ARTISTIC director Damian Cruden unveils York Theatre Royal's spring and summer season against the backdrop of a potential city council cut in funding.

"Local government has a handicap because of the way it's the piggy in the middle between voters and national government and that can be complicated for local government as it's not as easy to raise money as you might think.

But we've taken funding cuts on the chin for a long time, and you think, 'can we just value our culture, please'?" he says.

"I do know there are a large number of politicians and administrators who are very supportive, but it would be nice if we could come to the funding process without the need for self-justification; where they know what we do and the value that we give.

"It's not as if we're invisible in the community."

The case for the defence, as ever, will rest on the broad range of work being presented at the theatre, along with its educational and youth theatre work.

Take the main house, for example, where the season will include Sir Peter Hall's revival of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya for English Touring Theatre from March 4 to 8; the Theatre Royal and fellow York company Riding Lights' co-production of Jerome K Jerome's Three Men In A Boat; Robert Bolt's politically pertinent A Man For All Seasons; the return of Hull Truck Theatre and Pilot Theatre and the West End production of The 39 Steps.

"Uncle Vanya is Peter Hall's favourite Chekhov and it's certainly in his Top Ten plays, and it's just opened at the new theatre he's opened, " says Damian.

"He has Neil Pearson and Ronald Pickup in his cast, and what will be interesting is that a lot of people will come to see it because of them rather than the play.

"Sometimes there can be problems with having star names of quality with a quality director presenting a quality production of a piece of theatre that deserves to be seen, so maybe it will bring more people to Chekhov and open him up to people in a more interesting way."

John Godber brings his new production of Our House - a play first performed on two stages at Hull Truck - to the Theatre Royal from March 11 to 15.

"It will be a split stage here rather than two stages, " says Damian. "This is going to be Hull Truck's last year in their present theatre, and I think they're planning an autumn retrospective, so John is revisiting some of his plays.

"Our House never got a good tour, but Hull Truck are very good at doing premieres in Hull, resting them and recrafting them to make sure they're ready to go on tour.

John never lets go of it; that's why it's great to have a writer as artistic director because he has the freedom to rework his plays in the context of the theatre."

Hull Truck remain the most popular touring company at the Theatre Royal.

"They consistently do well here because John is the region's playwright and voice. He's a Yorkshireman through and through, and you can feel that."

Pilot Theatre, the Theatre Royal's resident company, returns from their travels to perform artistic director Marcus Romer's adaptation of Raymond Brigg's Fungus The Bogeyman from March 18 to 22.

Maria Aitken directs the West End production of the Broadwaybound comic send-up of Alfred Hitchcock's classic spy thriller, The 39 Steps, from March 25 to 29; Riding Lights artistic director Paul Burbridge directs his adaptation of Three Men In A Boat from April 4 to 26; actor Paul Shelly, who appeared in Single Spies at York, returns to direct the Theatre Royal's production of Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons from June 7 to 28.

For tickets, ring 01904 623568 or book online at www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk