Ava Pickett’s fierce retelling of the Essex witch trials drags history into the present

Mike Tweddle’s sharp revival of Edward Albee’s classic is powered by two blistering central performances from Katy Stephens and Matthew Pidgeon

Selina Cartmell’s revival of Jim Cartwright’s 40-year-old debut, starring Lucy Beaumont, Johnny Vegas and Shobna Gulati, zooms in on the tragedy of this bleakly poetic play

Dark Dickensian drama wrapped in the glow of Christmas spirit from writer Deborah McAndrew and composer John Biddle

Rat king rules in this Dick

Chris Jarvis’ frenetic production delivers on tradition, with Matt Crosby creating a lot of the fun as Dame Nanny Nutkins in his 20th Arts Theatre panto

Cinderella’s story gets lost in this production from Little Wolf

Festive outing with songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice delivers little thrill or wit

Debbie Isitt’s musical has its heart in the right place, but fails to land emotionally

New play only scratches the surface of what made The Archers a national treasure

Written and directed by Matt Aston, this jukebox musical, with songs from the Wedding Present, sees Zoe Allan shine in the leading role

A powerful and timely drama that brings to life the 1945 Pan-African Congress

This year’s UK festivals feature an eclectic mix of circus, cabaret, comedy acts and more. Anya Ryan presents a selection of the best shows to see this summer

A wonderful, smut-filled pantomime where no expense is spared

Steven Serlin’s Hook is the star of this scary, pirate fuelled panto