Cast revealed for Caroline: A New Musical – based on the famed Radio Caroline station

Exclusive: Casting has been announced for the new stage musical inspired by the story of pirate radio station Radio Caroline, which will tour East Anglia in 2026.

Written by Vikki Stone and directed by Douglas Rintoul and Alex Thorpe, the production follows Caroline, a young woman whose life changes when her boyfriend takes a job with Radio Caroline, the offshore station that broadcast pop and rock music from a ship off the Essex coast during the 1960s. The musical features a cast of actor-musicians and includes songs from the period.

Caroline: A New Musical opens at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich on 17 April 2026 before visiting Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch (6 to 16 May), New Theatre Peterborough (19 to 23 May), Mercury Theatre Colchester (3 to 13 June) and Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds (16 to 20 June).

Claire Lee Shenfield will star as Caroline, while the cast of actor-musicians also includes Nicola Bryan as Betty, Gareth Cooper as the Postmaster General, Jake Halsey-Jones as Robbie, Joey Hickman as Declan, Rhiannon Hopkins as Kitty, James Lawrence as Steven, Jerome Lincoln as the Private Secretary, Perry Meadowcroft as Dave the Fish and Eloise Richardson as Mary.

The creative team includes sound designer Helen Atkinson, set and costume designer Stella Backman, dramaturg Titilola Dawudu, voice coach Charmaine Hoare, fight and intimacy director Haruka Kuroda, lighting designer Callum Macdonald, musical director Paul Schofield and choreographer Sundeep Saini.

The show is produced by the East Anglian Touring Consortium, a partnership between Eastern Angles, HighTide, Landmark Theatres, Mercury Theatre Colchester, New Wolsey Theatre, Norwich Theatre, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. Supported by Arts Council England, the consortium aims to create original work that supports local talent and reaches audiences across the region.

Tickets will start from £15 at every performance, to encourage accessibility across the region.