TURN back the clock more than 30 years to Keswick and the legendary Century Theatre's Blue Box.

Working as an office assistant was Emma Rydal, who soon after was inspired to tread the boards herself and left for the bright lights of London.

"I loved working there," recalls Emma, who is back in the Keswick spotlight next week as actor and writer of Soaked at Theatre by the Lake.

"There were some real characters and everyone was so friendly. I felt so at home. I wasn’t a very good office assistant, so was often given jobs like watering the plants. One of my favourite tasks was archiving all the old photos. It was really interesting. I found photos of Lawrence Olivier 'blacking up' for Othello and pictures of Tom Courtenay in Charley’s Aunt when they were on the road with the Blue Box."

Emma burst on to the big screen in 1999 as Stella Moorhouse in the BAFTA-winning movie East is East which catapulted her career into some major roles, including starring in television soap Coronation Street.

"It was very exciting. I was on a roll but it did come with highs and lows. Luckily I had some good friends around me who helped keep my feet on the ground. I loved going from audition to audition often meeting with the same actors for roles. I got to know Maxine Peake this way as we were down to the last two for the part of Twinkle in Dinnerladies. We’re still friends now, and it’s funny to think we used to go for the same parts. How things have changed."

After success in London Emma headed back to Cumbria, became a mother and began her playwriting career. Her debut hit, True, chronicled a volatile mother and daughter relationship and won several awards.

"It was quite by accident. I wrote a monologue about being a mother as the whole experience was quite mind blowing for me, and I thought ‘this could become a play’ and with a lot of work it did. I managed to get into the 24.7 Theatre Festival in Manchester where we won two awards. I was amazed."

As for Soaked, a comedy with an underlying message about over indulging and having a touch too many tipples, Emma says she

didn’t realise how funny it was until they started performing it: "Maybe there’s some nervous laughter in there as so many people recognise the situations the characters get themselves into. I think we all need to cut loose at times but the nation's obsession with 'wine o' clock' is getting out of hand, with clothes, coasters and signs all encouraging us to imbibe. The government tells us to drink sensibly but then allows so much marketing to encourage us to partake, and the fruity ciders which we now have are aimed at the young which is worrying. I’m no saint though and don’t stand in judgement."

Emma's vino-laden tale tells of Imogen and Rich (played by Emma and Toby Gaffney) who don’t care if the glass is half full or half empty, as long as there’s wine in it, that’s what’s important. It’s how they unwind, how they party, how they cope with the stresses of life when you’ve got young children and high powered jobs. But after 20 years of drinking to excess, Imogen is having second thoughts and tired of waking up with an unexplained bruise, tired of beating herself up when she’s drunk too much. Basically, tired of being tired.

Emma gained a BA (Hons) in Performance Arts at Middlesex University in 1994 and went on to start a successful acting career in theatre, television and radio, which as well as Corrie and East is East, included Mikey in Kay Mellor's popular TV series Playing the Field. Recently she took the role of Celia in Sky One's Stella.

In 2011 Emma formed Laal Marra Productions and is producing Soaked in collaboration with Whitehaven's Rosehill Theatre.

Emma returns to home turf for a six night run with Soaked at Theatre by the Lake from Monday until Saturday, August 6-11 (7.30pm).

So, is she excited?

"Yes I am, but with a few nerves too. I have attended every summer season since returning to Cumbria admiring the quality of the actors on stage, and now I’m going to be up there. It’s frighteningly wonderful."

Box office 017687-74411.