Eight actors have arrived in Keswick to begin rehearsals for Rogue Herries, a new stage adaptation of Hugh Walpole’s epic novel to be staged at Theatre by the Lake this spring.
Walpole inscribed the novel “in love of Cumberland” and his passion for the landscape is obvious in his writing. The actors wanted to experience Walpole’s beloved county for themselves, so took a whistle-stop tour of local beauty spots.
Andrew Vincent, who will play Francis ‘Rogue’ Herries, said, “it’s rare to get the opportunity to work somewhere so beautiful. The landscape is really important to the story of the show, so it’s great that we can see the real thing rather than just pictures. And it’s impossible to stay indoors when this view is right outside!”
The actors were also helped into character by a talk from Andrew Warner, a Head Ranger with the National Trust, about life in Keswick in the 1700s. Rogue Herries is set between 1730 and 1774 and features real-life events, including the siege of Carlisle.