Cumbria's Melvyn Bragg congratulates Theatre by the Lake on 25th anniversary
ITV Border's reporter Matthew Taylor visits the theatre to find out more about the history of Theatre by the Lake dating back 1961.
Broadcaster and author Melyvn Bragg has congratulated a Cumbrian theatre on its 25th birthday and says the facility is vital to the local area.
Keswick's Theatre by the Lake is celebrating its anniversary by opening a picture exhibition, for one year, featuring 25 people who have worked with the theatre. The exhibition includes a picture of actress Dame Judi Dench and Lord Melvyn Bragg.
Dame Judi Dench officially opened the theatre in Keswick, in 1999.
Proud Cumbrian Lord Melyvn Bragg is a patron of the theatre and has been heavily involved in promoting arts.
He said: "I've seen so many good productions there, both in the main theatre, in the studio.
"Local people have made it their own and make it work, and people come from all over. They get some of the best artists, directors and actors to come there. It's been a triumph."
Dave Roberts, former manager at Theatre by the Lake, spoke about how Dame Judi Dench became involved with the Cumbrian theatre.
He said: "Well Judi was involved because her husband Mike was a good friend of Phil Kemp, who was on the board.
"So Phil got them involved on the publicity side. So they came up on various occasions to do charity shows. Then Judi said yes to being the patron. That's always good on your letterhead really."
Theatre by the Lake first began with the name 'Century Theatre', known as 'The Tick Box', in 1961.
Local residents rallied around plans to build Theatre by the Lake, with the project beginning in 1991, costing up to £6.5m.
Martin Bellarby, who has volunteered at the theatre for 50 years, says the previous building was "not fit for purpose".
He said: "The blue box was slowing disintegrating, it couldn't survive. It was just not fit for purpose any longer really.
"So it was a very ambitious idea to raise enough money, there were quite a number of people involved and it took a few years in getting money together - it cost a lot of money to do it."
The theatre stages a variety of different productions, art classes and different festivals.
Actor Dave Hearn, who's playing Sherlock Holmes in Hound of the Baskervilles at the theatre, believes theatre is "a real hub of entertainment in Cumbria." He said: "I think that's really important.
"But also to go through what we've all been through in the last couple years with Covid and those sort of things, and to be able to recover and still deliver shows is a testament to the strength of the theatre and its theatre."
The new exhibition called 'We Are 25' documents the legacy and work of Cumbrian stories and experiences of people living in the region.
Liz Stevenson, Artistic Director, says the celebrations of their landmark birthday will continue throughout the year.
She said: "We've got lots of stuff planned for our 25th anniversary year. So we've got 'Company 25', which is 14 to 18 years old, 25 of them, interested in acting, design and writing - saying what they want the future of Theatre by the Lake to be."
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