Noises off in Keswick, Ipswich, Hornchurch... and Luxembourg

Having a deliberately terrible time, on stage and off: the cast of 'Noises Off'

Classsic British farce Noises Off arrives at Keswick's Theatre By The Lake this month (June 25-July 26), in a co-production with the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch, and... the Theatres de la Ville de Luxembourg.

Director Douglas Rintoul explains the unusual continental connection for a quintessentially British knock-about farce about a catastrophic touring theatre company: "I was an associate director on a co-production with theatres in London, Paris, Madrid and Luxembourg and got to know the Luxembourg theatre very well.

"The head of the place has a real love of English-language productions - especially those that are distinctly British, like Noises Off. So that’s how Luxembourg got involved.

"It’s especially meaningful now, post-Brexit, to be collaborating with a European partner. For this show, Clio Van Aerde, a designer from Luxembourg, joined the team - her first time designing in the UK. She trained in Austria and brings a unique, Germanic theatre perspective. That fresh viewpoint was invaluable; it let us see the play anew."

Douglas also explained why both Theatre By The Lake and Stephen Joseph Theatre over in Scarborough are staging completely different productions of the play within weeks of each other (it's in Scarborough August 9-September 6). The simple answer being "because they can".

"The rights to perform it have at last become available," he explained. "The rights were previously tied-up with a long-running production that toured for years. When that ended a window opened... and we jumped on it.

"It’s a technically demanding show, but I love that. The writing is meticulous — so smart. It’s as demanding as Shakespeare, just in a different way. Like Shakespeare, the more you engage with it, the more you see. I keep adding things in as I go; little discoveries that come from watching it again and again. That process of unlocking the brilliance of the text is what I love most."

More info and tickets here. Read about the Scarborough production here