Teachers will be able to keep up with the latest news, reviews and gossip from the world of Scottish theatre, thanks to two new free email services which have been launched by Mark Fisher, the Guardian’s theatre critic in Scotland and owner of the theatreSCOTLAND.com website.

TheatreSCOTLAND’s news update, published on a Friday, rounds up season launches, backstage gossip and other news, and includes links to theatre reviews and production openings.

Meanwhile, ideas raised by the newsletter have been taken up by subscribers to the new theatreSCOTLAND email discussion group. Leading theatre figures, including playwrights Chris Hannan and Peter Arnott, recently joined in a lively discussion about the Scottish theatre repertoire and whether the National Theatre of Scotland should be obliged to stage older Scottish plays.

But the group can be used to talk about whatever its subscribers want, from the latest productions to the state of drama education.

To sign up for the theatreSCOTLAND newsletter, go to: http:groups.google.comgrouptheatrescotlandupdates

To sign up for theatrescotland discussion, go to: http:groups.google.comgrouptheatrescotland.