Renowned playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn has given a play to a Cumbrian theatre so it can host its world premiere.
All Lies will be directed by the theatre legend and performed at the Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness as part of its 30th anniversary season, which starts in May.
It is the first Ayckbourn play to premiere outside of Scarborough in 35 years.
His long term friend and collaborator Roger Glossop has designed a new set for the intimate 200 seat theatre.
Ayckbourn, who has over 80 plays to his name, said: “I originally wrote All Lies as a small-scale show during lockdown, but because I’m already involved in writing another new play for my home theatre, the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, I thought that rather than waste All Lies, I’d offer it to The Old Laundry. What is nice is this is a world premiere and it is The Old Laundry’s world premiere.”
The Old Laundry Theatre’s directors, Roger and Charlotte Scott added: “We are delighted to be working with Alan Ayckbourn once again, producing the world premiere of All Lies to be directed by Sir Alan here at the Old Laundry.
“We have enjoyed sharing an Alan Ayckbourn play with our audiences almost every year since we opened 30 years ago, so it is fitting that this year, to mark our special anniversary we can share this world premiere of All Lies.
“In 1991 when we bought the redundant Edwardian Laundry, with the intention of designing and building The World of Beatrix Potter, we realised some of the space could provide a perfect fit for a theatre.
“The Beatrix Potter exhibition wasn’t big enough to fill the whole building, and after working with Alan Ayckbourn at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough we noticed that the space we had left would make a similarly perfect theatre in the round.
“At the time we asked Alan if he would be willing to bring some of his shows if we opened a theatre and he joked, ‘why not? we will all be dead soon’, so we went ahead with the project and in a matter of months the Old Laundry Theatre was open.
“Ever since then, Alan has a very big fan base and there is always a great buzz around his shows. We are very lucky he has kept his promise and sent a new show almost every season.”
All Lies is set in the 1950s and tells the story of a chance meeting, where it’s love at first sight! Do you take the plunge and reveal all? Or choose the dangerous alternative and tell them…all lies?
All Lies will be at The Old Laundry Theatre from May 5 to May 21.
