The project is inspired by Theatre by the Lake and ETT’s origins – Century Theatre. Century Theatre, founded just after WWII, was a collective and toured the country in a pop-up space pulled by trucks called The Blue Box. The Blue Box eventually broke down on Lakeside car park where it remained for many years, leading to the campaign for the creation of Theatre by the Lake and a permanent home for theatre in Keswick.

Trailer Story is a travelling outdoor performance space that celebrates local creativity and forges national connections. There will be a programme of events, performances and community happenings across the UK, beginning with a residency in Newcastle city centre and Crow Park in Keswick, where it is being presented with support from the National Trust. Performances will be housed in a touring truck, usually used to tour production sets around the country, but reimagined as a space for artists and audiences to meet.

The project will celebrate our nation’s diversity, resilience and community spirit by programming an exciting range of events, giving a platform for local artists in each area to take over the space, making the festival unique to each location.

Liz Stevenson, Artistic Director of Theatre by the Lake said:

“When I first heard about this idea I was overjoyed. Locally people have such fond memories of the origins of TBTL and the story of The Blue Box. This is such an exciting project to be part of, bringing our communities together and allowing a platform for national as well as local artists to showcase their work.”

Richard Twyman (Artistic Director of ETT) and Sophie Scull (Executive Producer) said “Trailer Story is a project that harnesses ETT’s rich history, transformed and re-invented for the present day. Our touring truck is inspired by the company’s origins – touring to towns and cities in a fleet of trucks converted into performance spaces – but responds to the impact of the pandemic on our communities. We want to provide a safe and joyful space to come together and celebrate the return of live arts, and the immense diversity and talent of our country’s artists. We hope to make Trailer Story a platform for national and local theatre-makers, performance artists and musicians to share their work with audiences outdoors – empowering communities and celebrating imagination.

Further details and tickets will be made available soon via Theatre by the Lake’s website. Audiences are encouraged to sign up to the theatre’s mailing list to be the first to hear more.

www.theatrebythelake.com