Author examines shades of grief, aftermath of tragedy in new book at Hammer Museum

Evgenia Citkowitz met Mona Simpson around 35 years ago – she was the latter’s summer intern at The Paris Review. On Tuesday, Simpson, a novelist and English professor at UCLA, will moderate a book talk at the Hammer Museum centered around Citkowitz’s new fictional novel “The Shades,” which was released June 19. Citkowitz is the […]

Theater review: ‘The Great Tamer’ interprets historical art in balance of real and irrational

A performer was already standing on the Royce Hall stage as the audience shuffled toward their assigned seats. He emulated the frozen stride of an Egyptian hieroglyph while his head gently pivoted on its axis to scan the space. The show was about to begin, or had it already? The man launched the experimental performance […]

Upcoming YouTube series ‘Wayne’ uses violence thoughtfully based in character

Shawn Simmons watched a child get beat up by about five other children, only to stand back up and throw a rock at his tormentors. Though he was only about eight years old at the time, the memory stayed with him and eventually inspired a scene in his YouTube Originals series, “Wayne.” Simmons said the […]

Art show seeks to highlight diverse roles in the environmental justice movement

Repurposed trash will be the focus of UCLA’s upcoming art show: “Our Ecological Footprint: Expressions of Environmentalism.” The show will kick off the UCLA Renewable Energy Association’s Waste Awareness Week on Monday. Held at the Kerckhoff Art Gallery, the event will feature student-made pieces, including interactive exhibits, poetry readings, sculptures and photography – all created […]

Movie review: ‘Ashes in the Snow’ lingers on the surface, failing to evoke sympathy or meaning

“Ashes in the Snow” director Marius Markevicius bites off more than he can chew in his underwhelming debut. Based on the novel “Between Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetys, “Ashes in the Snow” follows 16-year-old Lina Vilkas (Bel Powley) and her family after they are exiled to Siberia under Stalin’s rule during World War II. […]

Documentary uses virtual reality to spotlight women confronting violence in Iraq

A pair of goggles allows audience members to join the Yazidi warriors as they load guns and march through the Iraqi desert in uniform. On Friday and Saturday, UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television will feature creator Maria Bello’s virtual reality and performance piece “The Sun Ladies VR Project.” The show begins with Yazidi […]

Q&A: Alumna Carol Burnett reflects on her Golden Globe win for her work in TV

For 11 years, Carol Burnett shared the stage with two guest stars, 12 dancers and a 28-piece live orchestra. On Sunday, she took the stage alone to accept the first annual Carol Burnett Award at the 76th annual Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association honored the UCLA alumna with the inaugural award, the first […]