Theatre by the Lake presents the premiere of ‘Steel’

A town-wide treasure hunt for a million quid of lost railway and the wild hearts of two teenage boys, Steel is a new play by Lee Mattinson set in post-industrial West Cumbria

Workington is an ex-steel making town in West Cumbria where playwright Lee Mattinson was born and raised. ‘Steel’ is inspired by his experiences growing up, revisiting his hometown to set up a new choir and working with local groups. It is commissioned and produced by Theatre by the Lake (TBTL) and directed by TBTL Artistic Director Liz Stevenson. Steel is the headline production for Theatre by the Lake’s inaugural new writing festival, CumbriaFest. After its premiere at TBTL in Keswick, Steel takes its story into the community spaces of West Cumbria

Steel is set in the wet West Cumbrian coastal town of Workington which was once rich with coal seams and ore, carnivals and community. James and Kamran have been mates for over a decade, they are fed up with feeling different and at seventeen, would like the world to be theirs. However, Workington feels like a ghost town to them, with unemployment double the national average and ‘where lasses drink Bacardi by the pint and boys don’t cry’. 

Out of the blue, James and Kamran receive a strange phone call from ‘Lynn from London’, so they get a bus to a Café where James has arranged to meet her. Lynn informs him he is heir to one theoretical mile of the British Railway System, secured by his Great-Great-Great-Grandfather in 1903. If James can deliver the contract proving this to Lynn in time, she will pay James a million pounds. And so, the hunt begins for the lost contract in a flurry of remarkable wild characters, hidden history and first love.

James is played by Cumbrian-born Jordan Tweddle (‘Pillock’ - Shakespeare North/Contact Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe, BBC's First Homosexual - BBC and Inkbrew Productions and Coronation Street - ITV), with a UK theatre debut from Suraj Shah playing Kamran and the other characters.

Mattinson's experiences and upbringing in Workington form the inspiration behind ‘Steel’ with themes of post-industrial decline, LGBTQ+ identity, and a community hanging by a thread. Research and insights for the play included a workshop week at the National Theatre Studio and workshops with young people in West Cumbria.

Matt Applewhite, Nick Hern Books said: “Lee’s play is charming, compelling and laugh-out-loud funny, with two wonderful characters at the centre of it. Their quest to find the proverbial hidden treasure - the golden ticket - is hilarious and heartwarming, as well as exploring important issues of identity, family and community.”

Steel is the headline production for Theatre by the Lake’s inaugural new writing festival, CumbriaFest. With a focus on great stories created in and inspired by the county, CumbriaFest showcases the local theatre makers that TBTL have supported.

Steel is at Theatre by the Lake from Thurs 3 to Sun 19 October and then on tour. 

Lee Mattinson, playwright said: “In writing Steel I wanted to explore the experiences of two young men at odds with their small-town surroundings. We held workshops at local schools, youth theatre groups and through Anti Racist Cumbria to interrogate the reality of being young and West Cumbrian, where it became quickly clear how ‘dangerous’ it is to be different. A post-industrial fable quickly evolved, for which the naturally theatrical world of Workington – with the roaring sea on one side and the picturesque fells on the other – provided the perfect backdrop.”

Mark Melville is the composer and sound designer and is from Maryport, Cumbria. Melville worked with Mattinson, and a new community choir formed from a local callout for participants. Meeting on Wednesdays at the Carnegie Theatre and Arts Centre in Workington, collaborative workshops evolved ideas for an original song that was developed out of the stories from choir members. The song is part of the sound design for ‘Steel’. The play's tour will feature both recorded and live performances, with the live version culminating at the Carnegie.

Lee Mattinson, playwright said: “Working with the community choir to write a song for the end of a show has been a joy. Composer Mark Melville and I delivered a series of workshops designed to tease out images and experiences relating to the town, past and present, its industrial heyday and subsequent hangover. We used these ideas as a foundation to co-create the finale for the show, collectively editing them into a song which aligns with its closing image – a community of ex-steelworkers and drag queens coming together to stake their claim on an optimistic future.”

After a successful rural tour of ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ in 2023 (nominated for Community Project of the Year at the Stage Awards 2024), TBTL is touring ‘Steel’ to new audiences in West Cumbria. The show is being performed at community hubs alongside theatres including The Centre in Maryport and Florence Arts Centre in Egremont.

Liz Stevenson Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Theatre by the Lake said: “Steel is a flagship project for Theatre by the Lake, it represents our vision of creating theatre that is both local and national in scope. We value the importance of co-creation and artist-led projects that are inspired by and influenced by the community. Through this new play, Lee is sharing an untold story that shines a light on a lesser-known part of Cumbria fostering a sense of pride and engagement with the choir and audiences. The themes of power, agency, and self-acceptance running through the story are relevant and impactful, and we hope this resonates. People know the Lake District is a beautiful and creative place that has produced writers like Wordsworth. But this Cumbrian story and place are worlds apart from the tourist hotspots, so it's exciting to be telling this story from the West Coast.