The headlines tell you what happened. These films show you why it matters. 

Join us at GBH Studios for an afternoon dedicated to the stories that shape our communities. Through three compelling short-form documentaries from GBH News, GBH Shorts Fest explores Boston’s past, present, and future—followed by intimate conversations with the filmmakers and the people whose lives bring these stories to the screen.

From the strange echoes of the Great Molasses Flood to the enduring legacy of the busing crisis, to the vibrant future of an LGBTQ+ senior living community, these films bring local journalism to life on the big screen.
⭐ SCREENING LINEUP

You’re invited to an exclusive screening of three impactful short documentaries from GBH News. Each film offers a powerful lens on the people, history, and ideas that define Greater Boston.


🎤 TALK-BACK SESSIONS
Following the screenings, join us for a series of intimate talk-back conversations. Meet the filmmakers, producers, and the real people featured in the films as they go behind the scenes of the reporting, storytelling, and lived experiences that shaped each documentary.


🎟️ YOUR TICKET INCLUDES:

• Admission to an exclusive screening of three documentaries in the Theater 

• Access to post-screening talk-back discussions with documentary subjects and filmmakers 

• A chance to mingle with GBH News personalities and fellow film lovers 

• Opportunity to explore curated tables and refreshments

💺 JOIN US at GBH SHORTS FEST

GBH Shorts Fest celebrates the power of local journalism and documentary storytelling to illuminate our past, challenge our present, and imagine our future. Join us for an afternoon of film, conversation, and connection—right here in the heart of Boston.'

At a free matinee, elementary school students clapped, sang and shouted along to the live performance. Executive Director Karin Sharav Zalkind joined GBH's All Things Considered to share more about the joyful event.

We are diving deep into your favorite things from 2025. Check out the ten stories that our newsletter readers couldn't wait to read about and see the most-read recipe of the year.

After selling out the last two years, we're back. This time for two unforgettable nights.

Join GBH for our annual Valentine’s Day Soirée featuring craft cocktails, local treats, and LIVE storytelling on the set of Stories from the Stage. Whether you come with a date, a group of friends, or on your own, this is a night designed to celebrate love in all its forms: tender, complicated, funny, and unforgettable.

Choose the night that fits your vibe—or make it a full weekend V-Day celebration.


🩷 INCLUDED WITH YOUR EVENING...

• Complimentary artisan cocktails.
• Sweet and savory treats from local vendors.
• A seat on the set of Stories from the Stage.
• LIVE, intimate storytelling in GBH’s Calderwood Studio.
• Complimentary parking (with validated parking ticket).

🩷 FROM FIRST SIP TO FINAL STORY...
Event schedule (both nights):

• 6:15 PM – Doors open to GBH’s Atrium for a complimentary reception.
• 7 PM – Seating begins in GBH’s Calderwood Studio.
• 7–9:15 PM – Studio production of Stories from the Stage.

🩷 BRING YOUR VALENTINE...OR DON'T
This soirée is for everyone (21+ years of age):

• A date night with your partner
• A Galentine’s night out with friends
• A fun evening with your favorite people
• Singles who love a great story
• Anyone who’s ever loved (or tried)

* Programming subject to change based on production’s needs and requirements. Each night will feature a select variety of our vendors above. Love may be ageless, but this soirée isn’t—guests must be 21+ with valid ID.

Step behind the curtain of A.R.T.’s world-premiere musical Wonder at this special virtual event featuring playwright and MacArthur Fellow Sarah Ruhl (book) and Ian Axel and Chad King, the GRAMMY Award-winning duo A Great Big World (music & lyrics).

Join an intimate conversation adapting the Pullman family’s story for the stage from the best-selling novel and beloved feature film, crafting its pop-inspired score, and collaborating to bring Wonder’s themes of empathy, belonging, and kindness to life.

This event includes:

• Live virtual conversation with Sarah Ruhl and A Great Big World’s Ian Axel and Chad King 
• Behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of Wonder
• Audience Q&A 

Don’t miss this chance to hear from the artists working at A.R.T., the theater that brought Gatsby, Waitress, and Jagged Little Pill to the stage. Moderated by Joyce Kulhawik.

About Wonder
We can change the way we see. Auggie Pullman has been homeschooled his entire life, often retreating to outer space in his imagination. But when his family decides it’s time for him to start going to school, Auggie must take off the space helmet he has used to hide his facial difference. As Auggie navigates a world filled with kindness and cruelty, his parents and sister go on their own journeys of transformation and discovery. The musical is based on the novel “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio and the Lionsgate and Mandeville film Wonder.

Celebrate Kate Quinn’s spellbinding new novel, The Astral Library, on its release day at this special in-person Beyond the Page event.

In this fantastical tale, Alix Watson, takes nightly refuge at Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels. She discovers a hidden library that lets readers live inside beloved stories, sparking a thrilling chase through literary worlds as a shadowy enemy closes in.

Enjoy an engaging conversation with the New York Times bestselling author, hear what inspired her leap into magical realism, and be among the first to step into the imaginative world she’s created.

Each ticket includes:

• Admission to the live program in-person at GBH Studios
• A SIGNED copy of The Astral Library
• A photo opportunity with Kate Quinn

Join us for an enchanting evening of storytelling, discovery, and literary magic.

The Deep Dive: Books to Snuggle Up With

Each season, we touch base with GBH's resident bibliophiles (too many to count) and ask them to share a book or two that they loved this year.

GBH Music welcomes the Rasa String Quartet to the Boston Public Library for a free show, hosted by CRB Classical 99.5 midday host Edyn-Mae Stevenson. Enjoy a “mixtape” of the greatest hits from the 1980s… and the 1780s! The Rasa String Quartet plays the music of Whitney Houston, Prince, and Hayao Miyazaki alongside that of Mozart and Haydn in an evening of classical rock and soul.

Formed in 2019, the Rasa String Quartet brings together violinists Emma Powell and Maura Shawn Scanlin, violist Kiyoshi Hayashi, and cellist Mina Kim. The Rasa String Quartet is dedicated to exploring the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another. In Sanskrit, the term ‘rasa’ refers to the indescribable power of art to move, inspire, and connect us—a quality Rasa String Quartet strives to embody in every performance. The Rasa String Quartet will perform four free concerts at the BPL throughout the 2025-2026 GBH Music Season.

Come join our studio audience!

Whether you are a fan of a student or school participating in GBH’s High School Quiz Show® this season, a HSQS Super Fan, or general trivia fan, the bracket is set for our 17th Season, and we want to mark the occasion with you!

GBH2/PBS Passport/YouTube Premiere Date: February 7, 2026 at 6pm

February 1st, 2026


8:15 AM — Quarterfinal #2: Winners of Belmont/Brookline vs. BB&N/Rindge and Latin
LINK TO TICKETS

10:00 AM — Quarterfinal #4: Winners of Charlemont/Andover vs. Lexington/Weston
LINK TO TICKETS

11:45 AM — Semifinal #1: Winners of Quarterfinal #1 vs. Quarterfinal #2
LINK TO TICKETS

2:30 PM — Semifinal #2: Winners of Quarterfinal #3 vs. Quarterfinal #4
LINK TO TICKETS

4:15 PM — Championship: Winners of Semifinal #1 and Semifinal #2
LINK TO TICKETS


Please note:

• This event is free to the public. 
• Seating is limited, please RSVP as soon as possible. 
• Audience members must be at least 7 years old; all minors (under 18) must be accompanied by an adult. 
• Registration does not guarantee seating in the studio audience (overflow will be seated in an adjacent theater featuring a live feed of the taping). Audiences are seated according to production needs. 
• Please inform us in advance of any special accommodations by reaching out to Audience Member Services during regular business hours M-F, 9am-5pm at 617-300-3300 or via email: info@wgbh.org. 

Major funding for High School Quiz Show is provided by Safety Insurance. Additional funding is provided by the Museum of Science, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Britebound, UMass Amherst, Subaru of New England, and Direct Federal Credit Union.

High School Quiz Show is endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Massachusetts PTA.