By Nigel Powlson

IT was a gloomy start to the arts year in Derby as the Playhouse was forced to shut its doors after the against-all-odds run of Treasure Island came to an end.

Theatre-goers mourned the loss of a venue that would later in the year be nominated for a prestigious TMA Award for its ambitious 2007 musical Moon Landing.

And, nearly a year on, its future remains frustratingly unresolved.

But entertainment in the city finally got a boost with the arrival of Derby's newest multiplex – the Cinema De Lux in Westfield – in the spring.

Boasting VIP lounges, state-of-the-art digital technology and the Midlands' biggest multiplex screen, it took cinema comfort to new levels.

Its Director's Hall screens, with a feel of private screening rooms, were the chief attraction of the UK's first luxury cinema.

Cinema De Lux is owned by American firm National Amusements – which opened Derby's first multiplex in November, 1988.

The Showcase cinema on Forester's Leisure Park duly celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2008, along with Derby Odeon – which opened as an AMC cinema just two weeks after its rival two decades ago.

The Odeon enjoyed a multi million-pound refurbishment this year and is now ready for the 3D revolution expected in 2009.

It meant that cinema-going in Derby has never been more comfortable but, despite having 33 multiplex screens, the city still couldn't find space for Shane Meadows' Somers Town or even Daniel Day Lewis' There Will Be Blood.

What Derby needed was a replacement for the old Metro on Green Lane and, on September 26, it got just that with the opening of the £11.2m Quad arts centre in the Market Place.

Now arthouse, independent and local films are getting the exposure they deserve and film-goers watching these titles can enjoy the same standard of comfort that the multiplexes provide.

But Quad is much more than just an arthouse movie haven.

The striking building is a symbol of Derby's artistic ambitions and already Quad has moved Derby up a gear.

The opening exhibition programme featured Bill Drummond and Jane and Louise Wilson, artists who created national and international interest and who have a reputation for daring to be different.

And Quad was the focus for the city's second Feste celebration – a street festival with a continental feel that brought thousands out to watch dancing diggers and a giant heliosphere. The highlight was a procession of giant insects by Barcelona-based Sarruga, which captured everyone's imaginations.

Organisers, buoyed by Derby's response to Feste, now have ambitious plans to turn it into a major festival the city can be proud of, if not in 2009 then certainly by 2010.

Feste saw Derby's arts organisations working in tandem to help boost cultural life in the city and that theme was very evident in 2008.

Other major events that the city enjoyed included the 12 days of the Big Dance, based largely in the Market Place, and an Olympic handover celebration that saw Gabriella Cilmi take centre stage.

With the photography festival Format now scheduled for spring, 2009, Derby can expect more of the same innovation in the future.

Derby Dance was actively involved in the best of the city's events in 2008 and reached its 10th anniversary in its Chapel Street home in fine health.

The Assembly Rooms, which celebrated its 30th anniversary at the back end of 2007, continued to be the city's main entertainment venue and provided a steady supply of popular comedians, touring shows such as South Pacific plus opera, ballet and live music.

But it was in a pavilion outside the venue that one of the year's more bizarre shows found a home.

The Ladyboys of Bangkok brought Thai-style exotic flamboyance to a sometimes bemused Derby public.

Derby Live was the new umbrella organisation that was responsible for using Arts Council cash to back new theatre production in the city.

It subsequently supported two local professional groups to great effect with Tangere Arts giving us Hood in the Wood and Red Earth offering us an alternative Christmas show in the shape of Cinderella's Sisters.

Derby Live has more ambitious plans for 2009, beginning with a production of Much Ado About Nothing and featuring youth and community theatre shows in its new programme (full details next Friday).

But theatre in the city certainly needs a reopened Playhouse if its to thrive.

After the demise of Treasure Island the venue did briefly reopen to stage the Killing of Sister George – starring Jenny Eclair.

But the resurrection was shortlived and the doors were closed once more as the production ended its run.

There has been much to celebrate on the Derby arts scene over the last 12 months but the Playhouse's absence remains a major concern and the top priority in 2009 has to be bringing the venue back to life.

Only then can Derby celebrate everything that's good about the arts.