In this week’s edition of The Stage:

• Since taking up the position of Arts Council England chief executive, Alan Davey has had to deal with a lot of angry clients, outraged at their funding cuts. He talks to The Stage about rebuilding the relationship between ACE, artists and artistic bodies and his plans to transofrm the organisation

• With the drama school showcase season about to start, Geoffrey Colman, head of acting at Central School of Speech and Drama, suggests students take the approach of Nina in the Seagull, with her core values of passion and truth

• Maggie Brown on media: The musical chairs in the TV channels’ boardrooms

• Arthur Smith: As a comedian from a previous generation, I should be bitter about Russell Brand’s success — so why am I such a fan?

• Dear John: “Is recreational drug use really going to ruin my career, or is it part and parcel of the business?”

• Training: Whether you want to set up a theatre company or have your own play produced, Susan Elkin looks at the variety of new courses on offer and how they can help you achieve your ambition

• Part-time Training Special: Whether you have acting ambitions or you are a professional already working in the industry, part-time training can give you a chance to hone your skills without giving up the day job.

• James Nesbitt is used to making newspaper headlines — and now he’s playing a gutter reporter in new ITV1 drama Midnight Man. He talks to Mary Comerford about why he’s moved on from playing cheeky chappy roles, his plans to take on more theatre work, and the rumours that he’ll be the next Doctor Who

• Toby Sedgwick has been a successful actor, set up the pioneering Moving Picture Mime Show and won an Olivier Award for directing movement in War Horse. Now he is looking forward to the hit production’s return to the National and hunting for his next project

• After performing in Mark Ravenhill’s Birth of a Nation at the Royal Court and the BBC’s Countdown to War, Toby Jones is taking on the part of Karl Rove in Oliver Stone’s forthcoming biopic of Goerge W Bush, W. But, as he tells Matt Trueman, staying in the political realm has not been a conscious decision

• Touring with a show doesn’t have to be a physical and financial strain. Knight Hoosen offers tips on how to find affordable accommodation and travel, and advises on useful items to take with you to make the experience more enjoyable

• In an attempt to make Shakespeare more accessible to the public, the Globe Theatre is running a series of Sonnet Walks to places of significance in the Bard’s life, accompanied by actors playing various characters from homeless Londoners to lawyers

• Backstage Focus: Students from the Bartlett School of Architecture are examining sustainability in their designs for a new performance space in an exhibition called Perform. Geoffrey Joyce takes a look at their work and picks out some that catch his eye

• As the Lyric Hammersmith launches a 50th anniversary run of Pinter play, The Birthday Party, Nick Smurthwaite examines what the critics thought of the first party and how the play recovered from the morning after

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

This week, The Stage includes a comprehensive guide to musical theatre training. With all you need to know about getting to grips about musical theatre, the supplement looks at all the aspects to consider, including choosing a course, tackling auditions and addressing performing weaknesses. Also included:

• Dance is often the first element of musical theatre to be assessed at an audition, so Kevin Berry examines the variety of training on offer and how to tell if a course is right for you

• Although reality TV shows can offer trained musical performers a platform to launch their careers, contestants with little training are unlikely to gain adequate skills and stamina from the experience, suggests Matthew Hemley

• Spotlight award nominee Emma Higginbottom, who is about to graduate from the BA acting course at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, talks to Paul Vale about her training background in musical theatre

• Tutors from ten performing arts schools tell Susan Elkin what skills they are looking for in students wishing to train in musical theatre

• Six months after Lamda Examinations launched its musical theatre qualification, there has been a positive response, with children as young as five taking part

• Browse our listings of schools offering musical theatre training

Also in this week’s issue of The Stage:

• From Gold Blend to Buffy and Little Britain, Anthony Head has played a variety of TV roles. He talks to Matthew Hemley about his new BBC1 series The Invisibles, and his ambitions to return to theatre

• At 21, playwright Polly Stenham has become a theatrical sensation. She talks to Nick Smurthwaite about trying to live up the hype as her play That Face transfers to the West End. Plus, That Face actor Matt Smith talks to Matt Trueman

• Broadway legend Angela Lansbury may have widened her mainstream appeal when she starred in hit TV series Murder, She Wrote, but her heart is in theatre. She talks to Mark Shenton as she makes a rare return to the London stage for a special concert celebrating Jerry Herman’s work

• Insight: Theatregoers need to be more aware of the extra costs piled on to tickets, says Mark Shenton — and now a trend from Broadway is turning producers into their own touts with ‘premium’ seats for in-demand productions

• Politics and theatre have gone hand in hand since the Second World War, with characters such as Margaret Thatcher providing lots o material. Nick Awde examines how playwrights have benefited from the state of the nation

• Ian Herbert on the International Association of Theatre Critics congress

• Richard Jordan on the Adelaide Festival in Australia

• Dear John: “What is the best way to learn the business — training, reading or just getting out there and doing it?”

• Training: Susan Elkin meets Alan Justice, a performer who has established his own school to offer others high quality training in the profession

• Zoe Tyler continues her exclusive review of BBC talent show I’d Do Anything

• Backstage Focus: As society becomes more aware of the effect cars have on the environment, theatres around the country are working to improve transport connections to venues, from car share schemes to night buses back into town

• This weekend the High Tide Festival is descending upon the Suffolk town of Halesworth for the second time. Its founder and joint artistic director Sam Hodges tells Al Senter about the festival’s aim to provide he right creative environment for emerging stage and film writers, and what to expect from this year’s programme

• Showpeople: meet singer Caroline Fields, artistic director Abigail Yeates and contemporary dancer Joel Corpuz, all of whom are appearing at Galleries Lafayette in Paris

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Tributes special: As the tribute market grows ever more competitive, we take a look at the acts working the circuit today, the impact of television on the business and the emergence of the tribute production show, while America’s top Elvis, Shawn Klush, explains its ongoing appeal. Matthew Hemley asks whether the BBC’s tribute talent show, The One and Only, did more harm than good, while showcase reviewers Mark Ritchie and Derek Smith choose the personal top ten tribute acts

• Insight: Product placement has been given the go-ahead to appear in UK cinema, films for TV, sports broadcasts and light entertainment in less than two years. With TV on demnd services killing off scheduled advertising, Ben Dowell considers what this will mean for British commercial television and whether editorial integrity will be compromised in the process

• Culture minister Margaret Hodge recently talked about the lack of high-ranking femalr talent in theatre. Richard Jordan examines changes that are already happening and argues that such comments may do more harm than good

• Founder and artistic director of the Harare International Festival of the Arts, Manuel Bagorro talks about putting on an arts festival in Zimbabwe’s troubled capital

• Dear John: “I can ‘do’ several artists very well and I want to try the tribute market. Does it make more sense to work solo or to seek out a band?”

• Actor and director Steven Berkoff tells Richard Brooks why he has chosen to stage the classic film On The Waterfront and why drama must deal with the burning issues

• From the mean streets of Chicago to the haunted hallways of The Woman in White, Ruthie Henshall is as familiar to Theatreland as Lloyd Webber hits. She speaks to Nick Smurthwaite about her role in the new musical Marguerite

• Vocal coach Zoe Tyler continues her exclusive review of BBC talent show I’d Do Anything

• Seventy years after the death of the actor/writer/director Konstantin Stanislavski, Maria Hodson examines his impact on the acting profession

• Backstage Focus: It takes 150 crew, 92 wagons and eight days to move the 800-tonne set of Afrika! Afrika!. Petrus Bertschinger visits the immense tented village and finds a slick technical operation with a vibrant African heart

• Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys bonded over a love of German electronica and, as Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark, helped usher in the synth sound of the eighties with a homemade machine. After some time out of the spotlight, they’re excited to be back, they tell Douglas McPherson

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• A young West End producer states his case against Equity’s demands for a 44% wage hike for Theatreland performers

• Insight: Too few schools offer high quality drama provision, leaving pupils hoping to attend drama school at a loss, writes Susan Elkin

• Maggie Brown on the media: May 12 is Changeover Day — the day when the new programming chiefs for BBC1, ITV and Five all start work. Plus, why Kevin Spacey’s attack on the BBC is self-serving

• Arthur Smith: In favour of Covent Garden’s classical music buskers

• Dear John: “I’ve been to a lot of auditions and had a few call backs, but no jobs. How can I keep up my enthusiasm?”

• Costume Training special: Be they lavish, authentic or innovative, costumes are an important part of any production and a career in design can be diverse and rewarding. We examine the courses available, speak to students and pick up tips from the UK’s top costumiers.

• Songwriter Tim Daniel spent eight years working for other pop stars before stepping up to the mic himself. He talks to Tony Cooke about his talent for penning pop hits and releasing his own single after touring with Take That

• The artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse Michael Grandage tells Mark Shenton why accessibility, not exclusivity, is his intention and why the highly anticipated, affordable season at Wyndham’s will be a one-off

• Aspiring screenwriter Joanna Leigh spent ten years trying to land a major television commission. Now, after winning the Red Planet Prize, her luck is changing, she tells Matthew Hemley

• In her latest I’d Do Anything column, Zoe Tyler casts her expert eye over last Saturday’s live performances. More I’d Do Anything coverage on our TV blog, TV Today

• As West End hit The Woman in Black celebrates its 20th anniversary, Nick Smurthwaite talks to producer Peter Wilson about the show’s continuing success, his other big hitter An Inspector Calls and his role as chief executive of the Theatre Royal Norwich

• Clive Barnes’ New York notebook: The search for a new, gritty musical continues. Is In The Heights the new West Side Story?

• Backstage: Why a stage manager should be a rock in a stormy sea

• Backstage Focus: Taking authenticity to a new level, the Royal Shakespeare Company presents its Histories season at London’s Roundhouse until the end of May. Alistair Smith discovers how the company recreated Stratford’s Courtyrad in the capital.

• Anthony Field recalls the career highlights and untimely demise of one of Britain’s greatest actors, Robert Donat

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

This week, The Stage presents a special themed issue, in which we celebrate the 60th birthday of Andrew Lloyd Webber with a special focus on his unique contribution to the theatre industry.

• Writing exclusively for The Stage, Cameron Mackintosh gives a personal birthday greeting

• We reveal the results of our poll which asked what readers’ favourite ALW musical was.

• Insight: Andrew Lloyd Webber continues to break the mould of British musicals, both as a composer and producer, while reality TV shows have boosted his public profile. Mark Shenton examines his global legacy and considers why, as a prominent West End theatre owner, he has been reluctant to refurbish his venues

• With blockbuster hits like The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat now mainstream staples, it is sometimes easy to forget about the depth, complexity and innovation of Lloyd Webber’s work, says Michael Coveney

• Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rare combination of creative and commercial flair has seen him capitalise on the markets available from TV to Las Vegas and the internet, writes Alistair Smith

• Training: Andrew Lloyd Webber has long been involved in musical theatre education, but his recent appointment as the new president of Arts Educational Schools London is likely to draw even more attention to training young performers, writes Susan Elkin

• Nick Smurthwaite meets Lynn Jezzard, who joined The Phantom of the Opera’s corps de ballet when it opened in 1986, and has remained with the show since, becoming resident choreographer in 2002

Also in this week’s edition:

• Continuing her exclusive weekly column, vocal coach and Any Dream Will Do judge Zoe Tyler reviews BBC talent show I’d Do Anything — and says why she thinks Rent actress Francesca Jackson should have been sent home for good from Nancy School

• Currently starring in The Lady From The Sea at Birmingham Rep, Claire Price tells Al Senter why Ibsen’s female characters appeal to her so much and why, after playing a succession of classical theatre parts, she chose to push for a television profile by working with Ken Stott in ITV’s Rebus

• Geoffrey Perkins has a string of comedy hits to his name. As his latest success, Benidorm, returns to ITV1 for its second series, the producer still dreams of finding that winning formula for prime time sitcom gold, writes Mary Comerford

• Maggie Brown examines the growing success of BBC1’s Doctors as it takes on Five’s recently acquired Neighbours in the daytime slot

• Natalie Anglesey speaks to film star and country music legend Kris Kristofferson about his varied life, and how landing a helicopter in Johnny Cash’s backyard helped kickstart his career

• Liz Thomas on the revolving door of television executives

• Maggie Brown on media: What Channel 4’s Next on 4 policy rethink means for its drama output

• Dillie Keane: I’ve just played Lady Bracknell — but I wish I could have been Miss Prism

• Dear John: “I’m doing a show based on an underlying issue which I am really committed to. How can I make my performance theatrical, rather than dry and worthy?”

• Backstage Focus: Barbara Eifler reports from the recent Health and Safety Conference organised by the TMA with the ABTT and SMA.

• The Stage remembers Anthony Minghella, who passed away last week

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• The Passion scriptwriter Frank Deasy tells Matthew Hemley what inspired him to pen the story of Jesus’ last days for the BBC, and why he found the human approach the most dramatic of all

• As the successful US rock’n’roll musical Jersey Boys transfers to the West End, director Des McAnuff talks to Nuala Calvi about the challenges he faced brining the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Season to the stage, his encounters with the Mafia and what sets this show apart from the standard jukebox musical.

• Insight: At least half a million teenagers are now taking drama, dance or singing lessons every week. Susan Elkin looks at the market of independent theatre schools for children and assesses its development

• In light of the government’s plans to fund state school excursions to ballet, opera and classical music concerts, Hilary Strong, director of the National Council for Drama Training, considers how youngsters view various forms of theatre and how important it is for children and their parents

• Dear John: “Can I further my career as a dancer better as a solo artist or as part of a dance troupe?”

• Postgraduate Training: From scriptwriting to performance and directing, Susan Elkin gives an overview of the wide range of postgraduate training available and advises on how to go about choosing the right course and securing funding for your study

• Financial Services: Although it’s not a subject many actors like to dwell on, keeping finances in order is one of the most important elements of the profession. News editor of Accountancy Age Alex Hawkes outlines his top money-saving tips, while showbiz accountant Robert Breckman looks at the problems facing grant-aided companies since Arts Council England announced its cuts

• Former How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do judge Zoe Tyler joins The Stage with a regular weekly column reviewing BBC1’s new theatre recruitment show, I’d Do Anything

• Leaping back to London after a 25-year absence, the New York City Ballet is performing at the Coliseum this month. Kevin Berry talks to NYCB teacher Sean Lavery and principal dancer Jonathan Stafford about the ongoing influence of the company’s founding fathers

• Thirty years on from when it was first televised, Bob Hoskins shares his memories of starring in Dennis Potter’s seminal musical trilogy, Pennies From Heaven, with Charles Norton

• Columnists: Ian Herbert, Richard Jordan, Clive Barnes, Patrick Newley

• Showpeople: Interviews with Amy Manson, Paddy Cuneen

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage, we include our annual guide to summer school courses. Whether you’re a teenager interested in starting in the performing arts, a keen amateur hoping to hone your abilities or a professional wanting to learn new skills, there is a summer school course for you. Susan Elkin looks at some of the training on offer in 2008.

Plus, exclusively online, a Dear John special in which singer Lorna Marshall talks about the benefits of teaching summer courses.

Also this week:

• With the ‘people’s Maria’ Connie Fisher leaving The Sound of Music last month, Andrew Lloyd Webber had a cunning plan to regenerate interest in the show and its new star. Alistair Smith talks to Summer Strallen about keeping her Hollyoaks plot line quiet and replacing a stage favourite

• In an exclusive news report, Matthew Hemley talks to performers from BBC1’s The One and Only tribute show, with some claiming they have been left out of pocket and out of work

• Insight: Rumours of the death of digital radio could not be more misleading, says Michael Quinn

• Managing Director Craig Hassall has turned the English National Ballet around from an ailing company to taking on tours across the globe.

• Maggie Brown on Media: The BBC’s Passion | Crediting the credits

• Arthur Smith: Presenting TV can sometimes be fun

• Dear John: “Is it really viable to run your own business alongside being a performer? Won’t one side or the other suffer?”

• Training: The Little Angel Theatre is at the forefront of training in professional puppetry

• Stars of The Fixer Andrew Buchan and Tamzin Outhwaite had very different routes to television success. They explain all to Mary Comerford

• Voice coash Patsy Rodenburg has staged Shakespeare in maximum security prisons, taught in poor areas of India, braved knuckle-dusters in London and worked with the best of British talent

• Joss Ackland talks to Matthew Hemley about his role as Big Daddy in Radio 3’s forthcoming adaptation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and reveals that after eight years avoiding the theatre, he is considering a return to the stage

• Backstage Focus: The new Rose Theatre in Kingston, with its medieval-style stage and tiered circular Elizabethan-type auditoria, is a wonderful homage to 16th-century design, write Geoffrey Joyce

• Catapulted to stardom by her 1976 duet with Elton John, Kiki Dee’s career has followed a more laid-back path than her flamboyant partner. Dee talks to Michael Quinn about her ‘all-sorts’ career and touring with songwriter Carmelo Luggeri

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Michael Quinn takes an overview of MIDEM, the larget music industry trade event of the year

• Joe Duttine on his new role in The Elephant Man: “I personally put the script down and thought, ‘Oh my God, why do human beings treat each other in this way?’”

• Some theatre companies owe their existence to a single, creative individual — but problems can arise when a successor is needed

• Maggie Brown on media: ITV shouldn’t be beaten up over underperforming new shows | The Whicker masterclass | The challenge for soap opera sets in the era of HD

• Dillie Keane on playing Lady Bracknell: “You get the feeling you’re not playing a part, merely lurching from quotation to quotation”

• Dear John: “I’ve been told I have a distinctive sound. How do I break into the world of voice-over work?”

• Training: Rose Theatre Kingston’s ambitious training programme includes a year’s apprenticeship to a resident repertory company, an annual festival of youth work and an outreach scheme

• CASINO ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL: As more global players enter the British gambling market and all-round entertainment becomes increasingly important in casinos, opportunities for performers are growing rapidly. We examine the shift towards live shows, list those venues across the UK which already offer them and review some of the acts.

• Producer Brian Park gave us Footballers’ Wives, Bad Girls and Waterloo Road. Now he unveils his X Factor-inspired ITV1 drama Rock Rivals - starring Michelle Collins and Sean Gallagher — which goes behind the scenes of a TV Talent show

• Alan Dale truns his hand to something completely different as King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot, tackling dance and comedy in the West End. He tells Matthew Hemley about working on Ugly Betty, dealing with critics and battling the spectre of his Neighbours character, Jim Robinson

• Richard Winsor on touring with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: “We are steering clear of the iconic Hollywood image… my costume is quite revealing, so you will be able to see the scars on my body”

• Chilean playright Ariel Dorfman, best known for Death and the Maiden, talks about his prolific writing, themes of hope and guilt, and his latest works

• Laura Stevens on her play about anorexia, Thin Toes: “What frutrates me is that anorexia is being over-simplified. You can’t just say, ‘For goodness sake, eat, you silly girl!’ It’s a very complex condition”

• With three major arts festivals taking place in Budapest each year, an increasing number of tourists are soaking up the city’s thricing cultural scene

• Backstage Focus: Travelling abroad with a show can be exciting, but there are often unexpected challenges. Freelance production manager David Evans offers his tips

• Mark Shenton looks back on a decade of the Theatre Royal, Haymarket’s Masterclass scheme

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• News Feature: With ITV comedy in dire straits, Matthew Hemley examines whether the broadcaster can return to its golden age of family-friendly sitcoms

• Insight: West End box office income hit an all-time high last year, but much of this success is down to just a few productions, while ticket prices have rocketed. With this year’s Olivier Awards acknowledging subsidised venues as being the chief providers of theatrical merit, Mark Shenton questions whether the West End is still relevant to the artistic health of London theatre

• As plans get under way for a skills academy that can provide nationally recognised standards and access to training for technicians of all disciplines, it’s important to ask what lessons can be learned from the mistakes of the past 20 years, urges AK Bennett-Hunter

• Dear John: “As an older performer, I’m finding it progressively more difficult to find work. What can I do to increase my chances?”

• Training: Blunderbus theatre company provides a training scheme for a number of students to gain valuable, hands-on experience in all aspects of theatre from puppetry to acting

• SOLT Centenary: As the Society of London Theatre celebrates 100 years, president Rosemary Squire talks to Mark Shenton about the challenges that lie ahead. And Rupert Rhymes reflects on his time as a SOLT member, its president and chief executive

• Since graduating from Cambridge in 2004, Dan Stevens’ rapid rise to fame has been boosted by his ongoing work with director Peter Hall, including As You Like It, and opposite Judi Dench in Hay Fever. As he retrurns to the West End to play the lead role in another Hall production, The Vortex, he speaks to Mark Shenton

• With Capital of Culture year in full swing, Chris High talks to Liverpool playwright Willy Russell about rewriting his 1978 play Stags and Hens, now running at the city’s Royal Court, and what the state of play is for aspiring authors

• Choreographer Gary Lloyd has been working hard on BBC tribute show The One and Only, painstakingly training the would-be stars to move like their celebrity icons. He tells Matthew Hemley about the experience and his future projects

• After hitting the big time with a supporting role in Life on Mars, Liz White is about to appear in an ITV1 drama made by the same production company. She talks to Phil Penfold about her harrowing part in The Fixer

• Backstage Focus: With fewer theatres runing their own workshops, the provision of specialist, on-the-job training such as the courses run by the Technical Theatre Arts department at RADA, is more important than ever, writes AK Bennett-Hunter

• Ian Herbert: Let’s not consider the ACE grants a done deal

• Richard Jordan: Are there signs that the movie-to-Broadway route is finally reversing?

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Magic and Magicians supplement: From sleight-of-hand to mind-reading, magic is a brand of entertainment that requires exceptional technical skill and a flair for showmanship.

  • Bill and Roy Davenport, managers of Davenports Magic, the oldest family-run shop of its kind in the world, tell Liz Arratoon about its continuing success and tricks they recommend

  • Legendary magician Ali Bongo* writes about how the Magic Circle encourages budding illusionists under 18, including special workshops and the Magic Circle Young Magician of the Year Award

  • Psychic entertainer Alex Crow interviewed

• In an attempt to bring opera to a wider audience, Lesley Garrett is hosting 20 Operas to See Before You Die on Sky Arts, a run of televised operas which she introduces each week. The singer talks to Matthew Hemley about her likes (music and The West Wing) and her dislikes, including musical snobs and the precariousness of showbusiness life

• Hayley Atwell’s boundless enthusiasm for her work may be overwhelming, but with a jam-packed schedule since leaving drama school it is also understandable and disarming, writes Nick Smurthwaite

• Starring alongside Danny Dyer and Neil Dudgeon, Kenneth Cranham is currently playing Max in The Homecoming at the Almeida. He talks to Michael Coveney about returning to a Pinter play

• Curtain Up: The London transfer of Kneehigh’s stage adaptation of the David Lean film Brief Encounter has resurrected a theatre, writes Alistair Smith

• As the redevelopment of a shopping centre took its toll on the Derby Playhouse, the final nail in the coffin came when ACE confirmed it was to withdraw its £723,000 annual grant. Lalayn Baluch discovers the last-ditch attempts of a venue facing a seemingly insurmountable struggle

• Insight: The education system has long been an important source of work for the performing arts, writes Susan Elkin. This is set to grow as more state schools specialise in theatre and the private sector embarks on a flurry of venue building

• The doom and gloom generated by the recent ACE cuts shouldn’t hasten the arts world into despair — demonstrating the intrinsic value of the arts to businesses is the key, argues Colin Tweedy, chief executive of Arts & Business

• BBC drama Attila the Hun uses computer effects on a scale usually only seen in feature films, but which are increasingly making their way onto the small screen. Holly Wicks talks to director Gareth Edwards and producer Mark Hedgecoe

• Playwright Leo Butler takes inspiration from The Tempest in his new work for the RSC, I’ll Be the Devil. He talks to Aleks Sierz about the Bard and original writing

• Maggie Brown on Media: BBC1 show The One and Only is a tribute to tribute acts | Jeremy Beadle remembered | What is taking the place of Grange Hill?

• Arthur Smith: The loss of Ed Wilson, former director of the National Youth Theatre

• Dear John: “I have been performing my country’s traditional dance for several years and have been told that I am good enough to earn a living from it. Do I need a more formal theatrical or dance training first?” This week’s guest advisers: Afrika! Afrika! choreographer Georges Momboye and performer Huit Huit

• Clive Barnes in New York: The Little Mermaid has flopped on deck like a wet cod

• Backstage Focus: As the flow of skilled workers in the entertainment industry increase between countries, backstage experts are now jetting between jobs. Lighting designer Mark Jonathan describes the experience of keeping up with a hectic international schedule

• More than 50 years ago, Julie Wilson was a regular performer in the West End. Mark Shenton meets the American singer as she prepares to return to London with the best of US cabaret

• Showpeople: Interviews with actresses Ruth Negga and Agnieska Korzuszek and comedian Stewart Masters

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Broadway star Chita Rivera is back on the London stage, 50 years after making her debut in the West End. She tells Mark Shenton about her long career and the attraction of theatre

• Arts Council Funding: Alistair Smith looks at the winners and losers in the Arts Council England’s final decisions on funding. We also canvass opinions across the industry. Keep up with the latest funding news on our website at http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/funding

• With a career spanning more than 50 years, playwright Ronald Harwood is responsible for works such as The Dresser and Taking Sides. He won a Best Screenplay Oscar for The Pianist and has worked on high-profile films such as Baz Luhrmann’s epic Australia, which stars Nicole Kidman and is released later this year. He chats to Nick Smurthwaite about supporting the striking US screenwriters and opposing the smoking ban

• Best known for her comedy work in TV such as Smack the Pony, Fiona Allen is branching out into drama by playing the mother of a gay teen in the second series of E4 hit Skins. She talks to Matthew Hemley about doing things her own way and why she won’t be appearing in the West End any time soon

• Insight: India is becoming a major global player and its entertainment and media sectors are growing rapidly. As Michael Quinn reports, this is creating an important two-way creative flow with Britain

• Aside from dealing with the competition, one of the hardest aspects of the industry for young actors is accessing information, whether it’s finding out about castings or networking with the right people. Hilary String, Director of the National Council for Drama Training, argues that it’s time for organisations to speak directly to their potential employees

• Ian Herbert: What has happened to the Theatre Museum since the building closed a year ago?

• Ben Dowell: Fostering celebrity backing for venues threatened by Arts Council funding is arrogant, obvious and crass

• Dear John: “What is collaboration on a creative project like compared to working solo?” This week’s guest experts: writer Kirsty Eyre and musician Shale Morgan

• Training: Susan Elkin meets Francis Seriau, the founder of Tech Music, which celebrates its 25th anniversary as a contemporary music college

• The Stage Archive: At the end of this month, The Stage will launch our fully searchable online archive, with every edition of the paper from 1880-19967 quickly and easily accessible through your computer. Following months of work and preparation, this invaluable and unique resource will provide an unparalleled insight into the history of British entertainment. Ian Herbert and Nick Smurthwaite look at the content that will be available, and the work involved in digitising the newspaper’s history

• The entertainment market is strong in tourist favourite Tenerife South, running all through the year. Denise and Tom Bell have made their mark with Viana Shows, but they teallDerek Smith that competition is fierce

• Backstage Focus: As the Grove Theatre in Dunstable prepares to celebrate its first anniversary in April, technical manager Matt Kingslake takes Geoffrey Joyce on a tour of the venue

• As he prepares to revive his hit solo show from the sixties, Brief Lives, Roy Dotrice reminisces about fleeing from the Nazis, partying at the Savoy and successfully reinventing himself for the US market

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s all-partied-out issue of The Stage:

• West End stars, theatre professionals and The Stage staff mingled at the newspaper’s annual party at the Theatre Royal Drury lane last week. View a selection of photos in the paper, or if you’re on Facebook you can view a more extensive album at http://www.thestage.co.uk/facebook.

• Stage School Franchises special: A stage school franchise develops when a trusted name transofrms itself into a brand, with a school hitting on teaching methods that can be replicated at all sites in other centres. Susan Elkin explores the phenomenon and asks leaders in the field about the secrets of their success

• Tips from the top: The stars of theatre, film, TV and light entertainment share their favourites pieces of advice, from practical suggestions to confidence boosters

• Life on Mars creator Ashley Pharoah talks to Matthew Hemley about the forthcoming sequel, Ashes to Ashes, and why researching the eighties was such a poingnant experience. Plus, the series producer Beth Willis on the challenges facing her in this, her first producing role

• Michael Quinn looks at the rise of Christian theme park in America, and asks if there is a market for such a venue in Britain.

• Education correspondent Susan Elkin arges that pupils are being forced to choose early on between performing arts or academic study

• Backstage Focus: Kevin Berry meets Scottish Dance Theatre’s technical manager, Emma Jones

• Media expert Maggie Brown on new Culture secretary Andy Burnham, and the delights of ITV1’s new show Moving Wallpaper

• Dillie Keane on the 25th anniversary of Fascinating Aida

• Douglas McPherson discovers that comic Duncan Norvelle’s catchphrase is still going strong and that he has added singing to his skills

• Dear John: “I’m redesigning my promotional material for 2008 and I am prepared to invest in getting it right — but how can I get the best result for my money?”

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Make-up Special: Make-up is one of the most crucial elements to creating a role, whether it’s a beautiful leading lady or a sci-fi alien. We give an insight into the industry, from the upcoming International Make-up Artists Trade Show to tips from young professionals on how to find work and useful resources

• Since leaving drama, school Danny Lee Wynter has enjoyed the kind of career progression most graduates dare not dream of. The star of the recent Stephen Poliakoff double bill Joe’s Palace and Capturing Mary gives his personal take on why he became an actor and life after LAMDA

• As one of the chiefs in The Simpsons empire, James L Brooks is in town to promote the release of The Simpsons Movie on DVD. He talks to Ben Dowell about the continued success of the cartoon series and where it goes from here

• Actress Jenny Jules is set to sparkle in her latest role as Ruth in Pinter’s The Homecoming at the Almeida. It is a daunting part, but it helps to have had the playwright’s blessing, she tells Nick Smurthwaite

• Now playing a recovering alcoholic in BBC2 comedy Never Better, Stephen Mangan continues to demonstrate that he is comfortable with darker roles. He talks to Matthew Hemley about what attracts him to projects and why he’s keen to return to the stage

• Insight: The declining number of children learning musical instruments has become a cause for concern, but government measures designed to give every pupil access to tuition should help stem the flood and reverse the trend, writes Susan Elkin

• Fondly remembering their Animals in the Box routine that was first performed in 1956, Jim Casey and Eli Woods talks to Kevin Berry about the changing line-up and the winning gag

• “No pain, no gain:” Arts Council England might need a lesson in PR, but its responsibility to taxpayers means it is right to be making cuts, even if some of them are in the wrong places, argues Alistair Smith

• Dear John: “I know you can’t gain experience any way other than the hard way, but what tips can someone with experience pass on to someone just starting out?”

• Maggie Brown on Media: Channel 4’s rehabilitation starts here, with Celebrity Big Brother’s confinement to E4 allowing the main channel’s public service credentials to flourish — and bravery from ITV makes 2008 seem like a mini golden age

• Arthur Smith: If only I had Jodie Marsh’s comic sense of timing

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In the January 10 edition of The Stage:

• Having made a name for herself in 3 Non Blondes, Jocelyn Jee Esien made history as the first black woman with her own TV sketch show. Now making the move to BBC2, she tells Tony Cooke why her native east London is still her biggest inspiration

• The Rose Theatre in Kingston celebrates its opening with new production of Uncle Vanya this month. Nick Smurthwaite talks to the team behind the venture that’s been 20 years in the making and look at whether the Kingston venue is likely to succeed

• News Special: With the Bush Theatre facing a £180,000 ACE funding cut, artistic director Josie Rourke tells Alistair Smith why the money is vital for encouraging new playwriting talent.

• When James Lipton set up the Actors Studio Drama School in New York, he had no idea that the televised interviews he conducted with some of the top names in the business would be both so personal or so successful, he tells Matthew Hemley

• Insight: With too few funded places available, it can prove a struggle for drama students without wealthy parents to find the finances to attend an accredited drama school, writes Susan Elkin

• Dear John: John gives some unasked for advice to two pop performers who represent the extremes of fortune 365 days can visit upon a career.

• Backstage Focus: Nick Smurthwaite talks to leading fight directors on the skills needed, from the ‘Errol Flynn factor’ to martial arts knowledge and psychological know-how

• Student Showcase reviews: Our round-up of the winter season of graduate showcases

• Female playwrights in the 18th century encountered great opposition, but a few intrepid souls managed o break through the hostile ranks nonetheless, writes Anthony Field

• Columnists: Ian Herbert on the Beijing Cultural Olympics: Maria Hodson on becoming an animated character (and filing her self-assessment returns), Patrick Newly on Danny La Rue in Benidorm and Howard Bird on backstage accidents

• Showpeople: Interviews with comedienne, singer and impressionist Karen Dalton, panto star Janet Greaves, gymnasts turned Cirque du Soleil performers Andrew and Kevin Atherton

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, returning to perform in London for the first time in three years, talks to Mark Shenton about his passion for preserving the Great American Songbook

• Actor John Barrowman, who as Captain Jack returns to Torchwood in two weeks, talks to Matthew Hemley about working on the show and its parent, Doctor Who, and his hopes that his TV work will show audiences how good West End actors are

• Curtain Up: Alistair Smith previews Afrika! Afrika!, the circus-style celebration running alongside the O2 from January 17

• The RSC has enjoyed a remarkable rise in visitor numbers to Stratford. Sofie Mason looks at the marketing techniques which the industry as a whole could emulate

• The recent unsuccessful High Court action against Jerry Springer - The Opera means that theatre and television shows are unlikely to be successfully prosecuted under Britain’s blasphemy laws, writes legal expert Lindsay Dawson

• Cirque du Soleil’s Dominic Champagne talks to Nick Smurthwaite about the revival of his 2002 production Varekai, which returns to the Royal Albert Hall this month

• Nick Smurthwaite meets Paul Potts, winner of ITV1’s Britain’s Got Talent, and finds a natural talent who get a break at just the right time

• We meet the winner of our recent competition to win training at The Plumbing Academy

• Maggie Brown on media: How ITV1’s new schedule is make-or-break for the broadcaster - and the demise of the newspaper TV critic in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday

• Dear John: We start 2008 with a look back at some of the most useful advice our weekly column has provided in 2007

• Training: Susan Elkin meets Gavin Henderson, principal of the Central School of Speech and Drama

• Backstage: Flyman suggests some new year resolutions for stagehands

• Backstage Focus: Michael Sell examines how one Czech architectural team is successfully reviving the traditional European model of the combined theatre/hotel

• Rodney Wood remembers theatrical visionary Stephen Joseph

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.