National Tour announced for Steel by Theatre by the Lake

The West Cumbrian ex-steel town of Workington is worlds away from the picture-perfect Lake District. In a new play, Steel imagines how a once strong and united community, broken by the loss of its steel-making plant, comes together in one glorious quest. A two-hander written by Lee Mattinson (Me & Cilla, Fist), Steel is inspired by his experiences growing up gay and creative in Workington with a dad who was an ex-steel worker. Steel is commissioned and produced by Theatre by the Lake (TBTL) and directed by TBTL Artistic Director Liz Stevenson.

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

A strange phone call from ‘Lynn from London’ summons James and Kamran to meet her in a local cafe. She informs James that he’s heir to ‘one theoretical mile’ of the British Railway System, secured in 1903 by his Great-Great-Great-Grandfather. Lynn explains that if James can deliver the contract proving this in time, he will receive a million pounds. And so the town-wide treasure hunt for the lost contract begins in a flurry of remarkable wild characters, hidden histories and brave first love.

Following the success of the 2024 World Premiere of the show at TBTL and a local tour, the show is embarking on a UK-wide tour in 2025. This uniquely Cumbrian tale will be shared on a national stage, shining a light on the county while exploring themes of identity, resilience and community that resonate far beyond West Cumbria.

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). Suraj Shah (Mumbai Nights 2 – The Louvre, Abu Dhabi) plays Kamran and the multiple other characters.

Lee Mattinson’s experience of growing up in Workington forms the inspiration behind Steel with themes of post-industrial decline, LGBTQ+ identity, and a community spirit hanging by a thread. Research and insights for the play included workshops at the National Theatre Studio and workshops with young people and a choir in West Cumbria to co-create the story.

Lee Mattinson, playwright, said: “In writing Steel, I wanted to explore the experiences of two young men at odds with their small-town surroundings. I’ve attempted to show the town in all of its wild and eccentric ways – it’s an inherently theatrical world and to explore the tension between its extraordinary characters was a gift. The play is a post-industrial fable for which the naturally dramatic world of Workington, with its roaring sea on one side and the picturesque fells on the other, provided the perfect backdrop.”

The composer and sound designer Mark Melville is from Maryport, Cumbria. He worked with Lee Mattinson and a new community choir in Workington to create the soundtrack.

In creating Steel, Mattinson imagines seventeen-year-old James as the sort of lad few would give the time of day to – a boy ill-equipped to make the decisions he faces and the perfect character to watch navigate a series of physical and emotional obstacles to receiving a million pounds.

Mattinson said: “The story was inspired by my desire to offer a character some agency in a world where he has very little. Coming out as gay in a small town in the 90s was tough, and I wanted to explore that narrative against the intersectionality of race and class in a place recently named the whitest in the UK. It was a very odd experience watching the play performed in my hometown, and I’m really excited to see this weird and wonderful corner of West Cumbria on a national stage.”

Liz Stevenson, Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Theatre by the Lake said: “Steel represents our vision of creating theatre that is locally inspired and created and national in relevance. 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. The themes of power, agency, and self-acceptance running through the story are relevant and impactful, and we hope this resonates with audiences on this national tour. 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 and sharing it nationally.”

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 on tour from 1 May until 14 June. For more info, visit theatrebythelake.com/whats-on/steel-on-tour