Alan Ayckbourn's 'Things We Do For Love' at Old Laundry Theatre

Written by: Rob

Location: Bowness-on-Windermere
Venue: The Old Laundry Theatre
Duration: Evening Out

As part of Cumbria Tourism’s 50th anniversary, the team are trying out 50 different tourism experiences throughout the year – to help inspire your own days out across the Lake District, Cumbria. Rob Cowley visited The Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness to see the Alan Ayckbourn play 'Things We Do For Love'.

Having first visited the Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness in 2023 to see the wonderful production of the Alan Ayckbourn play ‘Welcome to the family’, I was particularly pleased to see another of his plays coming to the same venue in the spring of 2024; so hastily booked my ticket to see this production – ‘Things we do for love’.

The Old Laundry Theatre is a little gem of a place, sharing a building with the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction right in the heart of Bowness, with easy parking and great facilities. There is a café/bar in which to relax with a nice pre-performance beverage and I also pre-ordered some interval drinks at the same time.

As one might expect given its name, the theatre occupies part of the site of a former Edwardian laundry serving the hoteliers of Bowness-on-Windermere. It turns out Alan Ayckbourn was instrumental in the building becoming a theatre, when in 1992, husband and wife Roger Glossop and Charlotte Scott had the idea of converting the redundant laundry into a theatre and sought advice from the playwright.  In their own words “We wouldn’t be where we are now without Alan Ayckbourn’s support, he gave us the confidence to open the theatre and its success is down to him”.

Back to the evening of my visit, the performance call came for the audience to take to their seats and as you make your way into the auditorium, you see just how intimate a performance space this is. Often the seating layout is ‘In the round’, where the stage is central with seating all round. However, tonight’s performance, with its excellent three-level set, required a ‘thrust stage’ where the stage is on one side and seating on the other three sides. With either configuration the view from all seats is superb.

The classic ‘Things We Do For Love’ is a wonderful production, with each of the four cast members delivering a captivating performance that keeps you hooked throughout. In true Ayckbourn style, the clever story twists and turns along the way with a mixture of humour, wit and heart.

Photo: Stephen Barber.

First performed in 1996, the story involves the head-strong, determined and career-driven Barbara, who lives alone in her male-free, child-free flat. Widower Gilbert, a postman with a passion for painting, rents the basement. When Barbara’s old school friend, Nikki and her fiancé, Hamish move into the upstairs flat, everyone’s life takes a very different direction and forbidden desires are soon revealed!

Photo: Stephen Barber.

It was a wonderful night, great performance and I would highly recommend a visit the theatre to anyone when visiting the area. Keep an eye on the Old Laundry Theatre website for upcoming productions and live performances. The theatre regularly hosts Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s plays as part of the annual programme along with classical music, folk music, comedy and film.

For more information visit:

The Old Laundry Theatre website

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