DRAMA, music, spoken word, comedy and film all play a major part of the Old Laundry Theatre’s autumn season.

Opening on Wednesday, September 3, with Much Ado About Nothing courtesy of Shakespeare’s Globe (outdoors at Blackwell), the much-awaited Old Laundry programme has several gems tucked up its theatrical sleeve.

Renowned playwright Alan Bennett’s Untold Stories makes its north west premiere at the Old Laundry, Bowness venue, headlining its season for three weeks, from Thursday, September 11.

A touching and highly personal piece of work, Untold Stories - which stars Christian Rodska as Alan Bennett - received great acclaim at the National Theatre and in the West End. With music by George Fenton, the production includes two touching and funny autobiographical memoirs Hymn and Cocktail Sticks, which sees Alan recalling the music of his youth and exploring with great hilarity the lives and ‘final years’ of his parents.

Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s Stephen Joseph Theatre brings another world premiere to the stage with the noble knight of theatre’s Roundelay, running at Bowness from November 4.

To mark his 75th birthday year, the noble knight of theatre has created a confectionary assortment of five related short plays, each with differing flavours and colours to be played in no particular order. Apparently, there are 120 possibilities as to which order they can be performed. Yet another Ayckbourn adventure.

More highlights on the theatrical front include the spine-tingling A Dark and Stormy Night on October 17/18, which explores masterworks from Charles Dickens and M R James; and the award-winning North Country Theatre drops into the Old Laundry on October 30 with its adaption of the novel and screenplay A Month in the Country.

Mischief Theatre, winner of the Spirit of the Edinburgh Fringe 2013 accolade, is also in the programme staging its improvised movie production live on stage: Lights! Camera! Action! An interactive piece of theatre, it lets the audience choose the genre, location and title while the talented cast improvise a breath-taking movie complete with pauses, rewinds, cuts and hilarious dvd extras.

And it would’nt be an Old Laundry season without the burgeoning young acting talents from the extremely popular London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Performances this year include The Laramie Project - a production which explores a true story of intolerance, hope and love in small town America; Mortal Ash – an engaging play set in Yorkshire in the 1990s exploring youth and life and community; and The English Game – a comedy about a cricket team with a hilarious array of characters trying to get along, united only by their obsession of the sport.

Billed too is a laugh out loud kids’ show from The People’s Theatre - Old Macdonald had a Farm on October 29, a captivating tale where it seems that some of the animals have gone missing and the audience need to help get them back. Also for children is an introduction to classical music with the wonderful Ensemble 360, which brings music alive with their stories of Crazy Creatures (November 24).

For lovers of folk music, the Old Laundry presents three of the best acts on the circuit in a new mini festival - Blazin’ Fiddles take to the stage on October 10 with their fiery blend of fiddle players, keyboard and guitar. Taking top slot on October 11, Karen Matheson, the unmistakable voice of Capercaillie and one of Scotland’s foremost female singers, performs a solo show. And the New Rope String Band takes over the theatre on October 13 with superb musicianship as well as slapstick comic genius.

An added bonus this year is a mini classical music festival. Peter Cropper and his formidable musician friends Martin Roscoe, Moray Welsh and Martin Cropper will perform a programme of favourite Beethoven chamber music on November 21, Ensemble 360 presents a glorious programme of chamber music by Dvorak, Mozart and Spohr on November 23, and pianist Tim Horton, resident virtuoso of Music in the Round’s Ensemble 360, performs three Beethoven sonatas on November 22.

On November 20, the theatre turns cinema for the Cumbria Short Film Competition, showcasing some of the best short films made in Cumbria.

Finally, back by popular demand is Interactive Theatre International, which returns to Bowness on December 4/5/6 with Faulty Towers the Dining Experience - a two-hour eat, drink and laugh sensation.

Box office 08445-040604.