The Old Laundry Theatre

The Old Laundry Theatre is situated in Bowness-on-Windermere in the heart of the Lake District and in 2012 celebrates two decades of great theatre. The Old Laundry Theatre's 20th Anniversary Season starts on 13 September 2012, running until 1 December 2012 and promises to be one of the best yet, bringing back to the stage some of the very best performances from the last twenty years. The grand opening of this special year will begin with a 3 week run of the chamber version of Cumbria's own award-winning musical The Hired Man, written by Melvyn Bragg with music by Howard Goodall. Other highlights include a one-woman Dickens performance by acclaimed English actress Miriam Margolyes, Alan Ayckbourn's newest drama Surprises along with performances from LAMDA, Eddi Reader and Music in the Round.

The theatre was opened in 1992 by Sir Alan Ayckbourn, a trustee of the theatre. The theatre season is run by a registered charity Bowness Theatre Festival Ltd with financial and practical support from The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction - the business it shares a building and facilities with. Its design is based on Sir Alan's original theatre in Scarborough, making it one of only 6 'in-the-round' theatres in the UK (seating up to 280 in the round or 250 in a conventional stage layout).