Curtain up! Set books on stage

'Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania!' The Royal Shakespeare Company is staging A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Novello Theatre in London. Pictured: Andrea Harris (Titania), Peter de Jersey (Oberon) Photograph: John Haynes/PR

The Bard can always be relied on to pack houses, even in a recession. This year, theatres are playing it safer than ever, leaving it up to him to pull in the punters. Hand-coloured illustration of William Shakespeare after Martin Droeshout Photograph: Bettman/Corbis

The Young Vic in London has opted for Lear. Amanda Hale as Cordelia and Pete Postlethwaite as the king more sinned against than sinning. 29 Jan to 28 March. Photograph: Stephen Vaughan/PR

But it's not all Shakespeare. Great Expectations, Dickens's rags-to-riches tale, starrs Leon Williams as Pip (front), and has been adapted by Neil Bartlett. It is on at the Library Theatre, Manchester, until Saturday Photograph: Gerry Murray

Students of all ages will be intrigued by the great storytelling and innovative puppetry in Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, at the National Theatre in London until 18 March, then transferring to the West End Photograph: PR

Ken Stott, that's Rebus to you, stars in Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, from 22 Jan to 16 March Photograph: PR

Don John, a playful reworking of Mozart's Don Giovanni, takes the terrible cad to Britain during the Winter of Discontent. A Kneehigh Theatre production in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, starring Gisli Orn Gardarsson as Don John, it's on at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, 10-14 February. Photograph: PR

It may be the Swinging 60s, but murky secrets hide behind closed doors. It won't take much persuading to get students to the theatre for this one: Mathew Horne (Gavin in Gavin and Stacey) stars in Entertaining Mr Sloane. Trafalgar Studios, London, 22 Jan to 11 April. Photograph: Allewyn Coates/PR

At the Nottingham Playhouse you can see War and Peace, which tells the story of Russian society during the Napoleonic era. It's adapted by Helen Edmundson from Tolstoy's acclaimed novel Photograph: PR