William Shakespeare | Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company | Directed by Matt Swan

Derby’s Markeaton Park proves the perfect setting for a delightfully comic production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Shakespeare’s classic tale of love, mischief and magic directed by Matt Swan.

Kevin Elyot | Crescent Theatre | Directed by Rod Natkiel

The Crescent Theatre’s production of ‘My Night with Reg’, Kevin Elyot’s modern tragi-comedy masterpiece, is a powerful and emotionally charged hit. The play, first performed at the Royal Court in 1995, delves into the complex world of ‘gay manners and morals’ in the midst of the AIDS crisis. Set in the 1980s London ‘gay community’ (if such a thing can really be said to exist) the play explores the lives of a group of friends whose relationships are intertwined and tested by a series of deceptions, betrayals, and regrets over several tumultuous years.

Lawrence Kasha & David Landay | Lichfield Garrick | Directed by Patrick Jervis

Lichfield Operatic Society’s production of ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ is a brilliantly performed hit of pure nostalgia that captures the spirit of the Golden Age of movie musicals. Set in 1850s Oregon, this classic musical follows the story of Millie, who transforms seven wild and unkempt brothers into ‘romantic gentlemen’.

Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Simon Reade | Brewhouse Theatre | Directed by Tim Robinson

Michael Morpurgo’s modern WWI masterpiece ‘Private Peaceful’ is brought to life by Little Theatre Company in a beautifully performed and moving production at Burton’s Brewhouse Theatre, directed by Tim Robinson.

Bob Merrill, Jule Styne & Isobel Lennart | Sutton Arts Theatre | Directed by Emily Armstrong & Dexter Whitehead

The latest musical offering from Sutton Arts Theatre captivates from the moment Phebe Bland’s Fanny Brice locks eyes with the audience through a dressing room mirror surrounded by light bulbs. Bland’s winning performance exudes confidence and feistiness, instantly establishing a connection with the audience that lasts throughout the show.

Tim Firth | Highbury Theatre | Directed by Denise Phillips

Highbury Theatre rise to the cheeky challenge of staging this much-loved story about a Yorkshire Women’s Institute group baring all for a charity fundraising calendar.

Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz | Sutton Coldfield Town Hall | Directed by Dan Barnes

Victor Hugo’s classic tale of Quasimodo is brought to life in all its musical glory by Trinity Players in a production at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall which successfully transports the audience from the West Midlands to medieval Paris.

Florian Zeller | Crescent Theatre | Directed by Mark Thompson

Can a play really take an audience into a dementia-stricken mind? In the latest offering from Birmingham’s Crescent Theatre, directed by Mark Thompson, the answer is a resounding yes.

Amelia Bullmore | Highbury Theatre | Directed by Ian Appleby

Highbury Theatre’s studio reopens with a winning production of ‘Di and Viv and Rose’. Directed by Ian Appleby, it is a story of female friendship and solidarity brought vividly to life by a talented trio of actors.

Curated by Mark Gatiss | Crescent Theatre | Directed by Alex Arksen, Mark Shaun Walsh and Maura Judges

Written by Mark Gatiss and seven other authors, ‘Queers’ is a series of eight monologues exploring British gay history. Commissioned to mark the 50-year anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men over the age of twenty-one, they were first shown on the BBC and performed on stage at The Old Vic in 2017.