The Farmer's Wife Community Cast Callout - Theatre by the Lake

Closing date: Fri 26 Jun. Full information can be found here.

We're looking for a community cast of women to work alongside our professional acting company in bringing to life The Farmers Wife (18 Sep - 10 Oct), a new play by Hannah Khalil, inspired by the memoir by Helen Rebanks, directed by TBTL's Artistic Director Liz Stevenson. In The Farmer's Wife, one day holds a lifetime. Three generations of women from the same family - a daughter, a mother, and a grandmother - share a kitchen, their stories overlapping as the past and present sit side by side.

Animals need feeding. The bills need paying. The forms need filling in. The meals need cooking. The vet needs calling. The list never ends.

At the centre of it all is one woman, holding everything together and beginning to wonder how much longer she can.

Inspired by Helen Rebanks' Sunday Times best-selling memoir and shaped by the voices of women in farming across Cumbria, this new play captures both the beauty and the weight of a life rooted in the land.

By turns honest, moving and surprising, The Farmers' Wife is a story of resilience and community in a changing world.

If you

• Are female identifying
• Are aged 16+
• Would like to work alongside professional actors, director, and creative team and be part of this brand new production on our main stage this autumn

then we'd love to hear from you - please fill out this form to apply

Key Info

• You'll have to live in or be local to Keswick.
• You must be available on either Saturday 4 July or Monday 6 July (evening) for a workshop session, during which you'll meet some of the team, do some simple (but fun!) work on the show to give you an idea of the community involvement in the production, and find out more about the play.
• You must be available on Saturday 15 August for a pre-rehearsal workshop

Rehearsals will take place on

• Tuesday 18 August - 6pm - 9pm
• Tuesday 25 August - 6pm - 9pm
• Tuesday 1 September - 6pm - 9pm
• Tuesday 8 September - 6pm - 9pm
• Either Friday 11 (afternoon) or Saturday 12 September (morning)
• Technical rehearsals - TBC but likely to be Thursday 17 & Friday 18 September

You won't be required to perform in every show during the run, but must have good availability between Tuesday 18 August - Saturday 10 October for rehearsals and shows

• Please note the show run includes weekends.
• The deadline for applications is Friday 26 June.
• Casting workshops will take place on Saturday 4 July and Monday 6 July (you won't be required for both of these)

We seek to cast performers who represent the world around us and welcome applications from people who identify as LGBTQI+, deaf and disabled, belonging to the global majority or neurodiverse.

If you'd like further information or would like to have an informal chat about the production, please contact our Assistant Producer, Claire Dunk, at