Reginald Dwayne Betts was 16 years old, he was an honors student. He was also arrested for carjacking. Prosecuted as an adult, he spent eight years in a Virginia prison, existing among grown up men. What got him through those years behind bars? Books. Betts left prison a poet; he then became an Ivy League-educated Lawyer and now he’s on a mission to bring libraries into prisons with a first-of-its kind organization called “Freedom Reads.” He joins The Culture Show to talk about how he aims to radically transform access to literature for people behind bars. From there we continue the poetry conversation with Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola who deconstructs her poem, “MARGARET GARNER CROSSES THE OHIO RIVER ONLY TO GET CAUGHT AND SOLD DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI OR THE MOTHER STANDS TRIAL FOR MURDERING HER CHILDREN,” which was inspired by Toni Morrison’s novel, “Beloved.”

Today on The Culture Show co hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest arts and culture headlines on our week-in-review. First up, Boston will host its first ever public art triennial. A year from now the city will be populated by public art from international superstars to locally renowned artists. From there, disappointed museum goers are putting the moan in Mona Lisa. The Louvre has plans to move da Vinci’s masterpiece underground so that audiences don’t have to be dissatisfied with what is now considered an overrated work.Plus, the Tony nominations are out, we look at the surprises, snubs and snoozers.And, where’s the beef? Look no further than hip-hop heavyweights Kendrick Lamar and Drake. We track how their feud has escalated and ask if this modern-day rap battle is proof that when it comes to a duel, the pen is mightier than the sword.

When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, creating art was dangerous. The Taliban disapproved of music and banned all artistic representations of the human form. They saw art as an expression of protest and resistance. After their reign, when Afghanistan functioned as an open society, art flourished. But since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, after the final US troops left Afghanistan, art has literally been wiped out and artists are again being oppressed.Driven by the desire to promote the arts, artists, and the transformative power that art can have, Omaid Sharifi co-founded the artist collective ArtLords in the heart of Kabul. He joins The Culture Show along with ArtLords artist and current student at Dean College, Fatima Wojohat .And, as we continue our Boston Design Week coverage, The Culture Show’s Edgar B. Herwick III investigates how people feel about one of Boston’s most contentious designs: Boston City HallFinally, May the 4th be with you. Roderick MacDonald, music director of the Worcester Symphony Orchestra, and president of the WSO, Edgar Cyrus, join us to talk about their upcoming concert,”The Magic of Hollywood,” which will feature scores from the silver screen, from “Star Wars” to “Harry Potter.”

In 1985 Marty McFly skateboarded onto the silver screen –and into cinematic history– with the blockbuster, “Back to The Future.” In this sci-fi classic, the eccentric scientist Doc Brown turns a DeLorean into a plutonium-powered time machine.Then, in an experiment gone awry, Marty McFly finds himself taking a ride of his lifetime, going back to 1955 where he meets his parents when they were teenagers. Now in 2024 audiences can time travel back to nineteen eighty five by way of “Back to the Future, The Musical.” Now on Broadway, we’re joined by the two leads, actor Roger Bart, who was just nominated for a Tony award for his portrayal of Doc Brown, and actor Casey Likes who plays Marty McFly.From there we get a preview of the Joywalk: A Fenway Cultural District Art Crawl. The initiative is the brainchild of the Fenway Alliance in partnership with a number of other cultural and academic institutions. Kelly Brilliant, co-executive Director of Fenway Alliance joins us. Finally, it’s time for our recurring feature “AI: Actual intelligence”, where we tap into the most interesting thinkers in our region. Their insights and observations are totally original and algorithm free. Today we’re joined by Culture Show contributor Mahesh Daas, president of Boston Architectural College and the co-author of a new graphic novella about artificial intelligence, titled “I, Nobot.”

What’s past doesn’t need to be prologue. That is the point of the exhibition “Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away,” – to learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust so that history is not repeated. From the concrete posts used to fence in the camp, to a gas mask used by SS garrison members, to the suitcases and journals belonging to the prisoners– hundreds of original artifacts tell the horrors of those who suffered and were killed at Auschwitz during World War II. The exhibition is on view at The Castle at Park Plaza, making its Boston debut amid a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Massachusetts. Robert Jan van Pelt, the exhibition’s chief curator and Auschwitz historian joins us. And, when it comes to design, Mies van der Rohe believed that less is more, but when it comes to Boston Design Week he’d probably agree that more is more. Boston Design Week kicked off on April 23rd, it’s on through May 5th and it features more than 70 events throughout the city, and the theme of this year is “Designing for the Future – Preserving for the Future,” Boston Design Week co-producer Tony Fusco joins us for an overview. Finally, April 30th, known as “ Black April,” is a day to lament and reflect upon the fall of Saigon and of South Vietnam, in 1975, and the beginning of the exodus of millions of Vietnamese. Local artist Ngoc-Tran Vu is working with other artists and the community to create a permanent Vietnamese Diaspora Healing Memorial in Boston’s Little Saigon district. She joins us to talk about the project.

Today we continue to celebrate national poetry month with Oliver de la Paz. He is the poet laureate of Worcester and an associate professor at The College of the Holy Cross. His latest collection of poetry “The Diaspora Sonnets,” is winner of the New England Book Award for Poetry. These sonnets illuminate the immigrant experience with meditations on the meaning of home and family bonds. They reflect on the role of memory and nostalgia, and the power that looking forward has when forging a new life in a new land.From there we’re off to the Venice Biennale. Yesterday Pope Francis visited a women’s prison on Giudecca Island, which is also the site of the Holy See Pavilion, which features the art of Boston legend Corita Kent. Nellie Scott, Executive Director of the Corita Art Center joins us from Venice to talk about Kent’s legacy and the significance of her work being included in the Holy See Pavilion.Finally, we wrap up Earth Month with Adam Gardner. The lead singer of Guster is also leading the way to make the music industry sustainable.

Today on The Culture Show, it's our arts and culture week in review. First up, the culture of Hollywood shifted in the years following the downfall of Harvey Weinstein and the launch of the #MeToo movement. So what will the reverberations throughout the industry be now that his New York rape conviction has been overturned?From there, Jerry Seinfeld says that Hollywood is a has been, declaring that movies are no longer a cultural superpower.And, the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion says that if we don’t act now, humanity could become an exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History–an institution they recently protested.Finally, can Cher believe in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after deriding it? The pop star, along with Mary J Blige and Ozzy Ozborne, is among the 2024 inductees.

Boston POPS conductor Keith Lockhart is here with a preview of their star-studded Spring Season, from Harry Connick Jr, and Branford Marsalis, to Pride night, Gospel night and a Jurassic Park concert along the way. Performances that are sure to put a spring in your step.From there, it’s a message in a mural. In East Boston, public art is making a splash by way of a series of large-scale murals that emphasize the natural world and the need to protect it. Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson takes us on a tour of the art raising awareness about our rising seas.Finally, we’re turning up the heat on Earth Month with the founder of Craic Sauce…craft hot sauce committed made with sustainability in mindIt's all on The Culture Show.

We’re putting a fine point on the pencil. Rendered ordinary by its utility and ubiquity, it does have a romantic origin story involving a lighting strike that unearthed graphite in the north of England. Even so the pencil endures as practical, and reliable. After all, when the tip breaks, just snap your Number 2 in two, and…you have two pencils. The fascinating story of the pencil is the subject and object of a new book.From there, so you think you can’t dance? A free Alvin Ailey workshop might move you to think otherwise. We’ll talk to Alvin Ailey’s Matthew Rushing about this and their 65th season, which whirls through Boston next week.Finally, we head off to the New Bedford Art Museum with a look at their new exhibition, which chronicles the impact of revolutionary glass artist Dale Chihuly.

Marking the 25th anniversary of a cult classic.In 1999, the adult cartoon Mission Hill debuted. It focused on the misadventures of a group of disparate roommates. It was created by Simpsons writers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, and earned a GLAAD award for their realistic portrayal of a gay couple. Alas, the show was doomed from the start thanks to a decidedly unsupportive network and dismal ratings. However, it did develop a cult following. Now Oakley and Weinstein are delighting fans by taking Mission Hill on the road…which includes stops at the Somerville Theatre on April 26th and in Providence on April 27th. From there we meet Mychal Threets. You might already know him by way of TikTok where he’s gained acclaim among library superfans. Now he’s bringing his library love to PBS Kids.Finally, GBH’s James Bennett II takes us into the newly corrected history of composer Florence Price.

According to the laws of physics, a body in motion stays in motion. And for John Lam, he’s been in motion for nearly his entire life. But soon the Boston Ballet principal dancer will be approximating something like rest with the announcement that he is exiting the stage. He joins us to talk about his career, the decision to retire after a 20-year tenure with Boston Ballet, and what’s next.From there, we continue our national poetry month celebration with poet and Wellesley professor Octavio González. It seems writing found him at an early age, as a kid growing up in the Dominican Republic. We talk to him about working through his life experiences, including the raw, sensual ones, in his latest collection of poems titled “Limerence.” Finally, independent curator Pedro Alonzo joins us for his monthly edition of AI: Actual Intelligence.

Coming up: Our arts and culture week in review.First up, the Venice Biennale– Artist Jeffrey Gibson, with his riot of color, is the first ever Indigenous artist selected to represent the United States; At the Israeli pavilion, artist Ruth Patir, won’t open her show until “a cease-fire and hostage release agreement is reached; And the German Pavilion, which has been described as creepy and enchanting is a hit for its freak out factor.Then we remember groundbreaking artist Faith Ringgold who stitched together stories of Black life.From there, it’s a Coachella catch-all, as the music festival enters another weekend. AND Piano Man Billy Joel tries to sing us a song but his CBS concert special went off the air for The Longest Time. That and more (yes, Taylor too) is next on The Culture Show.

Leslie Odom, Jr. The award winning actor and singer’s portrayal of Aaron Burr in the hit musical “Hamilton,” gave us a new way to think about America’s history and the fathers who founded it. And if history doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes. In his recent return to Broadway, Odom starred in a play that skewers racism in America in the Broadway revival of “Purlie Victorious.” Music remains at his core though–which he discusses ahead of his Boston concert.From there, we talk to Chad Smith, the new President and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In his previous post at the LA Philharmonic, he carved out fresh, open and exciting pathways to music. We’ll learn about his plans for the BSO.Finally, Culture Show co-host James Bennett II on the Drop Nineteens reunion and their first Boston show in 30 years.

The road frequently traveled. Emmy award-winning actor Gordon Clapp brings Robert Frost back to life in a one-man show. We talk to him about reprising the role of the acclaimed poet –one he’s performed over 100 times. From there it’s the writer and cartoonist Alison Bechdel. More than 40 years ago she inadvertently created the “Bechdel Test,” a way to gauge gender representation in Hollywood - - a cultural touchstone that is still relevant. She joins us to talk about this, the adaptation of her tragic-comic graphic memoir “Fun Home” into a hit Broadway musical, and how she has gained insights into her mortality by writing about her obsession with exercise.Finally, singer-songwriter Janie Barnett has reimagined Cole Porter, Americana style. We talk to her about this genre-bending work ahead of her show at City Winery Boston.

In Boston people of color are disproportionately affected by environmental disasters, climate change and pollution. With April being Earth month, Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins us to talk about what needs to be done to achieve racial justice through climate justice.From there, the Boston Public Quartet’s radical welcome. It’s their biggest event of the year, offering a multi-sensory experience and truly welcoming all, with a pay what you want style concert.Finally, FRONTLINE. They recently won an Academy Award for their documentary film on the war in Ukraine, “20 days in Mariupol.” Their coverage of the war continues with their latest film, “Children of Ukraine” which follows the families and investigators trying to find the children who have gone missing since the war began. Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath joins us for that conversation.

In 2019 costume designer Ruth E. Carter won her first Academy Award for her work in the 2018 film, “Black Panther,” where she created the Afrofuturist aesthetic of Wakanda. Super-heroism clearly runs in the family. Only four years later, Ruth E. Carter became a superhero in her own right, earning her second Oscar for her work in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She made history with this win, not only as the first Black woman to receive two Academy Awards, but as the first person to win for both the original and the sequel of a movie. From the superheroes of “Black Panther” to the real-life heroes in films such as “Selma,” Ruth Carter has been creating visual universes on film and TV for thirty years. Her truly colorful career is the focus of her new book, “The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther”.From there, we'll sit down with author Michael Cunningham. In 1999, Cunningham won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “The Hours, ” which follows three women, in three different decades, through one day in their lives. By carefully observing that single day, Cunningham finds large emotional truths in the quiet, ordinary moments of the everyday—that in totality, seem rather epic by the final page. In his latest novel, Cunningham returns to the framework of the single day to wade around in the vagaries of human nature. Titled “Day,” the book unfolds in three acts, each set on a single day in April over three sequential years: 2019 through 2021.

Coming up on The Culture Show, live from the GBH studio at the Boston Public Library, it’s our arts and culture week in review. First up, the cultural influence of OJ SImpson. First, as “The Juice,” a star football player who ran through the field with almost unmatched success. Then as the actor who starred in Hertz commercials and hit movies. Finally, as the man who was acquitted in the grisly murders of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her companion Ron Goldman, in the “trial of the century.” From there it's total recall of the total eclipse, from regional tourism to epic traffic jams. Then it's onto Boston’s own Folk American Roots Hall of Fame and their list of inaugural inductees, from The Band to Oscar Brand.And along the way we unleash our enthusiasm for “Curb Your Enthusiasm’s” final episode.