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Theatre by the Lake, Keswick
Website

Address	Lakeside Keswick, Cumbria England
Owner	Cumbria Theatre Trust
Capacity	Main House 400; Studio 100 (can vary between performances)
Opened	1999
http://www.theatrebythelake.co.uk/

Theatre by the Lake is situated on the shores of Derwentwater in the Lake District in Keswick, Cumbria, England. It opened in 1999, replacing the mobile Century Theatre, and was made possible by an Arts Council Lottery Fund Grant. From May to November a resident company of up to 14 actors perform a Summer Season of six plays in repertory. The theatre also produces a Christmas show and two Spring shows (one in the Main House and one in the Studio). The theatre hosts festivals including the Words by the Water literature festival, the Jennings Keswick Jazz Festival, Keswick Film Festival and events in the Keswick Mountain Festival. In addition, the theatre offers a wide range of visiting drama, music, dance, talks, comedy and film.

History

The mobile touring Century Theatre first visited Keswick in 1961 and settled full-time in the Lakeside car park on the shores of Derwentwater in 1975. Outline planning permission was granted for a permanent building on the site in 1991, and in 1996 the Century Theatre was moved to Snibston Discovery Museum to make way for it. Work on the building began in 1998; the ground was broken by the theatre's patron, Dame Judi Dench. A significant proportion of the £6.5m building cost was contributed by the National Lottery. The name Theatre by the Lake was decided by public consultation and the first performance in the new building was on 19 August 1999.

The theatre has two auditoria: 400 seats in the Main House; and 100 seats in the Studio.

Productions

Year	Production	Writer	Dates	Auditorium	Notes
1999	Charley's Aunt	Brandon Thomas	19 August – 6 November	Main House
	The Lakers	James Plumptre	2 September – 6 November	Main House
	Two	Jim Cartwright	9 September – 6 November	Main House
	A Christmas Carol	Charles Dickens	3 December 1999 – 8 January 2000	Main House	Adapted by David Holman.
2000	Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	31 March – 22 April	Main House	Presented in the round.
	Noises Off	Michael Frayn	27 May – 28 October	Main House
	Dangerous Corner	J.B. Priestley	9 June – 27 October	Main House
	One Fine Day	Dennis Lumborg	16 June – 27 October	Studio
	My Cousin Rachel	Daphne du Maurier	21 July – 23 October	Main House	Adapted by Diana Morgan.
	Noël and Gertie	Sheridan Morley	28 July – 23 October	Studio	Included five performances in the Main House.
	The Snow Queen	Stuart Paterson	1 December 2000 – 6 January 2001	Main House	From the story by Hans Christian Andersen
2001	The Mother	Bertolt Brecht	16–24 February	Main House	A co-production with Visiting Moon.
	Twelfth Night	William Shakespeare	23 March – 14 April	Main House
	Anorak of Fire	Stephen Dinsdale	25 May – 27 October	Studio
	Habeas Corpus	Alan Bennett	26 May – 27 October	Main House
	The Real Inspector Hound/Black Comedy	Tom Stoppard/Peter Shaffer	8 June – 24 October	Main House	Double bill.
	Skylight	David Hare	15 June – 24 October	Studio
	Mrs Warren's Profession	George Bernard Shaw	20 July – 26 October	Main House
	Betrayal	Harold Pinter	27 July – 26 October	Studio
	The Wizard of Oz	L. Frank Baum	30 November 2001 – 19 January 2002	Main House	1987 musical adaptation originally performed by the RSC.
2002	One Fine Day	Dennis Lumborg	7 February – 1 March	Studio
	Neville's Island	Tim Firth	15 March – 6 April	Main House
	Hello and Goodbye	Athol Fugard	24 May – 26 October	Studio
	The Good Companions	J.B. Priestley	25 May – 26 October	Main House	Adapted by Bob Eaton and Sayan Kent.
	The Woman in Black	Susan Hill	7 June – 23 October	Main House	Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt.
	In Flame	Charlotte Jones	14 June – 23 October	Studio
	All My Sons	Arthur Miller	19 July – 25 October	Main House
	Speed-the-Plow	David Mamet	26 July – 25 October	Studio
	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland	Lewis Carroll	29 November 2002 – 18 January 2003	Main House
	Tom Thumb		18 December 2002 – 11 January 2003	Studio	A co-production with Collaborators Theatre Company.
2003	A Passionate Woman	Kay Mellor	2–26 April	Main House	A co-production with the Gateway Theatre in Chester.
	Season's Greetings	Alan Ayckbourn	24 May – 31 October	Main House
	Wallflowering	Peta Murray	24 May – 31 October	Studio
	Blithe Spirit	Noël Coward	6 June – 1 November	Main House
	Kiss of the Spider Woman	Manuel Puig	13 June – 1 November	Studio	Translated by Allan Baker.
	The Tenant of Wildfell Hall	Anne Brontë	18 July – 29 October	Main House	Adapted by Lisa Evans.
	Not a Game for Boys	Simon Block	25 July – 29 October	Studio
	Sleeping Beauty		5 December 2003 – 17 January 2004	Main House	Retold for the stage by Charles Way.
2004	The Hired Man	Melvyn Bragg	27 March – 17 April	Main House	Music and lyrics by Howard Goodall.
	Sailor, Beware!	Philip King and Falkland Cary	29 May – 5 November	Main House
	Blue/Orange	Joe Penhall	29 May – 5 November	Studio
	Arms and the Man	George Bernard Shaw	11 June – 6 November	Main House
	Ghosts	Henrik Ibsen	18 June – 6 November	Studio
	Strangers on a Train	Patricia Highsmith	23 July – 3 November	Main House	Adapted by Craig Warner.
	Tramping Like Mad	Julie McKiernan	30 July – 3 November	Studio
	Cinderella	Stuart Paterson	3 December 2004 – 15 January 2005	Main House	A reworking of the classic story.
2005	Closer	Patrick Marber	23–26 February	Studio
	April in Paris	John Godber	18 March – 9 April	Main House
	Dick Barton: Special Agent	Phil Willmott	28 May – 4 November	Main House
	Playhouse Creatures	April De Angelis	28 May – 4 November	Studio
	Gaslight	Patrick Hamilton	10 June – 5 November	Main House
	Dead Funny	Terry Johnson	17 June – 5 November	Studio
	Les Liaisons Dangereuses	Christopher Hampton	22 July – 2 November	Main House
	A Number	Caryl Churchill	29 July – 2 November	Studio
	Only Available in Carlisle	Charlotte Allan	22–26 November	Studio
	The Wind in the Willows	Kenneth Grahame	3 December 2005 – 21 January 2006	Main House
2006	On Golden Pond	Ernest Thompson	31 March – 22 April	Main House
	Private Lives	Noël Coward	27 May – 3 November	Main House
	The Birthday Party	Harold Pinter	27 May – 3 November	Studio
	Loot	Joe Orton	9 June – 4 November	Main House
	Frozen	Bryony Lavery	16 June – 4 November	Studio
	The Deep Blue Sea	Terence Rattigan	21 July – 1 November	Main House
	After Miss Julie	Patrick Marber	28 July – 1 November	Studio
	Sinbad: the Untold Tale!	Charles Way	1 December 2006 – 13 January 2007	Main House	A reworking of the Arabian Nights tale.
2007	Of Mice and Men	John Steinbeck	24 March – 21 April	Main House
	Around the World in Eighty Days	Jules Verne	26 May – 2 November	Main House	Freely adapted and with original songs by Phil Willmott.
	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Edward Albee	26 May – 2 November	Studio
	Taking Steps	Alan Ayckbourn	8 June – 3 November	Main House
	Under the Blue Sky	David Eldridge	15 June – 3 November	Studio
	Rebecca	Daphne du Maurier	20 July – 31 October	Main House	Adapted by Frank McGuinness.
	Days of Wine and Roses	J.P. Miller	27 July – 31 October	Studio	In a new version by Owen McCafferty.
	The Borrowers	Mary Norton	1 December 2007 – 12 January 2008	Main House	Adapted by Charles Way.
2008	The Recruiting Officer	George Farquhar	9 February – 5 April	Main House
	Our Country's Good	Timberlake Wertenbaker	15 March – 5 April	Main House
	Arsenic and Old Lace	Joseph Kesselring	24 May – 5 November	Main House
	The Bogus Woman	Kay Adshead	24 May – 5 November	Studio
	The Lady in the Van	Alan Bennett	6 June – 7 November	Main House
	The Lonesome West	Martin McDonagh	13 June – 7 November	Studio
	The Importance of Being Earnest	Oscar Wilde	18 July – 8 November	Main House
	The Caretaker	Harold Pinter	25 July – 8 November	Studio
	A Christmas Carol	Charles Dickens	29 November 2008 – 17 January 2009	Main House	Adapted by David Holman.
2009	The Maid of Buttermere	Melvyn Bragg	21 March – 18 April	Main House	Adapted by Lisa Evans.
	A Chorus of Disapproval	Alan Ayckbourn	23 May – 4 November	Main House
	Blackbird	David Harrower	23 May – 4 November	Studio
	Summer Lightning	P.G. Wodehouse	5 June – 6 November	Main House	Adapted by Giles Havergal.
	The Memory of Water	Shelagh Stephenson	12 June – 6 November	Studio
	A Midsummer Night's Dream	William Shakespeare	17 July – 7 November	Main House
	For All Time	Rick Thomas	24 July – 7 November	Studio
	Grimm Tales	Carol Ann Duffy	28 November 2009 – 9 January 2010	Main House	The Box Office takings from one performance were donated to victims of the 2009 floods in Keswick and Cockermouth.
2010	Stones in His Pockets	Marie Jones	27 March – 17 April	Main House
	Northanger Abbey	Jane Austen	29 May – 5 November	Main House	Adapted by Tim Luscombe.
	Shining City	Conor McPherson	29 May – 5 November	Studio
	What The Butler Saw	Joe Orton	11 June – 6 November	Main House
	Silence	Moira Buffini	18 June – 6 November	Studio
	Bus Stop	William Inge	23 July – 3 November	Main House
	The Glass Menagerie	Tennessee Williams	30 July – 3 November	Studio
	Tom's Midnight Garden	Philippa Pearce	27 November 2010 – 5 January 2011	Main House	Adapted by David Williams.
2011	Quicksand	Zosia Wand	16–26 February	Studio	Premièred at the Dukes, Lancaster.
	A View from the Bridge	Arthur Miller	1–23 April	Main House
	Noises Off	Michael Frayn	28 May – 9 November	Main House
	The Blue Room	David Hare	28 May – 9 November	Studio	Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde.
	Hay Fever	Noël Coward	10 June – 7 November	Main House
	Dumb Show	Joe Penhall	17 June – 7 November	Studio
	Keep Smiling Through	Lisa Evans	30 July – 11 November	Main House	World première.
	Someone Who'll Watch Over Me	Frank McGuinness	5 August – 11 November	Studio
	The Firework-Maker's Daughter	Philip Pullman	26 November 2011 – 7 January 2012	Main House	Adapted by Stephen Russell.
2012	The History Boys	Alan Bennett	24 March – 21 April	Main House
	Bedroom Farce	Alan Ayckbourn	22 May – 7 November	Main House
	A Doll's House	Henrik Ibsen	22 May – 7 November	Studio	A new adaptation by Bryony Lavery.
	Dry Rot	John Chapman	1 June – 9 November	Main House
	Colder Than Here	Laura Wade	8 June – 9 November	Studio	Regional première.
	Great Expectations	Charles Dickens	20 July – 10 November	Main House	Adapted for the stage by Neil Bartlett. In association with Cumbria Life.
	Roma and the Flannelettes: A Love Like Yours	Richard Cameron	27 July – 10 November	Studio	World première.
	The Railway Children	Edith Nesbit	1 December 2012 – 19 January 2013	Main House	Adapted by Mike Kenny.
2013	Old Herbaceous	Reginald Arkell	14 – 23 March	Studio	Dramatised by Alfred Shaughnessy.
	Rogue Herries	Hugh Walpole	23 March – 20 April	Main House	Adapted by Louise Page.
	See How They Run	Philip King	25 May – 9 November	Main House
	Vincent in Brixton	Nicholas Wright	25 May – 9 November	Studio
	An Inspector Calls	J.B. Priestley	7 June – 6 November	Main House
	'Tis Pity She's a ...	John Ford	14 June – 6 November	Studio
	She Stoops to Conquer	Oliver Goldsmith	26 July – 8 November	Main House
	The Shape of Things	Neil LaBute	2 August – 8 November	Studio
	Swallows & Amazons	Arthur Ransome	30 November 2013 – 18 January 2014	Main House	Adapted by Helen Edmundson, with songs by Neil Hannon. This adaptation was first performed by the Bristol Old Vic in 2010.
2014	Not About Heroes	Stephen MacDonald	22 March – 5 April	Studio
	Dancing at Lughnasa	Brian Friel	23 March – 20 April	Main House
	Rookery Nook	Ben Travers	24 May – 5 November	Main House
	The Winterling	Jez Butterworth	24 May – 5 November	Studio
	Dracula	Liz Lochhead	7 June – 7 November	Main House	Adapted from Bram Stoker's novel.
	Seeing the Lights	Brendan Murray	13 June – 7 November	Studio	The world première.
	The Comedy of Errors	William Shakespeare	26 July – 8 November	Main House
	Old Times	Harold Pinter	1 August – 8 November	Studio
	Peter Pan	J.M. Barrie	29 November 2014 – 31 January 2015	Main House
2015	Two	Jim Cartwright	20 March – 14 April	Studio
	The 39 Steps	John Buchan and Alfred Hitchcock	23 May – 4 November	Main House	Adapted by Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon.
	Suddenly Last Summer	Tennessee Williams	23 May – 4 November	Studio
	Abigail's Party	Mike Leigh	6 June – 6 November	Main House
	The Lady of the Lake	Benjamin Askew	13 June – 6 November	Studio	The world première.
	Fallen Angels	Noël Coward	25 July – 7 November	Main House
	Enlightenment	Shelagh Stephenson	1 August – 7 November	Studio	The regional première.
	The Snow Queen	Hans Christian Andersen	28 November 2015 – 16 January 2016	Main House	Adapted by Charles Way.
	The Bogus Woman	Kay Adshead	19–28 November	Studio	A Curtis Productions & Theatre by the Lake co-production in association with Mama Quilla Productions.
	Bear & Butterfly	Annie McCourt	15–24 December	Studio	A Theatre Hullabaloo and Theatre by the Lake co-production based on an original story by Gordon Poad.
2016	The Shepherd's Life	James Rebank, adapted by Chris Monks	Sat 26 March - Sat 23 April	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Professor of Adventure	Peter MacQueen	Sat 19 March - Tue 5 April	Studio	A PMac and Theatre by the Lake production
	Watch it, Sailor!	Philip King and Falkland L. Cary	Sat 28 May - Sat 5 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Vertical Hour	David Hare	Sat 28 May - Sat 5 November	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Dial M for Murder	Frederick Knott	Sat 11 June - Wed 2 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Elektra	Sophokles, translated by Anne Carson	Sat 18 June - Wed 2 November	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Rivals	Richard Brinsley Sheridan	Sat 30 July - Fri 4 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Iron	Rona Munro	Sat 6 August - Fri 4 November	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Emperor and the Nightingale	Neil Duffield, based on The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen	Sat 26 November - Sat 14 January	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
2017	Two Way Mirror	Arthur Miller	Fri 17 - Sat 25 March & Mon 10 - Sat 22 April	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	William Wordsworth	Nicholas Perpan	Fri 31 March - Sat 22 April	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake and English Touring Theatre co-production
	After the Dance	Terrence Rattigan	Thu 25 May - Sat 4 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Handbagged	Moira Buffini	Thu 15 June - Fri 3 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	As You Like It	William Shakespeare	Fri 7 July - Sat 4 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake and Shared Experience co-production
	How My Light is Spent	Alan Harris	Wed 31 May - Sat 24 June	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake, The Royal Exchange Theatre, and Sherman Theatre co-production
	Miss Julie	August Strindberg, a new adaption by Howard Brenton	Fri 30 June - Fri 30 November	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake and Jermyn Street Theatre co-production
	Remarkable Invisible	Laura Eason	Fri 11 August - Sat 4 November	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Secret Garden	Frances Hodgson Burnett, adapted by Jessica Swale	Fri 24 November 2017 - Sat 13 January 2018	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
2018	A Streetcar Named Desire	Tennessee Williams	Tue 3 - Sat 7 April	Main House	An English Touring Theatre, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and THeatr Clwyd production
	Great Expectations	Charles Dickens, adapted by Ken Brantley	Tue 10 - Sat 14 April	Main House	A Tilted Wig and Malvern Theatres Production
	Hymn to Love - Homage to Piaf	Steve Trafford	Fri 23 March - Tue 10 April	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake and York Theatre Royal production, in association with Ensemble
	Jeeves and Wooster in perfect nonsense	P.G. Wodehouse by The Goodale Brothers	Thu 24 May - Sat 27 October	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Single Spies	Alan Bennett	Thu 14 June - Wed 24 October	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Sense and Sensibility	Jane Austen, adapted by Jessica Swale	Thu 9 August - Fri 26 October	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Rails	Simon Longman	Thu 24 May - Sat 27 October	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Bold Girls	Rona Munro	Thu 21 June - Wed 24 October	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Other Place	Sharr White	Thu 1 - Sat 10 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake and Park Theatre co-production in association with Abinger Productions
	Beauty and the Beast	Laurence Boswell	Fri 23 November - Sat 12 January	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
2019	The Picture of Dorian Gray	Oscar Wilde, adapted by Sean Aydon	Mon 8 - Sat 13 April	Main House	A Tilted Wig, Malvern Theatres and Churchill Theatre production
	Educating Rita	Willy Russell	Thu 18 - Sat 27 April	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake and David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers co-production
	Creditors	August Strindberg, a new version by Howard Brenton	Fri 22 March - Sat 20 April	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake and Jermyn Street Theatre co-production
	The Ladykillers	Grahamn Linehan	Fri 24 May - Wed 30 October	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Rise and Fall of Little Voice	Jim Cartwright	Thu 6 June - Fri 1 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Dear Uncle	Chekhov, adapted by Alan Ayckbourn	Thu 1 August - Sat 2 November	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production
	My Mother Said I Never Should	Charlotte Keatley	Thu 23 May - Wed 30 October	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	The Children	Lucy Kirkwood	Thu 6 June - Fri 1 November	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	Guards at the Taj	Rajiv Joseph	Thu 8 August - Sat 2 November	Studio	A Theatre by the Lake production
	A Christmas Carol	By Patrick Barlow, adapted from the story by Charles Dickens	Fri 22 November - Sat 11 January	Main House	A Theatre by the Lake production

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