Popular plays and a feast of small scale theatre are in store for visitors to Wolverhampton’s Arena Theatre.

The venue will also welcome theatre and film legend Steven Berkoff during its spring 2012 season.

Venue spokesman Andrew Ridal said: “The forthcoming season at the Arena includes some well-known plays including Nick Horby’s football-crazy play Fever Pitch.

“There will also be a production of Love’s Labours Lost, direct from the International Shakespeare Festival at the Globe Theatre.

“There will be a double-bill of Harold Pinter plays, The Dumb Waiter and The Lover; the biographical I, Bertolt Brecht and a semi-biographical comedy from Wolverhampton’s own Foursight Theatre about Hollywood legends Bette Davies and Joan Croward.

Headline-grabber Equus arrives in May

“There will also be a production of the play that hit the headlines in 2007 for featuring a then-naked Daniel Radcliffe: Peter Schaffer’s psychological thriller Equus.

“Additionally, there will be Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Trial. It is Steven Berkoff performing his own masterclass in evil, Shakespeare’s Villains, however, that will headline the season.”

Berkoff is one of the iconic figures of British theatre and has carved out an enduring career as writer, director, actor, social and political commentator.

He is best known for a number of his famous roles in such films as A Clockwork Orange, Octopussy, Beverly Hills Cop, Rambo II, War And Remembrance and The Krays, among others.

Mr Ridal added: “It’s his work in theatre that has built him a formidable reputation: shortlisted for Lawrence Olivier Awards, Winner of Fringe First Awards and London Evening Standard Awards.”

Mr Ridal added that as well as the better-known plays at the Arena there would be plenty of brilliant small scale theatre. Mr Ridal said: “The Arena Theatre does that better than anyone else in the West Midlands, providing a diverse and packed programme of top quality theatre that you will probably never heard of.

“Whether you’re looking for a cheap night out at the theatre – if you buy tickets for two or more shows at the same time, tickets are usually £5 each – or want to see a master at close quarters, we’ve something for everyone.”

Chris Larner will talk on assisted dying

The Arena’s forthcoming programme will include All Gleed Up tonight and tomorrow (January 13 & 14), 52 on January 19 and 20 and An Instinct For Kindness on January 26. An Instinct For Kindness features the story of Chris Larner, who accompanied his chronically ill ex-wife to Switzerland’s Dignitas clinic. He came home with an empty wheelchair and a story to tell.

Mr Ridal added: “This moving, bittersweet show reflects on the circumstances, morality and humanity surrounding the journey.

“In a candid, poignant and sometimes comic performance, Chris explores both the profound personal implications and the wider ethical issues of assisted dying.”

Further details are available from www.arenatheatre.info

By Andy Richardson