Fleeshman Family Affair at 24:7 Theatre Festival

After spending 3 years as unlucky-in-love barmaid Gloria Todd in Coronation Street and 10 years as Jimmy Corkhill’s long suffering wife Jackie Corkhill in Brookside, actress and director Sue Jenkins finally gets the chance to call the shots.

Sue will be directing multi-award winning writer Michael Stewart’s The Shadow of Your Hand for the 24:7 Theatre Festival. The play explores the volatile balance of power between an unlikely pair. Steve a nervous and obliging advertising executive, invites a homeless girl back to his apartment, but quickly finds himself out of his depth.

“I have always been a supporter of the 24:7 Theatre Festival,” says Sue, “It’s a major showcase for new work and I’m delighted to be involved this year. From the moment I read The Shadow of Your Hand I knew I wanted to direct it.”

Not only will Mum Sue be directing the piece, but youngest daughter, 18 year-old Rosie will take on the role of Maria. Rosie, who has just been offered places at prestigious drama schools LAMDA and Rose Bruford, will join Sue’s on-screen counterpart Steven Pinder (Max Farnham in Brookside) in the play to be performed at the Sashas Hotel Washington Suite venue.

Also, Eldest Fleeshman daughter Emily, will be appearing as Amy in MEN Theatre Award nominated playwright Steve Pearce’s darkly comic ‘comic-book’ drama The Crimson Retribution which features a tea-making, mask wearing super-hero who sleeps on the sofa! Amy’s world is coming apart. Her relationship with Sean is failing, his half-brother Kyle’s after more than she’s willing to give and now there’s a super-hero sleeping on the sofa. True, he doesn’t actually claim to be a super-hero, but then again, no-one ever claims to be a crook. Emily can also be seen in Jimmy McGovern’s drama Moving On for BBC, which screens this summer.

Not only has the female contingent of the Fleeshman clan been signed up for this year’s 24:7, but Dad, actor and director David Fleeshman will also be directing one of the 24 Hour Plays as part of the 24:7 Big Weekend – which will see well known actors, writers and directors create and perform a play in 24 hours.

With son Richard busy with 8 shows a week in the sell out Ghost The Musical in the West End, this family are all on stage in one form or another.