👇 "Rare gown dating back to 1600s to go on display at Hardwick Hall" - BBC News share.google/zQApIjijNOgk...

The Great Nepalese Restaurant staff told me they're closing, alas. Last service will be lunch Wednesday 29th April. I love those guys, they did a great job catering my friend's 50th back in October. Always a go-to for emotional support curry after a late train back into town.

Idk man, I think the journalists who have been traumatized the most were not sitting in that room tonight. The feds gassed the shit out of us, knocked us over, sent in the local PD to harass, detain, and hurt us, shot a teenaged photographer in the face and he lost an eye, and that's just in LA

Another poem from Raymond Carver's All of Us (1996). This one's got a big heart.

My sib got their first job post-film school as a result of a conversation with a stranger in the back seat of a car. They figured they'd stay in the job for a year. Ended up staying for 5 and winning an award. Now a showrunner/writer/director.

a very easy, small thing you can do to make the world every so slightly better is just talk about art and creators you like, be vocal when you enjoy something

this London student has been accepted to Juilliard and offered a scholarship, but she still can't go unless she can raise the money for living expenses. To get her student visa, she will have to prove to US visa authorities that she can meet the costs from her own funds. Help her here:

Street fox, just trotting along

The premiere of Turandot took place #OTD in 1926, with Rosa Raisa in the title role. Eva Turner was in the audience.

📖Each month we run a free book giveaway! It's open to all, either by form on our website, or subscribing for free to our patreon feed. The book is a random edition of a play, generously supplied by our sponsors The Malone Society. The next draw closes on the 5th May! www.patreon.com/beyondshakes...

Today’s #catconfiguration: quotation marks

Thread of memories. They don’t make ‘em like this any more…

“Hey… so, yeah. We saw you from across the biblically obvious allegory and dug your vibe.”

there were people behind that a few days ago

Today's the end of the Charity Bowl aiding refugees. It's also the anniversary of the 1st time I went out in public as Mia. I could do a transition timeline, but not for free Go donate to Protect Trans Kids University at edsbscharitybowl.com, post a screencap, earn that timeline @edsbs.bsky.social

When Einstein developed general relativity the closest thing to a practical application that could even be imagined at the time was a slightly more precise description of where to look for the planet Mercury in the sky, and yet now we’d all be literally lost without it. Anyway: fund basic research.

Yes, Swiss scientist Fritz Zwicky coined the term “dark matter” which is impressive, but he also coined the term “spherical bastard” to describe people who are bastards no matter which way you look at them, and I think that should be celebrated more.

On what is celebrated by many as Shakespeare's birthday... let's pause to reflect on the conscious removal of premodern writers (including Shakespeare) from UKHEI curricula... alongside brilliant teachers and researchers 👇 #HappyBirthdayShakespeare

and Ben Bradlee had to fight hard for them to keep it! as soon as it became something that looked like something, the White House reporters wanted to take it over and use it to burnish their access credentials, but Bradlee and Graham cared more about getting the story right

influx of new followers from the Columbo post so while I've got you all here and before you get sick of my bullshit, why doncha go read AL'RASHAD, the comic I did with @davinderbrar.bsky.social because it's free and (I think) pretty good?

Happy 80th birthday to Tim Curry who has always, *always* understood the assignment.

A brilliant reconstruction of the life of Rebecca Edwards, a working woman imbricated in London’s theatre world.

Very encouraged by the new ENO season, even though I’ve no idea why we need a new Tosca when the last one was perfectly decent and only 4 years ago. What I’m a little alarmed about is “tickets from £25”. Bottom price last season started at under £15, and there are people to whom that will matter.

as it becomes clear that Yes has won in VA and gerrymandering will pass, a message to Republican voters: you brought this on yourselves you convinced the most fairness-obsessed, That Wouldn’t Be Fair-minded voters in the country to affirmatively vote to put you in the dumpster you earned this

I would submit that a gerrymander by politicians saying fuck the voters and one by voters saying fuck the politicians are two wholly different animals

Texas republicans illegally gerrymandered their maps and never once asked voters how they feel about it. California and Virginia let voters decide. That’s the difference. They started this fight and Democrats are going to fucking finish it.

For all of the interest in pretending that inequalities are a function of will or that structural racism is in the distant past: 12 million people were born in Jim Crow states before Jim Crow ended — and still live there today. Gift link:

announcing ILÚVATAR, my multi-billion dollar company which will specialize in the dismantling of all other idiotically tolkien-named entities, that they shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite

Found myself thinking, wow, this is really WHITE and then was briefly impressed to see the Black trumpeter Fletcher Henderson appear on screen, and did some searching. It was a big deal at the time! www.npr.org/sections/cod...

Made my first codpiece!

There's something amazingly Gothic about this illustration by Frank Hampson, more usually known as the creator of Dan Dare (pilot of the future!).

Purring, bespangled avatar of my adolescence.

Tim Curry is one of the two paragons of how to succeed in a Muppet movie. Michael Caine is the one who shows it works by treating all the Muppets as fellow people. Tim Curry shows it works by treating yourself as a fellow Muppet

attention: new but also medieval queer opera in new york next weekend www.alkemie.org/eleanor

TFW you look out the window and see the Earth disappear 🎥 Astronaut Reid Wiseman 📍 Artemis II from the far side of the Moon

Lyric Opera debuts a new American opera to wide acclaim. Opera is about the Great Migration, libretto and score by an acclaimed African American artist. Chicago Tribune's theatre critic, who's also in charge of their atavistic Editorial board, says [paraphrased] "This isn't an Opera, it's a musical"

*knock knock* “Whooooooo’s there?”

#apod 2026-04-20 Comet R3 PanSTARRS over a Himalayan Valley Image Credit: Basudeb Chakrabarti & Samit Saha Web page: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260420.html#apod

There's a lot of talk about leaving Substack & whether it will be the death-knell of your newsletter. I have been on Beehiiv for 7 months now & @tlpavlich.gay helped me run some numbers. So, was leaving Substack worth it? The answer, for me, has been a resounding "yes." Here are the hard numbers:

Perfect parrots, or popinjays as they were known in the early 14th century, when they were painted on this timber screen to a side chapel in wonderful St. Mary’s and All Saints Church, Willingham, Cambridgeshire 🤩

Buff jerkin!!

This is amazing and it does make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. We've all heard plenty of dead men's voices but this is *Robert* *Johnson*.

The 19th is seeking a part-time contract reporter to report, write and produce coverage of LGBTQ+ issues, focusing on the intersections with politics and elections. Apply here! ⬇️

READ THIS...it's about so much more than the courts

A light in the darkness!

Heartbreaking description of the pointless, thoughtless damage being done to the Kennedy Center. It was such an important part of life in Washington, and is now being destroyed for no reason www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

they fucking Legolas and gimli'ed the Anglican church?????

#apod 2026-04-16 South Celestial Tree Image Credit: Kiko Fairbairn Web page: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260416.html#apod