The beginnings
In 1991 Roger Glossop, a set designer, and Charlotte Scott, producer and stage manager, bought a redundant Edwardian Laundry in the centre of Bowness-on-Windermere, with the intention of designing and building The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. But the award-winning Attraction left plenty of space empty and the couple soon realised it could provide a perfect fit for a theatre.
Roger said: “The Beatrix Potter exhibition wasn’t big enough to fill the whole building, and one day I suddenly had an epiphany. I had been working with Alan Ayckbourn at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough and noticed that the space we had left would make a similarly perfect Theatre-in -the-Round. I phoned Alan to ask 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.”
Sir Alan Ayckbourn officially opened the Old Laundry Theatre on Friday 28 August 1992. Victoria Wood had officially opened The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction (which shares a building with the Theatre) the year before.
Despite the success of the Old Laundry Theatre and their background in performing arts, neither Charlotte or Roger had ever envisaged they would one day be running their own theatre. Charlotte said: “We definitely didn’t set out to run a theatre, it just happened. It was almost fate the way the empty space was a perfect fit for a 270-seat theatre in the round. And we also didn’t realise how perfect the acoustics would be in the building until the first musicians took to the stage. Everything has just fallen into place, it’s like the theatre found us. Looking back now, we both say that we wouldn’t dare do it again. We were naïve and just flew in and went for it. The most poignant memory for me over the past 30 years has to be the opening night. The paint was still wet and as guests were entering the theatre I noticed the decorators leaving up the hill with paint pouring out the back of the truck. From deciding to build the theatre to opening was only a few months. It was very rushed.”
Three Decades of Stars, Stories and Support
Over the past three decades, the Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness has welcomed a host of famous names from Alan Carr and Jenny Eclair to Victoria Wood and Sue Perkins. And along with an impressive star-studded list of trustees, husband and wife Roger Glossop and Charlotte Scott name one of the country’s most famous playwrights as the inspiration behind the theatre’s creation. Roger explains: “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.”
Alan Ayckbourn
"What a joy it is to be part of The Old Laundry season. Our visits are one of the high spots of my year! Opening the Old Laundry was a considerable achievement, speaking as one who has been closely involved in the opening of a couple of theatres here, can confirm. But believe me, opening a theatre is one thing; to keep it going successfully for over 30 years is quite another. The formula for running an enterprise like the Old Laundry is 30 per cent artistic flair, 30 per cent love and 30 per cent sheer bloody determination in the face of unhelpful petty officialdom. On top of that you probably need a 10 per cent sprinkling of good fortune. Roger and Lottie and their dedicated theatre team have displayed all that over the decades. Long may our twin, that jewel in the South Lakes flourish!"
The pair’s close working relationship continues to this day, with Sir Alan having stuck to his word and sent a play to be performed almost every year since. Alan Ayckbourn is one of the world's most successful and performed living playwrights. Charlotte explains: “Alan helps the seasons to pulse along, he has a very big fan base and there is always a great buzz around his shows. He has written over 90 plays now, and we are very lucky he has kept his promise and sent a new one almost every season.”
Sustained by Passion and Friendship
Over the years, the Old Laundry Theatre relied largely on The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction's support to keep the theatre going. Roger said: “Someone once said to me, ‘if you lose money every year and don’t make any profits, why do you do it?’ And my answer to him was ‘because we have a passion for it’. “Theatres are closing down everywhere at the moment so we count ourselves lucky to be in the privileged position of running a theatre.”
Roger and Charlotte also attribute their success to the unwavering support of many of their well-known friends. Charlotte explains: “We are lucky to have had many fantastic trustees over the years such as Victoria Wood, Griff Rhys Jones, Alan Rickman and, of course, Alan Ayckbourn. Victoria Wood supported the theatre for many years and held many benefits to help raise our profile. We have had lots of great support.”
With that in mind, Charlotte and Roger have always been keen to look forward and focus on planning for the Theatre’s future. Victoria Wood’s long-standing friendships, love of the Lake District and close connection to The Old Laundry Theatre has come full circle, as the theatre is now renamed THE VICTORIA WOOD THEATRE in honour of the much loved and talented star, who will continue to shine brightly. Charlotte and Roger could not have wished for a more fitting name change for their theatre. Victoria had opened the venue, was a Trustee of the theatre, performed there many times, produced and directed her own show Talent (2008) there, and in 2013 her television film Housewife 49 was adapted for the stage especially for The Old Laundry Theatre.