Carole Woddis makes her choices from shows seen in London - a good year she says.

So here we go again. William Russell questions Theatre Awards.

In a season that might be dedicated to Nordic, and northern, gloom Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre is reviving Strindberg’s The Father and Stars in the Morning Sky, Alexander Galin’s drama of Moscow prostitutes being cleaned off the streets for the 1980 Olympics.

William Russell makes his top choices from around London.

London.

UNFINISHED HISTORIES - RE-STAGING REVOLUTIONS
Alternative Theatre in Lambeth and Camden 1968-88.

Oval House 52-54 Kennington Oval SE11 5SW To 21 December 2013.
Tue-Sat 3pm-8pm.

Looking back at a past that was looking forward.

William Russell hymns the treasury of forgotten British musicals.

Carole Woddis ponders the appointment of Rufus Norris to lead the NT, and offers interesting insight and surprises.

It’s taken a decade to bring it together, but this year Nottingham sees an international theatre programme such as London, Edinburgh or Dublin may feel itself familiar with, but which, outside capital cities, is a great rarity. They’re calling it NEAT 11 – Nottingham European Arts and Theatre Festival 2011 – and it’s happening around the city, though focused on, and coordinated by Nottingham Playhouse, whose Artistic Director Giles Croft is the creative origin of the huge, untidy and exciting cultural present to the city and its visitors.

THE NT AT 50: BBC2, 2/11/13.

Something uneasy stirs in Carole Woddis's soul during the NT's 50th birthday party.

This year, as co-editor of ReviewsGate.com, I asked our team of reviewers to come up with one or two shows from 2012 that, for whatever reason, they thought was outstanding.

Rod Dungate

London based Frances Grin, picks out two top plays.

William Russell gives an account of the launch of The New Musical Project.

CENTRE STAGE... A CELEBRATION

Lyttelton Theatre Upper Ground South Bank SE1 9PX 21 July 2013.
Ran: 1hr 30min
Review: by Carole Woddis of performance seen 21 July.

A truly significant event.

Reviewer, Al Geary, is based in the Midlands; he makes his choices from tours and home-grown shows.

Timothy Ramsden looks at Coventry's Belgrade Theatre, which like the city itself has survived tough times - and meets its Artistic Director who is determined tokeep on doing so.

Alexander Ray Edser picks out three plays and two books from 2013.

Edinburgh.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL: DRAMA PROGRAMME.

With its most extensive and exciting theatre programme for a number of years, the Edinburgh International Festival has contributed to 2012’s Shakespeare focus, brought several well-received shows on different scales – and one smash-hit from a company too rarely (indeed, hardly ever) seen in Britain.

Of course, there’s a lot of 2012 to go still. Almost all of it; and a lot can happen before nominations are made for the year’s theatre awards in Britain (or England, or, mostly, London).

London.

A THOUSAND MILES OF HISTORY
by Harold Finlay.

Bussey Building 133 Rye Lane SE15 4ST To 30 March 2013.
by Timothy Ramsden

Showing the show no longer has to go on.

ReviewsGate co-editor, Timothy Ramsden makes his top choices from around the UK.