Discover Culture in the Lake District

Our visitors come to the Lake District for the fabulous countryside, the hills and lakes, the wonderful walking terrain. But that’s all for the daytime. Did you know that we have a rich cultural life here in the Lakes, and our very own theatre just a mile away from our hotel?

The Old Laundry Theatre

The Old Laundry Theatre at Bowness was established with the help of the legendary playwright Alan Ayckbourn, who still visits regularly. There’s a programme of music, comedy and occasional film nights, and throughout this summer audiences of all ages have been enjoying the musical Where is Peter Rabbit? The characters from Beatrix Potter’s stories have been brought to life with songs and puppetry, and the show this season runs until September 1.

Upcoming Shows and Special Events

After that the Old Laundry has a season of one-night-stands, bringing some top class drama of the highest standard. The first of these (Sept 13) is The Turn of the Screw, a new adaptation of the Henry James story which opened last year at the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s the spooky tale of a governess who arrives at an isolated country estate, and finds herself engaged in a battle to protect the children from mysterious figures around them.

Then there’s an adventure story performed by Malcolm Rennie, Shackleton’s Carpenter, (Sept 18) which throws new light on the doomed expedition to Antarctica when the ship the Endurance sank and 28 crew were stranded.

Also in September (21) is a production of Orlando based on Virginia Woolf’s satirical novel, a whimsical portrait of an immortal poet whose gender can’t be pinned down, and whose spirit cannot be caged. This comes from the critically-acclaimed Dyad Productions with performer Rebecca Vaughan and writer/director Elton Townend Jones.

The full list of these one-night shows, and details of a special deal if you book to see five for just £60, can be found on the theatre website.

A West End Experience in Windermere

But our favourite of all is coming for the whole month in October. We’re great fans of musicals, and we will not miss Tell me on a Sunday, the unusual one-woman show by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black. It’s the story of an ordinary English girl heading for adventures in New York, and has been performed by Sarah Brightman and Denise Van Outen, while the title song was a big hit for Marti Webb. Here we will have the gorgeous Katie Birtill, with the Chrystie Street Band.

It’s like having the West End come to Windermere, so come and stay for a few days and experience the other side of the Lake District.