Culture Bucket October 2026: Art and Shakespeare, outdoor festivals, and food for thought coming this month
From Chris Janzen’s surreal “Further Down the Scroll” to a live radio play of “1984,” Shakespearean sonnets, local history and a Celtic festival, there’s plenty to explore this October.
Theater Review: “Cemetery Club” at Good Company Players anchored by accomplished leading performances
Donald Munro finds humor and unexpected depth in the GCP comedy, now showing at 2nd Space.
Critic’s Notebook: “Cemetery Club” a play for lifelong friends
Heather Parish reflects on Good Company Players’ “Cemetery Club” and the bonds that keep us showing up for one another while Donald Munro offers a capsule review.
As Jessica Sarkisian opens in ‘Come From Away,’ she gets to fly high with a stellar cast of GCP veterans
The Good Company Players performer plays a pilot in this tender 9/11 story about a tiny Canadian town that opened its doors and hearts to stranded airline passengers.
Another bizarre twist: It turns out that the Fresno Arts Council and PayPal are stiffing the city on embezzled Measure P funds
Update: Doug Hoagland reports that PayPal has inexplicably reimbursed the Fresno Arts Council hundreds of thousands of dollars more than was stolen from it -- and the Arts Council won't hand over any of it to the city.
SPOTLIGHT
For a lifelong theater lover, a trip to New York includes once-in-a-lifetime chance to see ‘Death of a Salesman’ with Nathan Lane
Doug Hoagland got to see one of the hottest tickets on Broadway.
The Munro Review won three Gruner Awards. For a scrappy little website like ours, we think that’s a pretty big deal.
The website picked up awards for best news story, best writing and an honorable mention for best commentary.
Where the West still speaks: The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
TMR's Heather Parish visits the festival that centers music, poetry, community, and the enduring spirit of the American West.
BOOKS & LITERARY ARTS
Reader’s Journal: The glittering, dangerous adoration of visual art
Three books on what makes art obscene, what makes it healing, and how it illuminates larger forces at work in the world. Heather Parish recommends.
Reader’s Journal: Shakespeare pays, Marilyn reads, and the culture wars’ origin story.
Heather Parish shares her personal recommendations in the Reader's Journal, a cultural arts books column for TMR.
FILM
Can original films save moviegoing as the Hollywood franchise era cracks?
The Munro Review's movie guy asks if original films can save moviegoing as the Hollywood franchise era cracks.
Movie review: Science, and no superheroes in sight: How ‘Project Hail Mary’ may save the Hollywood blockbuster
Ryan Gosling is perfectly cast in a smart, generous crowd-pleaser, our occasional grumpy movie critic says.
MULTIMEDIA
Now broadcasting: ‘The Arts Angle’ on Valley Public Radio. Listen for my one-minute segments.
The spots will air Thursdays through Saturdays. You can also listen to them online.
WATCH THE LATEST EPISODE OF ‘THE MUNRO REVIEW ON CMAC’
Fresno Philharmonic heralds a new season with acclaimed trumpeter Jens Lindemann
Rei Hotoda returns to the podium for the orchestra's 72nd season.
NOTABLE STORIES
As Janice Noga retires her beloved character of Janka, she says farewell to a mother-in-law whose tale of perseverance outlives her
Special feature: A timeline gives a view of the lives of two remarkable women. 'Janka' will be performed Sept. 8 and 9 at Good Company's 2nd Space Theatre.
In a case of the stage colliding with life, Chase Stubblefield tackles a role with a deeply personal connection in ‘Good Night, Oscar’
The veteran Good Company Players actor opens up about his extraordinary performance and his own struggles with mental health and addiction.
After a long career in local TV news, Stefani Booroojian explores the artistry of costuming for Good Company Players
Booroojian is following in the footsteps of her mother, Roxie, who died in 2023.
MEASURE P
Special report: One-third of the stolen funds wasn’t even Measure P money. So where did it come from?
Lack of public accountability and a complete shutout of the media means a host of troubling questions remain, including: Why did PayPal recently (and mysteriously) reimburse the Fresno Arts Council a big chunk of money? Will the city get a
THE LATEST
FROM THE ARCHIVES
10 reasons why ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda’ on Netflix is a great movie musical
The Netflix adaptation trims and twists the stage version in all the right ways to make 'Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical' a success.
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