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The low-budget, Oscar-nominated documentary, Spellbound, examines the subculture of the spelling bee circuit, following winners and losers from around the United States. It's scheduled for release at the end of May. Bellamy Pailthorp of member station KPLU reports.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is presenting a two-play cycle called Continental Divide. The David Edgar production portrays a governor's race from the separate perspectives of the Republican and Democratic parties. Dmae Roberts reports.

An exhibit at London's Natural History Museum contains photographs that are meant to be touched. Artists created the tactile photos by utilizing a type of plastic in order to create texture which gives the sense of depth, light and shadow. Carrie Giardino reports.

For the past several years, recordings of symphony orchestras on major record labels have dwindled. In an effort to get their performances out to the public, some orchestras have started releasing records themselves. Joel Rose of member station WHYY reports.

In Brazil, a theater director is charged with indecent exposure for his unusual response to an unhappy audience. Responding to a rain of boos and catcalls, director Gilbert Thomas mooned the audience of a production of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.

Carnivale is a fantastical epic set in 1930s Dustbowl America. The episodes are full of literary and Biblical imagery. The show is the latest project from the cable network HBO. NPR's Laura Sydell reports.

Albert Barnes was a masterful art collector who founded a school centered on his priceless art collection. Now the financially troubled Philadelphia foundation that manages the school wants to break with its founder's wishes and move the collection to gallery row in downtown Philly. Joel Rose reports.

The movie Greendale -- a celebration of small-town life and a cautionary tale about greed and commercialism -- comes from musician Neil Young. It was shot in five weeks with a $500 camera, and characters are played by Young's friends and family. David D'Arcy reports.

Kitchen Stories, a new film opening in New York and Los Angeles, is based on a 50-year Swedish study on efficiency in the kitchen. The dry subject matter is atypical for a comedy, but the film's serious spin on silly details is receiving rave reviews. Beth Accomando reports.

The latest work from the author of In the Company of Men premieres at New York's Lucille Lortel Theater. Neil LaBute's Fat Pig tells the story of a weight-challenged woman and a gutless executive who fall in love. Andrea Shea reports.