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2006: The Year in the MidlandsDateline: 4th January, 2007It was the year of Shakespeare; the end of one historical theatre but the return of others; and time to move on as two artistic directors brought the curtain down on distinguished tenures. The year 2006 was certainly an eventful one in the Midlands. For many people it will go down as the year of the Complete Works Festival, when the Royal Shakespeare Company, with a little help from its friends, tackled every major work produced by this country's greatest dramatist. There've already been several highlights, particularly the pairing of Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter in Antony and Cleopatra. I also enjoyed Simon Callow, Judi Dench and a sparkling cast in Merry Wives the Musical, although not all critics found it so stimulating. It was also good to see the RSC inviting companies of the calibre of Kneehigh Theatre to produce their fascinating adaptation of the late "problem" play Cymbeline. The festival does of course continue for the first six months of 2007. Delights still to come include Sam West's As You Like It; Janet Suzman, Timothy West and William Houston in Coriolanus; and Ian McKellen as King Lear. Coriolanus will be the last RSC production to play in the existing Royal Shakespeare Theatre before it closes for a major transformation. The Courtyard will take over as the company's main Stratford venue. However, the RST is not the only Midlands theatre that'll be dark during the summer. Leicester's Haymarket will close after the current production The Wizard of Oz. A flagship, £50m performing arts centre is due to open just down the road towards the end of the year. Coventry's Belgrade is still out of action - building work on the main theatre and a new, second auditorium has been delayed and productions aren't expected to resume until September. But two theatres thankfully reopened in time for Christmas, the Royal and Derngate at Northampton which has had a £15m makeover, and Derby Playhouse, which in its new season is determined to silence the critics who said it should have remained closed for a few more months to ease its financial problems further. Elsewhere in the Midlands, Nottingham Playhouse enhanced its already solid reputation by winning the TMA Eclipse Award, given to the theatre that makes the most outstanding contribution to cultural diversity. Artistic director Giles Croft and chief executive Stephanie Sirr had another reason to celebrate when the theatre's production of Tennessee Williams' little-performed play Summer and Smoke transferred to London's Apollo. So what does 2007 hold? Many observers will be looking at two theatres to see how they change with new artistic directors at the helm. Rachel Kavanaugh is presenting her first season at Birmingham Rep after taking over from Jonathan Church. It looks a strong programme, with Maureen Lipman starring in Charlotte Jones's eccentric comedy Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis and Kavanaugh directing Bryony Lavery's new adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. And Theresa Heskins has become only the third person to hold the post of artistic director at Newcastle-under-Lyme's New Vic in forty years. She takes over from Gwenda Hughes who's stepped down after nine years in the job. It should be an interesting twelve months at the New Vic, especially as the theatre has teamed up with Northern Broadsides to produce a version of Shakespeare's The Tempest which will go on a national tour after its run at the north Staffordshire venue. At first glance, theatre in the Midlands in 2007 looks just as fascinating and inviting as it was in 2006. Steve Orme
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