Alan Ayckbourn’s new play, Welcome to the Family, is now running at the Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere, until 27 May 2023.

Welcome to the Family is Alan Ayckbourn’s 88th play and his second to have its world premiere at the theatre-in-the-round venue in the Lake District.

Welcome to the Family centres on Josh, who is keen to introduce his fiancée Sara to his parents – Lord and Lady Meizner; but as they are deceased, this might previously have posed a problem. Enter Josh’s wicked Uncle Lance, who has gifted him a state-of-the-art ‘Capture’ enabling him to revisit his family & family home whenever he likes.

But as celebratory champagne flows, family secrets are also about to spilled in this new comedy.

Alan Ayckbourn describes the play as a “light-hearted piece, but it has a dark shadow of how we see the past and how others see us, it’s a sort of fable.” He’s also delighted to be back at The Old Laundry, which he has been patron of since it opened in 1992.

The company features Antony Eden, as Josh, Tanya-Loretta Dee as his fiancée, Sara Coote, Terence Booth as Sir Peter Meizner, Caroline Langrishe as Vivica, Lady Meizner and Bill Champion as his uncle, Lance Meizner.

The production is directed by Alan Ayckbourn with designs by Roger Glossop, costumes by Rebecca Cartwright and lighting by Jason Taylor. It is being presented in-the-round.

Welcome to the Family is a world premiere exclusively for The Old Laundry Theatre and can only be seen at this venue, it is neither transferring nor touring so to be certain of seeing the playwright’s 88th play, a trip to the Lake District is in order.

Welcome to the Family can be seen at The Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-opn-Winderemere, until 27 May 2023. Tickets are priced from £20 and can be booked now at the box office and via the website www.oldlaundrytheatre.co.uk.

You can find out more about the play itself – including an interview with Alan Ayckbourn – in the Welcome to the Family section on Alan Ayckbourn’s official website by clicking here.