THE award-winning Australian Dance Theatre is heading for Northampton's Derngate Theatre.

Choreographer Garry Stewart is known for creating dance that is fast, technically demanding, and thrilling to watch and the show Held is no exception.

Held has won six national awards, including the prestigious 2004 Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work.

Australian Dance Theatre will be on stage at 8pm on Saturday, March 10, and there will also be a free post-show discussion with the company in the auditorium.

Tickets range from £13 to £17.

  • One of Britain's most respected and evergreen entertainers, Richard Digance, will visit the Derngate on Tuesday, February 20.

With Billy Connolly and Jasper Carrott, Digance was one of the great folk entertainers of the 1970s.

He collected numerous awards, including a 1986 BAFTA nomination as British Comedian of the year, and a Gold Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters in 2003.

Voted one of the Magnificent Seven of Comedy alongside Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse by The Sunday People, Digance is a true entertainer.

Tickets for the show are priced £15.50 and £13.50.

  • Three sensational musicians from Africa explode on to Derngate stage in one of the most contemporary, fresh and innovative shows of the year - African Soul Rebels.

Following the huge success of the 2005 and 2006 African Soul Rebels UK tours, artists from Nigeria, Algeria, and Guinea will provide audiences with a whole new experience of live performance.

African Soul Rebels will be on stage at 8pm on Wednesday, February 21, with tickets priced at £18 and £17.

  • New singing sensation, Peter Grant, is making waves in the music business with his debut album New Vintage.

He will be stopping off at the Derngate as part of his UK tour.

Joined by a spectacular eight-piece band, Grant's one-night only performance is on Saturday, February 24, with tickets priced at £19 and £16.

The Johann Strauss Gala is an enchanting show featuring classics such as the Blue Danube Waltz, Radetzky March, Tritsch Tratsch Polka, Overture, and The Laughing Song from Die Fledermaus.

It will be at the Derngate at 5pm on Sunday, February 25.

The captures the charm of 19th century Vienna through music, song, dance, and period costumes.

Tickets start from £13.

Captivating thriller Vertigo comes to the Royal Theatre from Thursday, February 22, to Saturday, February 24.

Performed by theatre company Red Shift, the play is best known as Alfred Hitchcock's classic movie.

Red Shift is a London-based theatre company that tours nationally to small- and medium-sized venues.

Evening performances begin at 7.45pm and a Saturday matinee starts at 2.30pm. Prices range from £8 to £21

  • Royal and Derngate box office: 01604 624811.