A key strand of the Lakes Alive programme is Made in the Lakes, a programme to commission and to create new pieces of work here in Cumbria that then have the potential to go off and tour the region, country and beyond.

We were delighted that in the first year of Lakes Alive we were able to commission three brand new street arts shows from leading UK street arts companies - Plunge Boom (The Troll's Kitchen), Artizani (The Cabaret of Dr Caligari), and Axial Dance (Lance and Brenda), which will celebrate its 100th performance in July 2011. Two of these were created  at Lanternhouse International and all had their world premieres in Cumbria during summer 2009. The community project, Welcoming the World which created its own visual spectacle in the form of 100 giant flags, was also a Made in the Lakes project, available as an installation to tour beyond 2009. 

For 2010 we commissioned three more brand new pieces of work that were all premiered during the 2010 season and beyond.

The first, Sufi:Zen was a co-commission with WIthout Walls and was a site-specific piece of work from SE Asian dance company Akademi. Inspired by the mystic traditions of Sufism and Zen and Furness Abbey (Barrow in Furness) itself, Sufi:Zen had its world premiere at the Abbey on April 29 for the official opening of the Lakes Alive season. Sufi:Zen then went off on to tour other UK festivals before returning to Mintfest at the end of the Lakes Alive season. 

The second Made in the Lakes commission for 2010 was from Cumbrian artist, Dan Fox. Adrift is a brand new musical show which had its world premiere in Whitehaven on May 29 and 30 at the Lakes Alive two day harbour-based festival, before returning to Mintfest in September 2010. 

The third and final commission, A Walk in the Woods, was from Frolicked, a self-making puppet company based in Yorkshire. Frolicked have been Lakes Alive regulars over the years and this new, larger scale show was created specifically for and inspired by Lakeland woodlands. It  premiered during the Lakes Alive: Into the Woods Tours which took place at Talkin Tarn Country Park (Brampton), Whinlatter and Grizedale Forests from July 28 - 30 2010. It also returned for Mintfest.

Our first commission of 2011 was Vagabonding, from Headzup theatre in Barrow. Two strolling showmen spent three weeks walking 100 miles around towns and villages in Cumbria, with their trusty cart Dolly, which held an unthinkable amount of props, puppets and more, and doubled as a portable puppet theatre and music box. Performing to those they met along the way, the two told local stories to local people and documented their journey through blogs, tweets and facebook posts. 

We have since commissioned four new pieces of work. The first, from Lucid Productions, sees two dancers discover enlightenment through tap dancing. Lakes Alive performances of Sink Dancing in 2011 were at The Banquet on Tour and then again at Mintfest. 

The next commission, from Wired Aerial Theatre, is a Mintfest co-commission. Written and Directed by Nigel Jamieson, this ambitious and extraordinary piece of aerial theatre tells a powerful tale of ecological crisis. Combining dramatic video visuals with breath-taking aerial performance, As The World Tipped confronts one of the most pressing issues for the planet with spectacle, humour and emotion. It performed at Mintfest 2011.

The third commission was a special street arts 'fete' at Brockhole to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Lake District National Park Authority, working with Northwest based companies More Music Morecambe, Whitewood & Flemming, Gary Bridgens and Fairly Famous Family.

For 2012 we have undertaken our largest commission to date, with French percussionists and pyrotechnicians, Les Commandos Percu who stunned and amazed audiences with their show Bombs Per Minute at Mintfest 2010. This new show will be performed at a special event on 21 June 2012 at Windermere which will be one of the opening events of the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad, the four-year cultural celebration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More information about the show coming soon.