The theatre

1: a theatrical odyssey

Were I of a religious bent, I might be praying for good things in the coming year. Instead, let me just dream - at which point the image melts, the soundtrack goes all echoey and cascading sounds are played on 100 harps...

Were I of a religious bent, I might be praying for good things in the coming year. Instead, let me just dream - at which point the image melts, the soundtrack goes all echoey and cascading sounds are played on 100 harps...

I dream of a theatreland in 2001 uncluttered by second-rate Hollywood has-beens rushing over here to bolster their careers. I mention no names, but YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

I dream of theatres being filled by plays, not stage re-runs of old movies which attract commentators who haven't been inside a theatre for years, find themselves short-changed and then write cross pieces in newspapers about how theatre is dead.

I dream of playwrights embracing illusion, imagination, surprise and the spirit of adventure, rather than doing sub-documentary, slice-of-life dry runs for TV and film.

I dream of a year in which vibrant theatre actors, not bankable soap stars, get plum roles in juicy productions.

I dream of the government realising that if it really does believe in improving access to the arts, it should fund theatres in order to reduce ticket prices...