In October 1995 when I started working for what was then called Mime Action Group, I had no idea that I would last to edit over twenty issues of this magazine. Now, over five years later, it is with a mixture of sadness and excitement that I write my final editorial. Sadness, because I have enjoyed putting together the only publication that represents the field of physical and visual performance, and excitement, because I'm about to take the extended holiday that I've been promising myself for years.

During my years with the magazine I have seen some considerable changes in the sector. With companies like The Right Size, Theatre de Complicite, Improbable Theatre and Frantic Assembly crossing over into the mainstream, it can safely be said that the theatre industry as a whole has realised that there is more to theatre than text. Looking back over the issues I've edited, it's pleasing to see that a publication with such a small circulation has secured interviews with such internationally renowned theatre-makers as Eugenio Barba and Augusto Boal, and with home-grown talent ranging from Steven Berkoff and Ken Campbell at one end of the scale, to Franko B and Divine David at the other. It has been a pleasure for me to see so much great theatre during this time (in excess of four hundred shows would be a conservative estimate) – from puppetry to performance art, Butoh to Bharatnatyam, circus to contemporary dance, and many things in between. This issue, I hope, continues to reflect the diversity of work that comes under Total Theatre Magazine's broad umbrella.

I'd like to close by thanking all those who have assisted with the production of the magazine over the years; in particular, to all who have served as Editorial Group members and to everyone who has contributed to the issues I have edited. It is their commitment that makes the publication of this magazine possible. I'm hesitant to say goodbye as I'm sure that I will continue to work within the sector in the future. But for those of you who know me personally, and also those that don't, please come and say farewell on Saturday January 20th at the Voice Box in the Royal Festival Hall after Total Theatre Network's AGM and the Critical Practice Debate that follows (see page 23).