With two bank holiday weekends in just four weeks, there is plenty of opportunities to do something different in Cumbria this month
- Go to the theatre
The new season opens this month at Theatre by the Lake and I must admit I am very excited about going to review the new productions.
Ladykillers in rehearsals at Theatre by the Lake
The Ladykillers by Graham Linehan opens on 24 May – and if you are like me and love the old black and white movie version of this classic you will be looking forward to seeing this production. When a gang of robbers pose as a group of musicians to hide out in the rented rooms of an elderly woman after their heist, the black comedy unfolds.
Opening in June, there is the Jim Cartwright play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice which was also made into a successful film, Little Voice. Jane Horrocks played the lead in the film version, the little girl who sang the songs from the records of her dead father, and who is exploited by her drunken mother and her lover. A real northern kitchen-sink style classic.
And in August the adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya by the British comedy writer Alan Ayckbourn. This is a new version of the classic, set in Cumbria’s Ennerdale in 1935.
These productions are all in the Main House, however, there are three more plays in the Studio – which also kicks off in May with My Mother Said I Never Should by Charlotte Keatley on 23 May. Another northern drama, this time set in Manchester, Oldham, and also that there London. The play tells the stories of four women from one family, who come together at pivotal moments in their lives. This award-winning play is described as a ‘seminal piece of British theatre’ – should be a good night at Theatre by the Lake.
The other two productions are The Children by Lucy Kirkwood which opens on 6 June and The regional premiere of Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph opening 8 August. The plays run through to October/November however May is a good month to book your tickets and get a discount if you book all 6 productions at once.
2. Visit the textile exhibitions at Sizergh Castle and Rheged. We’ve shared the opening private view of THREAD at Rheged, Penrith on Instagram and on C24. We are visiting the James II bedspread this month at Sizergh, so don’t forget to follow us on social media.
3. Take the opportunity to see with your own eyes the famous ospreys who have returned to Bassenthwaite Lake again this summer. The Lake District Osprey Project, which is a partnership between The Forestry Commission, the RSPB and the Lake District National Park Authority have public viewpoints at Dodd Wood, near Keswick. The volunteers play a crucial role in showing visitors the ospreys, giving updates on all the latest action, and introducing other exciting wildlife such as red squirrels. This is the 19th year that ospreys have returned to the Lake, and you will be able to see them from the viewpoints which are open now, every day from 10am-5pm until Sunday 1 September.
And just a few facts about the Bassenthwaite Osprey – since the
And osprey fans around the world can keep an eye on the action from the nest by following the webcam on the
To help support the project, which has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since it started, people can also donate atjustgiving.com/lakesospreys
4. Take the opportunity to see the exhibition of oil and watercolour paintings by JMW Turner which
The paintings will be on display until 4 August, at Ruskin’s home, where they were originally hung. This is the first ever public exhibition at Brantwood devoted to Turner and showcases the Venice: the Piazzetta with the Ceremony of the Doge Marrying the Sea, together with a suite of watercolours from Turner’s visit in 1840, the year in which Ruskin and Turner first met. The paintings chart the passage of light across the hours of a single day.
Turner’s Venice became Ruskin’s Venice and Turner became one of the great shaping forces of Ruskin’s life.
Ruskin’s engagement with Turner began in 1836 when Blackwood’s Magazine ran an article ridiculing three recent pictures by Turner. ‘The review raised me to the height of “black anger” in which I have remained pretty nearly ever since ..’ By leaping to the defence of Turner’s reputation Ruskin established his own.
On Turner’s death in 1851, Ruskin was appointed one of his executors and set to work on the gargantuan task of cataloguing the 20,000 watercolours and drawings Turner bequeathed to the National Gallery. The bulk of Turner’s gift to the nation
5. The Lake District Horticultural Society will be hosting their open day on Sunday, 12 May at Holehird – and if marks their 50th anniversary. Just outside Bowness-on-Windermere, this unique garden continues to thrive as a resource for local people and visitors to the Lake District alike.
We have driven past the entrance to Holehird so many times, and each I’ve promised myself we will return to take a look. Now there is no excuse, as we are all invited to attend and join in the golden jubilee celebrations. And to mark this milestone, the LHS and Holehird Gardens have published a book ‘Gardeners’ Choice: 50 Favourites from Holehird Gardens.
There are so many activities taking place across Cumbria, and when we do visit events, places and performing we do share them on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter – so please follow us to keep updated.
By Karen Morley-Chesworth
