Dogs and sheep hold no fears for Joe Richardson. This is a man who has helped to control the mighty War Horse. 

Joe is playing to enthusiastic audiences in The Shepherd’s Life at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.

The play is adapted from the best-selling book by Cumbrian farmer James Rebanks, which tells of his life as a Matterdale sheep farmer.

The sheepdogs and the Herdwicks are portrayed by life-size puppets, created and directed by Jimmy Grimes.

Jimmy was associate puppetry director for the hit musical War Horse.

Joe Richardson and fellow Shepherd’s Life actor Ashleigh Cheadle have both been among War Horse’s puppeteers. The horse is operated by three people.

“It was pretty incredible,” recalls Joe. “It was one of my first jobs out of drama school. I spent 18 months on War Horse. I toured the UK and South Africa – 520 shows.”

In The Shepherd’s Life he plays several characters, some of them while operating dogs and sheep.

“Jimmy has developed puppets that are lovely to work with and easy to manipulate. Puppetry in the UK has always been there. War Horse has brought it to the front of everything.

“The sheep and the dogs don’t necessarily carry the emotional weight of this play, not like War Horse.

“And I think that’s right for the play – they’re just sheep and dogs.”

So busy is Joe on stage that he struggles to recall the number of characters he plays.

“I think I play maybe six or seven. It can be rather hectic when you’re running around backstage doing a quick change to get to the other side. It’s going really well. The feedback has been great. A lot of people that come along may know some of the people that are portrayed in the show.

“That’s a first for me. On the first night I met one of the people that I play! I didn’t realise that he was watching. It’s a little bit bizarre. As an actor you have to approach it as a play rather than an imitation.”

Rehearsals included training in Lakeland accent and dialect. For Joe the hardest thing was avoiding lapsing into Geordie.

These are among the challenges which keep stage acting fresh. He says this was the case even after 520 performances of War Horse.

“It’s a different audience every night. You give it 100 per cent every single show. It’s never the same.

“It’s a gift of a job. For two-and-a-half hours you get to distract your audience from whatever is going on in the world and bring people into that story.”

And what kind of story is The Shepherd’s Life?

“It’s a lovely look at the Lake District and a great look at the farming industry, and why people want to stay in this area.

“I’d never been here before. Getting off the bus in Keswick, I thought ‘This is beautiful!’ It beats living in south London, I can tell you that.”

The Shepherd’s Life runs until April 23. For tickets visit www.theatrebythelake.com or call 017687 72282.