Having just completed an acclaimed Irish tour of "The Playboy of the Western World", Portstewart-based theatre company Big Telly is already set to embark on another inventive season of work which kicks off in just a few weeks time ...

Building on the great success of the last tour, Big Telly is back on the road this Autumn with an innovative new production of Dion Boucicault's "The Colleen Bawn", which premieres at Coleraine's Riverside Theatre in October. But before that, the company has a few other projects to shout about ...

First off the ranks is "Jamming" - a rare opportunity for professional actors, writers, directors and other theatre specialists to collaborate in the development of new work. Some of the work created as part of "Jamming" may well end up on the road in the future ...

Also, Big Telly is currently putting the final touches to plans for its annual Summer Workshop programme for young people, with many leading theatre practitioners already lined up to put the young thespians through their theatrical paces.

And this Easter, window-shopping will take on a whole new meaning, as Big Telly brings a special tea party, hosted by a certain Hatter, to Coleraine town centre - so keep your eyes peeled for your favourite characters popping up where you least expect them ...

Big Telly recently received news that its annual funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland is to undergo a 15% increase. Whilst delighted by the increase, artistic director Zoë Seaton points out that regional arts activity remains massively under-funded. "We welcome the increase in our funding as a positive step," she explains, "but it's only the first in a series of steps that need to be taken in order to ensure that people in the regions have access to the arts to the same extent as people based in the city."

Finally, a word of congratulations to David McCombe of Coleraine -the winner of Big Telly's "Playboy of the Western World" Free Prize Draw. David has an all-expenses-paid meal for two to look forward to - while everyone else can look forward to another exciting season of work from Big Telly this Summer and Autumn.