THE cutting-edge Roundabout theatre is set to return to Cumbria this autumn, this time pitching up in Grasmere.

This unusual modern theatre experience is the world’s first pop-up-and-plug-in theatre, and will be in place opposite the Heaton Cooper Studio from Thursday September 14 to Sunday 17.

It has previously hosted sold-out shows at the Brewery Arts Centre, in Kendal, and on its return to the county, it will once again host world class plays, comedy and spoken word performances.

Paines Plough are regarded as the national theatre of new writing, producing work from UK’s best and brightest young writers and performers and have taken the Roundabout to unusual locations across the country. They will curate this latest four-day programme in Grasmere, in September.

Black Mountain, a tense psychological thriller about betrayal and forgiveness by winner of the Harold Pinter Commission, Brad Birch, will kick off the visit with a performance on the Thursday evening, as well as appearances on the Saturday and Sunday.


Also appearing on the opening night will be award-winning stand-up comedian Alun Cochrane, who is a regular on TV panel shows 8 Out of 10 Cats and Mock The Week, as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Friday 15 sees the first performance of Sarah McDonald-Hughes' family-friendly play, How to Be a Kid - which has four showings throughout the event - and Elinor Cook's tale of friendship and rivalry, Out of Love, which appears a further two times on the programme.

In the evening, Henry Normal - co-writer of The Royle Family and producer of Gavin and Stacey and Alan Partridge - will be reading from his new collection of poems, Travelling Second Class Through Hope.

The Saturday evening guest is Cumbria Life columnist and respected TV and radio host Stuart Maconie, presenting his latest book about The Jarrow Marchers, with each of the three plays returning on the Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets for each event, and full details of each show are available at www.breweryarts.co.uk