THE Haymarket's French season received acclaim from far and wide - and this week it enabled the theatre to pick up a winner's award in the A Place to be Proud of Creativity category.

The ambitious season came about after the Haymarket aspired to gain a distinctive voice and unique selling point within the theatre environment of the South East. It decided to do this by creating seasons with an international theme over a three-year period, starting in 2003.

The theatre chose French as the first season for several reasons - the breadth of plays, the immediacy of French culture to the South East, key businesses in Basingstoke with French connections, and French being the most widely taught language in schools.

A five-month programme featuring classic works from the likes of Dumas, Molire and Zola subsequently followed.

The impact of the season was multiplied through collaboration with a number of partner organisations, including Festival Place, The Malls, Penningtons solicitors, Hampshire Children's Fund, and Haines Watts chartered accountants. A French market in the Top of the Town also took place.

Initially, ticket sales were lower than expected. However, as the season progressed, audience reaction became extremely supportive.

National theatre reviewers regularly travelled to Basingstoke to see Haymarket productions and, like The Gazette, wrote very supportive reviews. Publicity for the Haymarket and Basingstoke appeared in several new areas.

Basingstoke council's annual survey also showed that residents thought the theatre has performed outstandingly well.

Dr Hilary Jones said the judges felt the French season made an imaginative and exciting contribution to people's perceptions of Basingstoke, both locally and nationally.

Artistic director Alasdair Ramsay was on hand to pick up the award. He said: "This is great, local recognition for the Haymarket.

"I'm very chuffed that audiences came along with us and took a risk. Hopefully, with their support, we can continue to produce ambitious seasons and exciting theatre.

"On behalf of the team at the Haymarket, we'd like to thank our audiences, our sponsors and our funders. We feel that this award is shared equally with them in reflecting a very positive image of Basingstoke as a forward-looking cosmopolitan town."

Article first published on Thursday, April 1, 2004