UWF announces spring lineup of Gulf Coast Culture Series: Pensacola Noir events

The University of West Florida's College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities is proud to announce the lineup of spring events for this year's Gulf Coast Culture Series: Pensacola Noir. The Gulf Coast Culture Series is an evolution of the longstanding Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series. Launched in 2024, GCC expands beyond lectures to celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of the U.S. Gulf Coast Region through events linked by yearly themes.

This year's GCC theme, Pensacola Noir, is inspired by gritty crime fiction and film noir traditions. The fall semester offered a roundtable with three of Pensacola's most prominent crime writers, a twilight cemetery tour exploring the shadowed corners of the city's past, and a discussion on how "Murder, She Wrote" shaped pop culture's fascination with forensic science, while the first event of the spring series presented a lecture on Southern Gothic photography by a nationally recognized curator. The spring events will continue to weave together these themes of history, art and Southern Gothic storytelling through the lens of the Gulf Coast region through a film screening and live performance.

"There has been a fantastic and really gratifying community response to these events," said Dr. David M. Earle, professor and dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. "The last few events in this year's theme shift away from looking at Southern aspects of noir and turn instead to performing it. We have another great theme for next year's series which we'll be announcing soon."

The events planned for this spring include:

• Feb. 15, 2026 - Valentine's Noir: "The Thin Man" Film Screening: UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities and the John C. Pace Symposium Series are proud to present a screening of "The Thin Man," a 1934 pre-Code comedy-mystery film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and based on Dashiell Hammett's novel. The film stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a witty, glamorous couple whose flirtatious banter and unconventional detective work helped define the genre. Guests are invited to enjoy the film in a classic theatre setting at the Pensacola Little Theatre, complete with movie popcorn, traditional theatre candy and sodas. The matinee begins at 2:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public
• March 26, 2026 - The UWF Noir Radio Hour: "The Maltese Falcon" Live Performance: UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, the John C. Pace Symposium Series and the Jewelers Trade Shop, in partnership with WUWF 88.1FM and RadioLive, are proud to present UWF Noir Radio Hour, a live 1930's radio drama-style performance of "The Maltese Falcon." The production features actors performing at the microphone, live organ music, live sound effects and period-style commercial performances, offering audiences a behind-the-scenes look at how classic radio storytelling was created. The performance is staged in theatre-in-the-round and is designed to encourage audience engagement through live reactions, applause and laughter. This interdisciplinary production involves students and faculty from multiple UWF departments, including Communication, English, Theatre and Dr. Grier Williams School of Music. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required and seating is limited to 100.

The Gulf Coast Culture Series underscores the college's mission to enrich, educate and connect the community by celebrating the traditions, stories and creative expressions that make the Gulf Coast extraordinary. Through immersive programming, GCC fosters curiosity, creativity, communication and compassion, bringing the liberal arts to life in new and impactful ways.

For more information on the Gulf Coast Culture Series, visit uwf.edu/gulfcoastculture.