Judi Dench regular contact with the theatre. Her father, a physician, was also the GP for the York theatre, and her mother was its wardrobe mistress. Actors often stayed in the Dench household. During these years, Judi Dench was involved on a non-professional basis in the first three productions of the modern revival of the York Mystery Plays in 1951, 1954 and 1957. In the third production she played the role of the Virgin Mary, performed on a fixed stage in the Museum Gardens. Though she initially trained as a set designer, she became interested in drama school as her brother Jeff
Theatre by the Lake Dame Judi Dench. A significant proportion of the £6.5m building cost was contributed by the National Lottery. The name Theatre by the Lake was decided by public consultation and the first performance in the new building was on 19 August 1999. The theatre has two auditoria: 400 seats in the Main House; and 100 seats in the Studio. Theatre by the Lake Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Cumbria, England is situated on the shores of Derwentwater in the Lake District. It opened in 1999 (replacing the mobile Century Theatre) and was made possible by an Arts Council Lottery Fund