Archaelogists say Sumerian plaque dating from around 2400BC may have been lootedAn ancient sculpture is to be returned to Iraq after it was secretly smuggled out of the country and offered for sale in the UK – only to be seized by the Metropolitan police.The previously unknown Sumerian temple plaque, dating from about 2400BC, is being repatriated

From live-streams of new plays to classics from the archive, here are some of the top shows online now or coming soonRemember theatre? What it was like to share your space with strangers, to sit back and watch people pretend? In his witty, bittersweet short film, the brilliant choreographer and performer Ben Duke looks back from some imagined futur

The Observer revisits six theatre bosses appointed in 2019 to discuss the existential threat to their industry, and the fightbackLast summer, the Observer profiled a group of newly-appointed artistic directors – a fresh surge of talent taking its place at the top of six of our best-loved theatre companies. A notably diverse cohort, they were burs

From Ant and Dec, through the Rodham-Clintons, to the Knowles-Carters, some people work better when they’re part of a duoThere is something about the “power of two” in our culture, a unique, contained bond that can form between two people and generate a particular catalysing spark. We are fascinated by “odd couples” but not odd trios; we

Amina Cain’s enigmatic debut novel follows a female writer’s path from the constraints of home and marriage to creative freedomAmina Cain’s short debut novel is easy enough to outline. Vitória works as a cleaner in an...

This documentary based on Thomas Piketty’s economics bestseller outlines the effects of unchecked capitalism, but its visual style is jarringCapital in the Twenty-First Century is not so much a critique of capitalism as a...

Theatre photographer Simon Annand has been snapping actors backstage for almost four decades. His latest book, Time to Act, is a collection of more than 200 portraits of some of the world’s greatest performers. Here are 12 of...

Old Vic, LondonMichael Sheen, Indira Varma and David Threlfall are magnificent in Matthew Warchus’s enthralling livestreamed production of Brian Friel’s 1979 playDoes faith healing come about thanks to the faith of the...

Tom Hollander and co are just right in David Nicholls’s adaptation of his 2014 bestseller. Meanwhile Grayson Perry gets to the heart of America and Bake Off rises to the occasionUs (BBC One) | iPlayerCriminal (Netflix) |...

British Museum, LondonEcstasy, passion and violence: the sacred power of female sexuality shapeshifts down the centuries in tantra’s unexpectedly radical philosophy There is a statue in this staggering show of the tantric god...