5 d. ago Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, known for Anna Karenina ballet, dies aged 92

Composer, whose work ranged from opera to ballet to concertos, was married to ballerina Maya Plisetskaya for 57 yearsThe Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, who created the celebrated ballets Anna Karenina and the Carmen Suite, has died in Germany at the age of 92, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre said on Friday.He and his wife of 57 years, the legendary ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, dominated the Soviet and Russian cultural scene for the latter part of the last century. She died in 2015. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Scotsman Obituaries: Giles Havergal, artistic director who led the Citizens Theatre to global fame

Giles Havergal, theatre director, actor, writer and teacher. Born: 9 June 1938 in Edinburgh. Died: 23 August 2025 in Polegate, East Sussex, aged 87

Culture

6 d. ago Scotsman Obituaries: Giles Havergal, former Citizens’ Theatre Artistic Director who brought radical work to Glasgow and beyond

Giles Havergal, theatre director, actor, writer and teacher. Born: 9 June 1938 in Edinburgh. Died: 23 August 2025 in Polegate, East Sussex, aged 87

Culture

8 d. ago From Frankenstein to Putin, monsters are stalking the Venice film festival

Artistic director says monsters are ‘fil rouge’ this year, as Guillermo del Toro unveils his vision of Shelley’s classicWhen Guillermo del Toro accepted the Bafta for best director in 2018, he used his speech to pay homage to Mary Shelley, calling her “the most important figure from English legacy”.“She picked up the plight of Caliban and she gave weight to the burden of Prometheus,” del Toro said. “She gave voice to the voiceless and presence to the invisible, and she showed me that sometimes to talk about monsters, we need to fabricate monsters of our own.” Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Woody Allen rebuts Ukrainian condemnation over Moscow film festival appearance

The director said he did not ‘feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help’ after Ukraine calls the film-maker’s participation a ‘disgrace’Woody Allen has denied claims that his participation in a Moscow film festival was “whitewashing” Russian atrocities, after condemnation of his appearance by Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs.Allen said in a statement to the Guardian: “When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong. The war he has caused is appalling. But, whatever politicians have done, I don’t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.” Continue reading...

Culture

1 week ago Acclaimed Citizens' Theatre director Giles Havergal dies aged 87

One of the best-known figures attached to Glasgow’s Citizens’ Theatre has died.

Events

2 w. ago Tributes as Terry Lane, founder and artistic director of Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, dies

Terry Lane co-founded the Traverse in 1963

Events

3 w. ago Premier League club icon dies after helping shape football 'across continents'

Former Nottingham Forest captain and Wales international Terry Hennessey has died at the age of 82, as tributes have been paid to the icon who helped shaped football around the world

Events