Newsletter Intro Edit – Edit This One

Did you see our latest infographic, on the value of arts and culture to the UK economy? Well if not then you should, because it clearly lays out the economic case for arts subsidy as requested recently by Culture Secretary Maria Miller.

Among the headline figures – which were drawn from a recent independent report conducted by the Arts Council – is the fact that when its boost to jobs and tourism are factored in, the sector gives over four pounds back for every pound that’s put in. We only hope that Mrs Miller is among our regular readers…

Elsewhere on the site recently, to coincide with half term we’ve rounded up five of the UK’s best outdoor theatres (hope you enjoyed the sunny bank holiday, incidentally), and be sure to read our in-depth interview with Robert Sean Leonard, star of the Open Air Theatre’s acclaimed season-opening production of To Kill A Mockingbird.

We’ve also been hard at work tweeting all the gossip from West End Eurovision on Thursday (catch up with the coverage here) and reviewing major openings including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced at the Bush Theatre (which has now extended its run) and Titus Andronicus at the RSC.

Elsewhere, names in the news headlines recently include: David Tennant, whose performance as Richard II will be shown in cinemas nationwide; Whatsonstage.com Awards host Rufus Hound, who has been cast in a revival of Tim Firth’s Neville’s Island at Chichester; Harry Hill, whose X Factor musical will premiere at the Palladium next year with the title I Can’t Sing! The Musical; and Harry Potter‘s Bonnie Wright, who will make her stage debut in Peter Ustinov’s The Moment of Truth at Southwark Playhouse.

Also, be sure to check out the first photos of Douglas Hodge‘s mustachioed Willy Wonka, read our ‘brief encounter’ with West End Men star Lee Mead and check out our weekly run-down of the biggest openings in Theatreland.

For all this and lots more, scroll down or log on now.

Happy theatregoing,
Theo Bosanquet, Editor