Julie Hesmondhalgh to star in Leeds Playhouse's There Are No Beginnings

Casting has been announced for Charley Miles' There Are No Beginnings, the first show in the brand new intimate theatre at Leeds Playhouse.

Directed by Amy Leach, There Are No Beginnings follows the lives of four women living in Leeds across the five years when Peter Sutcliffe dominated news headlines. It will star Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street), alongside Tessa Parr (Hamlet), Natalie Gavin (Line of Duty) and Jesse Jones, who makes her professional stage debut in the show.

The new space, the Bramall Rock Void, will open as the venue's capital redevelopment project comes to a close.

Leach said: "Opening the Bramall Rock Void with There Are No Beginnings is a thrilling celebration of local talent. Charley Miles' relationship began with us a number of years ago through our Furnace programme including being our Channel 4 Writer in Residence in 2017, during which she was inspired to write about what it was like to be a woman in Leeds at the time of so-called Yorkshire Ripper.

"She interviewed participants from our Older People's programme and many of their stories have fed in to the narrative, creating an important and empowering story."

Integrated audio description will feature as part of every performance. The Playhouse will also host its first ever Parent and Baby Performance, allowing parents to enjoy a relaxed version of the play alongside their infants (under a year old).