List of Past Productions
To see more about a production, including cast and photos, please click the link within its name.
Currently, this is only available for more recent productions, but the archives are being built.
If you have any photos of past productions, and you're happy for them to appear on this site, we'd love to hear from you! Please use the form on the 'Contact' page to get in touch.
1938
Distinguished Gathering — James Parish
1939
Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
1940
Two one-act plays to entertain the troops:
Hiss the Villain – A R Taylor
Heaven and Earth — W E Cussons
1942
The Day of Visitation — H Birkett (OU member)
1945
Arms and the Man – G B Shaw
Hedda Gabler — Henrik Ibsen
1946
The Same Old Story — H Birkett (OU member)
Torridon Track
Penelope
1947
A Murder Has Been Arranged — Emyln Williams
Granite — Clemence Dane
1948
Without the Prince — Philip King
Robert’s Wife — Sir John Irvine
1949
Outward Bound — Sutton Vane
The Gleam — Chetham Strode
1950
See How They Run — Philip King
None So Blind — Joe Haldemon
British Drama League North of England Finals, Liverpool: A Bed for Her Majesty (written by an OU member)
1951
Blithe Spirit — Noel Coward
Gaslight — Patrick Hamilton
1952
Dear Brutus — J M Barrie
The Happiest Days of Your Life — John Dighton
1953
On Monday Next — Philip King
Harvey — Mary Chase
1954
The White Sheep of the Family — L du Garde Peach & Ian Hay
The Gioconda Smile — Aldous Huxley
The House by the Lake — Hugh Mills
1955
The Heiress (based on Washington Square) — Henry James
Toad of Toad Hall — A A Milne
British Drama League North of England Drama Finals: A Privy Council — Dury and Price (OU members)
1956
Present Laughter — Noel Coward
Rose and the Ring — W Makepeace
1957
The Silver Curlew — Eleanor Farjeon
British Drama League Festival, Ulverston: Sand — Gweneth Jones (OU member)
1958
The Cure for Love — W Greenwood
Dear Charles — Alan Melville
1959
Book of the Month
A Past for Henry
1960
The Secret Tent — Elizabeth Addyman
When We Are Married — J B Priestley
The Wilnslow Boy — Terence Rattigan
1961
As Long As They’re Happy — J Lee Thompson
Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
1962
Busman’s Honeymoon — Dorothy L Sayers
Trial and Error — Rod Harrel
1963
A Letter from the General — M McLoughlin
Nude with Violin — Noel Coward
1964
Before the Party — Rodney Ackland (from a short story by Somerset Maughan)
The Bride and the Bachelor — Ronald Miller
1965
Bonaventure — Charlotte Hastings
1966
Woman in a Dressing Gown — Ted Willis
Farewell, Farewell Eugene — John Vari
1967
The Chalk Garden — Enid Bagnold
Rape of the Belt — Benn Levy
The End of a Fairy Tale — Violet Rutter (OU member)
The Monkey’s Paw — W W Jacob (OU member) (Recorded for Furness Soundtrack Club)
1968
The Shop at Sly Corner — Edward Percy Smith
The Happy Marriage
1969
Trap for a Lonely Man — Robert Thomas
Let’s Get a Divorce — A & R Goldsby
1970
Breath of Spring — Peter Coke
Haul for the Shore — Jean McConnell
1971
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie — Muriel Spark
Blithe Spirit — Noel Coward
1972
Double Dealers — Margaret Wood
Black Comedy — Peter Shaffer
Lock Up Your Daughters — Henry Fielding
1973
Queen and the Rebels — Ugo Bettie
The Importance of Being Earnest — Oscar Wilde
1974
Up Cumbria (collection of sketches)
1975
Hobson’s Choice — H Brighouse
Fun, Fear & Frolic — three one-act plays written by OU members, touring Coniston, Ulverston, Hawkshead and Lindale:
No Man’s Land — Nina Hook
The Monkey’s Paw — W W Jacobs
Babes in the Wood — V C Baddley
1976
Ten Little Niggers — Agatha Christie
Brush with a Body — M McLoughlin
1977
The Anniversary — Bill MacIlwraith
1978
Sweeney Todd the Barber — Brian J Burton
Sailor Beware — Philip King & Falkland Cary (touring)
Tales of Myth and Magic (sketches and short pieces, written by OU members)
1979
Table Manners — Alan Ayckbourn
Move over Mrs Markham — Ray Cooney & John Chapman
1980
When We Are Married — J B Priestley
Absurd Person Singular — Alan Ayckbourn
British Drama Festival one-act plays: Gosforth’s Fete — Alan Ayckbourn
Hornby one-act festival, three plays by OU members:
Bugger the Blue Eyes —Faynia Wilcox
Backlog — Joe Richards
Have You Met Our Rabbit — Michael Stevens
The Hollow Crown — John Barton (Ulverston Parish Church)
1981
The Miracle Worker — William Gibson
All-England Theatre Festival, Ulverston: Lunch Hour — John Mortimer (OU member)
1982
Habeus Corpus — Alan Bennett
All-England Theatre Festival, Ulverston: George — David Fidler (OU member)
Just Between Ourselves — Alan Ayckbourn
1983
Not Now Darling — Ray Cooney & John Chapman
Cabaret — Kander & Ebb
Hornby Drama Festival: Incident — David Campton (OU member)
1984
Present Laughter — Noel Coward
Outside Edge — Richard Harris
1985
Educating Rita — Willie Russell (touring South Lakes)
Middle Aged Spread — Roger Hall
Chicago — Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse
1986
Educating Rita — Willie Russell (toured Kendal and Bath)
All-England Theatre Festival, Ulverston: With All My Love I Hate You — Lynda Marchal (OU member)
California Suite — Neil Simon
Private Lives — Noel Coward
1987
Comedy of Errors — Shakespeare
The Accrington Pals — Peter Whelan
All England One-Act Festival, Grange:
Redeeming Factors — John Eccleston (OU member)
Cucullus Non Facit Monachum — John Eccleston & Julie Hartley (OU members)
1988
Loot — Joe Orton
Act of Coarse Acting — Michael Green (OU member)
1989
Twelfth Night — Shakespeare
The Crucible — Arthur Miller
1990
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Shakespeare
One for the Road — Willie Russell
A Chorus of Disapproval — Alan Ayckbourn
1991
Hamlet — Shakespeare
Stepping Out — Richard Harris
The Diary of Adrian Mole — Sue Townsend
1992
Macbeth — Shakespeare
Noises Off — Michael Frayn
1993
Tartuffe — Moliere
Loot — Joe Orton
(Barrow Sixth Form College & Theatre in the Forest)
Blue Remembered Hills — Dennis Potter
Black Comedy — Peter Shaffer
1994
As You Like It — Shakespeare
Toad of Toad Hall — A A Milne
1995
Liasons Dangereuses — C Hampton
Stepping Out — Richard Harris (touring)
Two Into One — Ray Cooney
1996
Run for Your Wife — Ray Cooney
1997
When We Are Married — J B Priestley
The Three Musketeers — Willis Hall
1998
Communicating Doors — Alan Ayckbourn
Lysistrata — Aristophanes
1999
Red Peppers and Still Life — Noel Coward (touring: Ulverston, Morecambe, Hawkshead)
All England One-Act Festival, Grange and Oldham: Red Peppers — Noel Coward
All England One-Act Festival, Grange: The Waiting Room
Under Milk Wood — Dylan Thomas (rehearsed reading)
Funny Money — Ray Cooney
2000
All England One-Act Festival, Grange: In By the Half — Jimmy Chinn (OU member)
Blithe Spirit — Noel Coward
Cider with Rosie – Laurie Lee (rehearsed reading)
Women of No Importance — Oscar Wilde
The Iron Road (tribute to the Furness Railway)
2001
Travels with my Aunt — Graham Greene (rehearsed reading)
Season’s Greetings — Alan Ayckbourn
2002
Cherry Orchard — Anton Chekov
Allo Allo — Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft
Fox and the Fells — Richard Rowlatt (OU member) (at Swarthmoor Hall)
2003
She Stoops to Conquer — O Goldsmith
The Real Thing — Tom Stoppard
Pub scripts evenings, then touring: Last Bus to Barnsley — John Peel (OU member)
2004
Night of January 16th — Ayn Rand
Sylvia — A R Gurney
2005
Hindle Wakes — S Houghton
Dad’s Army — Jim Perry and David Croft
2006
Abigail’s Party — Mike Leigh
Lady in the Van – Alan Bennett
2007
Improbable Fiction — Alan Ayckbourn
Blood Brothers — Willie Russell
2008
Arsenic and Old Lace — J Kesselring
2009
Fawlty Towers (The Hotel Inspector / Communication Problems / Waldorf Salad) — John Cleese and Connie Booth
Nude with Violin — Noel Coward
2010
An Inspector Calls — J B Priestley
The Admirable Crichton — J M Barrie
Cumbria Drama Festival, Grange: The Hotel Inspector — John Cleese and Connie Booth
2011
Brassed Off — M Herman
Pass the Butler — Eric Idle
2012
Pygmalion — G B Shaw
Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime — David Tristram
Calendar Girls — Tim Firth
2013
My Boy Jack — D Haig
God of Carnage — Yasmina Reza
Steel Magnolias — R Harling
2014
The Government Inspector — N Gogol
Breezeblock Park — Willie Russell
The Accrington Pals — Peter Whelan
2015
Fawlty Towers (A Touch of Class / The Builders / Gourmet Night) — John Cleese and Connie Booth
In the Park with Alice — Brainerd Duffield (an outdoor production in Lightburn Park, Ulverston)
Time of My Life — Alan Ayckbourn
2016
Twelfth Night — William Shakespeare
I Hate Hamlet — Paul Rudnick
2017
The Importance of Being Earnest — Oscar Wilde
All My Sons — Arthur Miller
To see more about a production, including cast and photos, please click the link within its name.
Currently, this is only available for more recent productions, but the archives are being built.
If you have any photos of past productions, and you're happy for them to appear on this site, we'd love to hear from you! Please use the form on the 'Contact' page to get in touch.
1938
Distinguished Gathering — James Parish
1939
Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
1940
Two one-act plays to entertain the troops:
Hiss the Villain – A R Taylor
Heaven and Earth — W E Cussons
1942
The Day of Visitation — H Birkett (OU member)
1945
Arms and the Man – G B Shaw
Hedda Gabler — Henrik Ibsen
1946
The Same Old Story — H Birkett (OU member)
Torridon Track
Penelope
1947
A Murder Has Been Arranged — Emyln Williams
Granite — Clemence Dane
1948
Without the Prince — Philip King
Robert’s Wife — Sir John Irvine
1949
Outward Bound — Sutton Vane
The Gleam — Chetham Strode
1950
See How They Run — Philip King
None So Blind — Joe Haldemon
British Drama League North of England Finals, Liverpool: A Bed for Her Majesty (written by an OU member)
1951
Blithe Spirit — Noel Coward
Gaslight — Patrick Hamilton
1952
Dear Brutus — J M Barrie
The Happiest Days of Your Life — John Dighton
1953
On Monday Next — Philip King
Harvey — Mary Chase
1954
The White Sheep of the Family — L du Garde Peach & Ian Hay
The Gioconda Smile — Aldous Huxley
The House by the Lake — Hugh Mills
1955
The Heiress (based on Washington Square) — Henry James
Toad of Toad Hall — A A Milne
British Drama League North of England Drama Finals: A Privy Council — Dury and Price (OU members)
1956
Present Laughter — Noel Coward
Rose and the Ring — W Makepeace
1957
The Silver Curlew — Eleanor Farjeon
British Drama League Festival, Ulverston: Sand — Gweneth Jones (OU member)
1958
The Cure for Love — W Greenwood
Dear Charles — Alan Melville
1959
Book of the Month
A Past for Henry
1960
The Secret Tent — Elizabeth Addyman
When We Are Married — J B Priestley
The Wilnslow Boy — Terence Rattigan
1961
As Long As They’re Happy — J Lee Thompson
Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
1962
Busman’s Honeymoon — Dorothy L Sayers
Trial and Error — Rod Harrel
1963
A Letter from the General — M McLoughlin
Nude with Violin — Noel Coward
1964
Before the Party — Rodney Ackland (from a short story by Somerset Maughan)
The Bride and the Bachelor — Ronald Miller
1965
Bonaventure — Charlotte Hastings
1966
Woman in a Dressing Gown — Ted Willis
Farewell, Farewell Eugene — John Vari
1967
The Chalk Garden — Enid Bagnold
Rape of the Belt — Benn Levy
The End of a Fairy Tale — Violet Rutter (OU member)
The Monkey’s Paw — W W Jacob (OU member) (Recorded for Furness Soundtrack Club)
1968
The Shop at Sly Corner — Edward Percy Smith
The Happy Marriage
1969
Trap for a Lonely Man — Robert Thomas
Let’s Get a Divorce — A & R Goldsby
1970
Breath of Spring — Peter Coke
Haul for the Shore — Jean McConnell
1971
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie — Muriel Spark
Blithe Spirit — Noel Coward
1972
Double Dealers — Margaret Wood
Black Comedy — Peter Shaffer
Lock Up Your Daughters — Henry Fielding
1973
Queen and the Rebels — Ugo Bettie
The Importance of Being Earnest — Oscar Wilde
1974
Up Cumbria (collection of sketches)
1975
Hobson’s Choice — H Brighouse
Fun, Fear & Frolic — three one-act plays written by OU members, touring Coniston, Ulverston, Hawkshead and Lindale:
No Man’s Land — Nina Hook
The Monkey’s Paw — W W Jacobs
Babes in the Wood — V C Baddley
1976
Ten Little Niggers — Agatha Christie
Brush with a Body — M McLoughlin
1977
The Anniversary — Bill MacIlwraith
1978
Sweeney Todd the Barber — Brian J Burton
Sailor Beware — Philip King & Falkland Cary (touring)
Tales of Myth and Magic (sketches and short pieces, written by OU members)
1979
Table Manners — Alan Ayckbourn
Move over Mrs Markham — Ray Cooney & John Chapman
1980
When We Are Married — J B Priestley
Absurd Person Singular — Alan Ayckbourn
British Drama Festival one-act plays: Gosforth’s Fete — Alan Ayckbourn
Hornby one-act festival, three plays by OU members:
Bugger the Blue Eyes —Faynia Wilcox
Backlog — Joe Richards
Have You Met Our Rabbit — Michael Stevens
The Hollow Crown — John Barton (Ulverston Parish Church)
1981
The Miracle Worker — William Gibson
All-England Theatre Festival, Ulverston: Lunch Hour — John Mortimer (OU member)
1982
Habeus Corpus — Alan Bennett
All-England Theatre Festival, Ulverston: George — David Fidler (OU member)
Just Between Ourselves — Alan Ayckbourn
1983
Not Now Darling — Ray Cooney & John Chapman
Cabaret — Kander & Ebb
Hornby Drama Festival: Incident — David Campton (OU member)
1984
Present Laughter — Noel Coward
Outside Edge — Richard Harris
1985
Educating Rita — Willie Russell (touring South Lakes)
Middle Aged Spread — Roger Hall
Chicago — Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse
1986
Educating Rita — Willie Russell (toured Kendal and Bath)
All-England Theatre Festival, Ulverston: With All My Love I Hate You — Lynda Marchal (OU member)
California Suite — Neil Simon
Private Lives — Noel Coward
1987
Comedy of Errors — Shakespeare
The Accrington Pals — Peter Whelan
All England One-Act Festival, Grange:
Redeeming Factors — John Eccleston (OU member)
Cucullus Non Facit Monachum — John Eccleston & Julie Hartley (OU members)
1988
Loot — Joe Orton
Act of Coarse Acting — Michael Green (OU member)
1989
Twelfth Night — Shakespeare
The Crucible — Arthur Miller
1990
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Shakespeare
One for the Road — Willie Russell
A Chorus of Disapproval — Alan Ayckbourn
1991
Hamlet — Shakespeare
Stepping Out — Richard Harris
The Diary of Adrian Mole — Sue Townsend
1992
Macbeth — Shakespeare
Noises Off — Michael Frayn
1993
Tartuffe — Moliere
Loot — Joe Orton
(Barrow Sixth Form College & Theatre in the Forest)
Blue Remembered Hills — Dennis Potter
Black Comedy — Peter Shaffer
1994
As You Like It — Shakespeare
Toad of Toad Hall — A A Milne
1995
Liasons Dangereuses — C Hampton
Stepping Out — Richard Harris (touring)
Two Into One — Ray Cooney
1996
Run for Your Wife — Ray Cooney
1997
When We Are Married — J B Priestley
The Three Musketeers — Willis Hall
1998
Communicating Doors — Alan Ayckbourn
Lysistrata — Aristophanes
1999
Red Peppers and Still Life — Noel Coward (touring: Ulverston, Morecambe, Hawkshead)
All England One-Act Festival, Grange and Oldham: Red Peppers — Noel Coward
All England One-Act Festival, Grange: The Waiting Room
Under Milk Wood — Dylan Thomas (rehearsed reading)
Funny Money — Ray Cooney
2000
All England One-Act Festival, Grange: In By the Half — Jimmy Chinn (OU member)
Blithe Spirit — Noel Coward
Cider with Rosie – Laurie Lee (rehearsed reading)
Women of No Importance — Oscar Wilde
The Iron Road (tribute to the Furness Railway)
2001
Travels with my Aunt — Graham Greene (rehearsed reading)
Season’s Greetings — Alan Ayckbourn
2002
Cherry Orchard — Anton Chekov
Allo Allo — Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft
Fox and the Fells — Richard Rowlatt (OU member) (at Swarthmoor Hall)
2003
She Stoops to Conquer — O Goldsmith
The Real Thing — Tom Stoppard
Pub scripts evenings, then touring: Last Bus to Barnsley — John Peel (OU member)
2004
Night of January 16th — Ayn Rand
Sylvia — A R Gurney
2005
Hindle Wakes — S Houghton
Dad’s Army — Jim Perry and David Croft
2006
Abigail’s Party — Mike Leigh
Lady in the Van – Alan Bennett
2007
Improbable Fiction — Alan Ayckbourn
Blood Brothers — Willie Russell
2008
Arsenic and Old Lace — J Kesselring
2009
Fawlty Towers (The Hotel Inspector / Communication Problems / Waldorf Salad) — John Cleese and Connie Booth
Nude with Violin — Noel Coward
2010
An Inspector Calls — J B Priestley
The Admirable Crichton — J M Barrie
Cumbria Drama Festival, Grange: The Hotel Inspector — John Cleese and Connie Booth
2011
Brassed Off — M Herman
Pass the Butler — Eric Idle
2012
Pygmalion — G B Shaw
Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime — David Tristram
Calendar Girls — Tim Firth
2013
My Boy Jack — D Haig
God of Carnage — Yasmina Reza
Steel Magnolias — R Harling
2014
The Government Inspector — N Gogol
Breezeblock Park — Willie Russell
The Accrington Pals — Peter Whelan
2015
Fawlty Towers (A Touch of Class / The Builders / Gourmet Night) — John Cleese and Connie Booth
In the Park with Alice — Brainerd Duffield (an outdoor production in Lightburn Park, Ulverston)
Time of My Life — Alan Ayckbourn
2016
Twelfth Night — William Shakespeare
I Hate Hamlet — Paul Rudnick
2017
The Importance of Being Earnest — Oscar Wilde
All My Sons — Arthur Miller
