This week marks 400 years since the death of our national poet. And yet his characters, the worlds he created, the thoughts he expressed are for all people and all time.

Taking dance to provinces and to the young is company focus.

One of the most popular exhibitions at the Mairangi Arts Centre, on Auckland's North Shore, is now on.

Animated artistry narrows gap between art and science, writes Nick Atkinson.

The stage musical of the 1983 dance film takes itself too seriously.

A Snoopy Museum dedicated to the artwork of Charles M Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip, is opening its doors in Japan.

Listing racist remarks and restrictive stereotypes may seem simplistic at first, but this is mere preparation for some smart theatrics.

Geraldine Brophy's robust, stripped down treatment of HMS Pinafore suggests their inimitable brand of musical mirth could easily win over a new generation.

To celebrate its silver jubilee, Tim Bray Productions is bringing back favourite shows from its repertoire and The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch is first.

Auckland's 'Off Broadway' institution puts on a bumper weekend, writes William Dart.

Ghislaine Kenyon tells Craig Sisterson about why she felt compelled to write a book about Sir Quentin Blake, the most renowned illustrator of our time.

This third annual season of New Original Dance, showcases the choreographies of four nascent dance makers on a cast of five dancers.

Big things are set to roar in to the spotlight on stage at the Bruce Mason Centre, writes Dionne Christian.

The 400-year-old picture had been left for more than 150 years in a property in the outskirts of Toulouse.

Artist Willard Wigan has created a microscopic sculpture of William Shakespeare, which is smaller than a full stop in a newspaper, to mark the 400th anniversary of his death.

On April 23, Auckland will be the first city in the world to mark 400 years since the death of playwright William Shakespeare.

I'm tempted to borrow a phrase from French composer Francoise Sagan and greet Nicola Benedetti and Leonard Elschenbroich with a cheery "Aimez-vous Brahms?" as the couple are about to play Sagan's Double Concerto.

Kiddie kitsch and darker psychological themes fill Jessie McCall's latest offering, writes Bernadette Rae.

A rare Goldie portrait with the potential to sell for more than a million dollars is likely to break records as the most expensive NZ painting sold at auction.

Artists take centre stage in Sydney's 20th Biennale, finds Eli Orzessek.

There are three strikingly inter-cultural exhibitions in Auckland; two of them at Te Uru Waitakere Art Gallery.

Today, NZ Opera turns up the roller door at its Onehunga Technical Centre for an open day everyone is invited to.

A quirky new study in the European Journal of Finance has found narcissism is positively associated with the market performance of artworks, contradicting previous research.

Kerrin Tilley paints using a special mouthpiece, along with his tongue and teeth to guide and control the brush.

Tim Wilson's impressionistic landscape of Doubtful Sound was immediate hit with son of the founder of UAE.

A Maori Harry Potter may be on show at this year's Te Tai Tokerau Kapa Haka Festival thanks to a new talent section.

We're all about Waiheke this weekend. We talk to some of the musicians who'll be at Easter's Waiheke Jazz Festival.

La Cucina dell’Arte beckons us to peep through a keyhole into the world’s worst restaurant and open the doors to a topsy-turvy, pizza-flipped joint where servants become masters, candles and crockery take on lives of their own and spoons play a tarantella on wine bottles.

Overall, I enjoyed the production but, on reflection, would probably only give the performance six out of 10, writes Peter Bromhead.