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We put out our main episode on Friday, but had to have something special for the weekend! Nica Burns, the Citizens Theatre, Claybody Theatre and many more winners were crowned at the Central Hall in London for the inaugural Great British Theatres Awards on Monday, and we were on hand to hear more from them. Celebrating the way in which theatres made a profound impact on their local communities, the rallying cry came from Kemp: 'Draining the arts is no way to create a community.' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in the same room, Sarah and Alex chat all things Lives of Others as the glitzy West End show begins performances at the Adelphi Theatre. But does Robert Icke's adaptation with Keira Knightley, Luke Thompson and Stephen Dillane stick the landing? Elsewhere, the pair pay tribute to Patrick Stewart, Sarah heads to the RSC for Middlemarch and it seems that every theatre in the country has a new season to reveal... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nancy Carroll and Charles Edwards are starring alongside Christine Baranski and Richard E Grant in Noel Coward’s Hay Fever at Wyndham’s Theatre. Sarah went along to talk to them about the pleasures of plays that simply entertain, the qualities of Noel Coward, plus working with Angela Lansbury, Judi Dench and adventures in the DC and Lord of the Rings universes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Sheen might currently be on screens running amok in a Scottish castle, but in a matter of days he'll be back on stage in an epic new Welsh play having its world premiere – Owain & Henry. Reframing the legendary tale of the last true Prince of Wales, the piece will open at Cardiff's Wales Millennium Centre next week. Sheen is joined by stage and screen stars Rakie Ayola and Sophie Melville. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Alex are within touching distance of the 2020s as they continue their examination of the best plays of the century. 2018 and 2019 offer up an array of epic plays exploring American history, solo shows that leave audiences flabbergasted, and a lot (really, a lot) of plays based on hit novels – from A Little Life, to Life of Pi, to Small Island. But which plays will Sarah single out as her favourite of each year? She has some difficult choices to make... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, artistic director Selina Cartmell unveiled her brand new season at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, coming hot on the heels of the 50th anniversary celebrations at the beloved theatre. Featuring new work by Simon Stephens and Ben Power as well as revivals of Faith Healer and Much Ado About Nothing (featuring the legendary Beverley Knight), Cartmell spills the beans on championing the theatre’s central ethos and telling vital stories for 2027 and beyond. She also had a lot to say about her love of Sondheim and her plans for an all-string orchestra for A Little Night Music, opening this Christmas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finally reunited after Alex's foreign forays, Sarah runs through her tireless fortnight of reviews – featuring Rent with Gaten Matarazzo, Hay Fever with Richard E Grant and Christine Baranski, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup, and As You Like It with Fisayo Akinade and Jonathan Groff. The conversation brings up a range of questions about reviewing revivals, the nature of star ratings and whether we should have more music critics reviewing musicals. After that, the pair discuss the new Almeida and Pitlochry seasons, and what audiences might expect from the new Tarantino play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday night, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera turned 40 – with the event seeing a special reunion between original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. We chatted to the pair, Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh and current stars Jordan Donica and Beatrice Penny-Touré on the show's red carpet as this musical blockbuster hits four decades in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The great British actor is currently on stage as the great American showman Liberace. As he finished rehearsals he talked to Sarah about how to play characters with whom you have little sympathy, returning to the stage after serious illness, the Shakespeare roles he longs to play and working with Tom Stoppard just before the playwright’s death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello WhatsOnStage Podcast listeners! With Alex freshly back from a fortnight away, he lets intrepid video expert Tom Millward sample some of his finest, starry interviews from the last couple of weeks – featuring multi-award-winning stage star Gillian Anderson and the legendary Derren Brown, explaining their experiences in their respective shows – Anderson leading the five-star Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Brown with his new West End residency with Only Human. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Alex continue their journey through the finest new plays of the 21st century. This episode, Harry Potter hits the stage,climate change becomes a major theme and James Graham has an exceptionally busy year. Plus new plays by Lucy Kirkwood, Caryl Churchill, Mike Bartlett and a romance from David Eldridge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this bonus episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast, brought to you by the West End production of Wicked. Last night, Wicked celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Apollo Victoria in the West End with a special celebration. While a certifiably joyous, hair-raising spectacle, the work being done on hair backstage is much, much more complicated – and pulled off with equal aplomb. We sit down with Wicked's head of wigs Heather-Jay Ross to reflect on the technical expertise happening behind the scenes, some of the incredible moments working on the show and some misconceptions about the world of wigs in theatre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of the RSC’s all male As You Like It, Jonathan Groff and Fisayo Akinade discuss the similarities between Shakespeare and musicals, their best theatre experiences, the importance of Ian Charleson and the fun of dressing up in very glamorous frocks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Into the Woods, Cabaret and Jesus Christ Superstar all have in common? That's right, this year they're all being mounted in the West End, and they're all being designed by the same man: the Tony Award-winning Tom Scutt. We sit down with Scutt to discuss his design process, getting into the reeds of Into the Woods and where his artistic drive comes from. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recapping after a very busy series of trips and outings, Sarah and Alex run through the biggest openings and stories of the week: new warnings about the threat of AI to the creative industries, a gloriously knockout performance from Josh O'Connor at the Almeida, reactions to the National's new season and the fate of Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.