Theatre Frontier festival coming to West Cumbria this month

Rosehill Theatre will host the Theatre Frontier festival from May 10 to May 17.

The week-long event will feature both established and emerging artists, offering the community a chance to develop their skills and learn new techniques through masterclasses and workshops led by seasoned theatre professionals.

'Local', a new play by Liz Richardson, a West Cumbrian playwright (Image: Supplied) As part of Theatre Frontier, Rosehill will present the premiere of "Local," a new play by West Cumbrian playwright Liz Richardson.

The play sees storyteller Richardson reflect on her childhood memories in West Cumbria, guiding the audience through her hometown's rural landscape and environment.

Jen Garrick, CEO of Rosehill, said: "We’re thrilled to be launching Theatre Frontier at Rosehill this May.

"Not only are we bringing world-class contemporary theatre to West Cumbria - some of it written right here on the West Coast - we're also excited for our community to get involved in the accessible and affordable interactive workshops included in the festival programme."

Theatre Frontier aims to be an festival dedicated to promoting theatre and arts opportunities within the community.

Rosehill aims to welcome audiences and participants from across Cumbria, encouraging emerging talent from the West Coast’s amateur dramatics community.

Events taking place during Theatre Frontier are as follows.

'A Beginners Guide to Widowhood' (Image: Supplied) 'A Beginners Guide to Widowhood', described as a "powerful one-woman show exploring widowhood with wit, warmth, and honesty, navigating bad advice, sympathetic head tilts, and the ‘W’ word."

The show, which has an age guidance of 14 and over, is set to take place on Saturday, May 10, at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £14 or £10 for concessions.

Emma Rydal, professional actor, will lead an acting masterclass (Image: Supplied) An 'Acting Masterclass with Emma Rydal' will see Rydal, a seasoned professional actor with more than 25 years of experience in television, theatre, and radio, lead an acting masterclass.

The show is set to take place on Wednesday, May 14, at 6.30pm, with tickets costing £10.

'Local' is a multi-generational play by Liz Richardson. 

Liz Richardson, West Cumbrian playwright (Image: Supplied) Richardson aims to takes the audience on a journey through the rural landscape and environment of her home, "reconnecting with voices from the past and her young family now."

The show, which has an age guidance of 14 and over, will take place on Thursday, May 15, at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £14, or £10 for concessions.

'The Forge Festival Showcase' will see early career artists with connections to Cumbria share a range of different works, including theatre, contemporary dance, spoken word, poetry.

The show, with an age guidance of 14 and over, is scheduled for Friday, May 16, at 2pm.

Tickets cost £5.

There will also be a 'Theatre Writing Workshop', where Richardson, a Cumbrian-born theatre maker and performer, and Amy Hailwood, a Manchester-based theatre maker and director, will lead an informal evening on contemporary writing.

This event will take place on Saturday, May 17, at 7pm.

Tickets for the show, which has an age guidance of 16 and over, cost £20.

'Play in a Day', described as a "unique celebration of our vibrant performance communities" is set to take place on Saturday, May 17, at 10.30am

Tickets for this show, with an age guidance of 14 and over, cost £15.

Tickets for all the events are on sale now and can be purchased at rosehilltheatre.co.uk.

Alternatively, get tickets by calling the box office on 01946 692422 between 1pm and 4pm, Thursday and Friday, or attend in person from one hour before the event.