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One of today's most prolific and important writers, Stephen Poliakoff has penned such multifaceted and intense works听such as 听Hidden City, The Lost Prince and Dancing on the Edge.

When his 1975 play Hitting Town was first performed, there were calls from Mary Whitehouse to have it banned. It鈥檚 a provocative play, exploring the relationship between a brother and sister and for the first time Hitting Town is being released on DVD.

Stephen Poliakoff鈥檚 Hitting Town is now available on DVD as part of the Plays For Britain Anthology Series.

The American actress Linda Susan Boreman better known as Linda Lovelace rose to fame in the 1970s starring in the hard core porn film Deep Throat.听 It became a surprise hit with mainstream audiences and was one of the highest grossing X-rated video tape releases of all time.听 But after years of abuse Linda left the movies to become a spokesperson for the anti porn movement. She鈥檚 now the subject of a new film called Lovelace starring Amanda Seyfried in the lead role.

Lovelace听is in cinemas now.

1. The Way Way Back

Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Cast: Liam James, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Janney, Toni Collette

Coming of age comedy in which we follow awkward 14 year old, Duncan, who is forced to join his mum and her verbally abusive boyfriend on a summer holiday to Massachusetts. Duncan ends up working at a water park where he befriends the quirky manager, Owen,听 who helps him to come out of his shell and turn what he thought would be a terrible holiday into Massachusetts becoming 鈥榯he only place he鈥檚 happy鈥�.

The Way Way Back is in cinemas now.

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2. Pain & Gain

Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie

From acclaimed director Michael Bay comes 鈥淧ain and Gain,鈥� a new action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie. Based on the unbelievable true story of a group of personal trainers in 1990s Miami who, in pursuit of the American Dream, get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong.

Pain and Gain 听is out now.听

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3. Upstream Colour

Director: Shane Carruth
Cast: Shane Carruth, Amy Seimetz, Andrew Sensenig

A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the lifecycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.

Upstream Colour is in cinemas now

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4. Star Trek Into Darkness

Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Alice Eve

The Enterprise and her crew are summoned back to Earth to hunt down the perpetrator of a wave of a chaos that's being rained on the planet.

Star Trek Into The Darkness is out on DVD and Blu ray on 2 September.

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Matthew听Kelly听has appeared on stage and听small screen.听He's about听to star in the world premiere of 鈥淭o Sir With Love鈥� and then take it on tour.

Set in 1948 he plays the part of Florian, an enlightened headmaster of a tough East End school. There Florian meets Ricky Braithwaite, a black Cambridge grad and former RAF pilot.听 Together,听 they try to turn 鈥榯eenage rebelliousness into self respect, contempt into consideration and hate into love.鈥�

To Sir With Love opens this September in Northampton and then tours nationwide for nine weeks.

Following a sell-out run at the National Theatre, Alan Bennett鈥檚 acclaimed new comedy People, starring 听Sian Philips and Brigit Forsyth and directed by Nicholas Hytner ,begins its UK tour in Birmingham, at the newly refurbished Birmingham Repertory.听

People spoil things; there are so many of them and the last thing one wants is them traipsing through one鈥檚 house. But with the park a jungle and a bath on the billiard table, what is Dorothy to do?鈥�

People starring Sian Phillips and Brigit Forsyth opens at the on 3rd September, and then tours around the country.

1. Chimerica

It's been an unusually busy August in the West End. One of the biggest events is the transfer of Lucky Kirkwood's epic play from the Almeida to the Harold Pinter. It's all about an American photo-journalist who sets out to track down the lone protester seen confronting the tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Chimerica runs at the , London until October 19.

2. The Pride

It's written by Alexi Kaye Campbell and was first seen at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs five years ago. It interweaves scenes from 1958 and 2008 and is basically about the changes in attitudes to gay sexuality over a 50-year period.It's a bit surprising to find a play of this weight in London in August, and is听well worth seeing

The Pride runs at the Trafalgar Studios, London until November 9.

3. West Side Story

Back in 1957 this musical about New York gang warfare changed the rules of the game. Now it's here again in a revival that's toured the world and that aims to reproduce the original Jerome Robbins choreography as faithfully as possible.

West Side Story runs at , London until September 22.

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4. Liola

Written by Luigi Pirandello in 1916, it's unlike his later highly intellectual plays; 听it's a Sicilian peasant comedy about a breezy bachelor who's endlessly fertile and an ageing landowner who is desperate for a child.

Liola runs in rep at the National's Lyttelton Theatre until November 6.

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DUNDEE 鈥� Murder meets art in a new exhibition at. Proof is a collection of artworks created by artist Beatrice Haines 鈥� which were inspired by the artist鈥檚 residency in the University鈥檚 ground-breaking forensic science department where she studied the techniques forensic scientists employ to piece together what鈥檚 happened at the scene of a crime. This is like CSI crossed with art.

BELFAST 鈥� Art in the Eastside kicked off a couple of days ago so it鈥檚 ready to be explored this weekend. It aims to highlight the creativity in East Belfast, There鈥檒l be art on display across the east of the city on billboards, railings, the sides of buildings and even in car parks.

BOLTON - On Saturday, showcases the paintings of Bolton-born artist David Livesey, who up until now has been best known for his work as an animator. He worked on animated classics like The Snowman, The Wind in the Willows, and The Beatles鈥� Yellow Submarine. This exhibition's paintings focus on his memories of growing up in his grandparents鈥� house on Cemetery Road in Bolton in the 1940s.

SOUTHAMPTON - Between 12 and 5 on Saturday they鈥檙e hosting in Victoria Country Park. It鈥檚 going to be a bonanza of world music and dance performances, drumming workshops, and a ukulele jam You can also learn circus skills so a chance there to fish out the juggling balls.

EXETER 鈥� between 10 and 4 there鈥檚 an animation workshop at the on Tuesday next week. They鈥檙e going to create a stop-motion film using plasticine, a bit like Wallace and Gromit. Crucially, they say please bring your own refreshments and packed lunch.