Theatre by the Lake will stage their World Premiere production of A Little Princess, which is set to be a perfect Christmas treat for children age 6+ and their families. This new adaptation of the much-loved children’s classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden) will open on Fri 17 November and runs until Sun 7 January.

Journey with Sara Crewe as she travels from the freedom of a childhood in India to a boarding school in a cold dark corner of northern England. Just as she begins to build a brighter world for herself and her friends some devastating news arrives from home and her life takes a terrible turn.

Meanwhile, our storyteller, Ramdas, is on his way from faraway Shimla with a twist in the tale that could change everything. He must find the girl with a strong heart and a head full of wild imaginings before it’s too late.

With an array of memorable characters, original music and mesmerising puppetry, this truly magical tale will be brought to life on stage. Audiences can enjoy a wonderfully uplifting story about the power of imagination, friendship and triumph over adversity this Christmas at Theatre by the Lake.

The cast of nine features Genevieve Sabherwal (Around the World in 80 Days - York Theatre Royal/ UK No.1 tour, My Grandma's A Walrus - Southwark Playhouse) as Sara Crewe; Ronny Jhutti (The Caucasian Chalk Circle - Rose Theatre, Kingston, NW Trilogy - Kiln Theatre) as Ishan Ramdas; Natalie Blair (Spring and Port Wine - Octagon Theatre Bolton) as Ermengarde St John; Victoria Brazier (The Song of the Sytch - Claybody Theatre, A Midsummer Night's Dream - Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre/Storyhouse) as Amelia Minchin; Tori Burgess (Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera by Harry Hill + Steve Brown - West End + UK Tour, Pride & Prejudice* (*Sort Of) - Tron Theatre, West End + UK Tour) as Lavinia Smythe; Ella Dunlop (The Importance of Being Earnest & Much Ado About Nothing - UK Tour, in rep, Romeo and Juliet & Richard III - Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, in rep) as Lottie Leigh; Jonny McGarrity (Fu**ing Men - The King’s Head Theatre, London, The Full Monty - UK No.1 Tour) as Captn William Crewe & M. Charles Dufarge; Eve Pereira (Run To The Nuns - Riverside Studios, Saturnalia - Regional Tour) as Becky; Meriel Schofield (The Manchester Project – Monkeywood Theatre Company, Tom's Midnight Garden - Theatre by the Lake) as Maria Minchin.

The production will also feature a Youth Cast; 24 talented young performers from the local area (making up three companies of eight) will play the pupils of Miss Minchin's Academy for Young Ladies.

Artistic Director of Theatre by the Lake, Liz Stevenson (Every Brilliant Thing, The Beauty Queen of Leenane - Theatre by the Lake) directs this brand new production. “As a child I saw a film adaptation of A Little Princess at the cinema and it has stayed with me ever since. In 2017 I had a wonderful time directing The Secret Garden for Theatre by the Lake at Christmas and I remember thinking that one day I’d love to make a new production of Burnett’s other classic tale. Several years later, I’m thrilled to be directing Amanda’s new adaptation! It is a celebration of imagination, underpinned by the belief that stories can change the world. I can’t wait to work with this huge group of talented performers and creatives to share this story with our audiences at Christmas."

The creative team includes: Amanda Dalton, Writer (Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Sheffield Theatres and BBC Radio 4); Amanda Stoodley, Set and Costume Designer (Jekyll & Hyde - National Theatre, Nora: A Doll’s House - & Lyric, Soho &Traverse Theatres); Joshua Pharo, Lighting Designer (The Odyssey: The Underworld - National Theatre, Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play - Royal Exchange Manchester & Young Vic); Arun Ghosh, Sound Designer and Composer (Great Expectations - Royal Exchange Theatre, Lions and Tigers - Shakespeare’s Globe); Chi-San Howard, Movement Director (Harm - Bush Theatre, Living Newspaper Ed 5 - Royal Court); Marc Parrett, Puppet Director and Designer (Aardman Animations, BBC3), Melina Barnett, Associate Director, (Associate Artist of Theatre by the Lake, Associate Producer for Family Tree - Nationwide Tour) and Anindita Ghosh, Cultural Consultant.

Tickets are on sale and start from £12. Find out more and book tickets via the theatre’s Box Office on 017687 74411 or at theatrebythelake.com.