First Wave Of Cast Announced For UK Tour Of Helen Forrester's BY THE WATERS OF LIVERPOOL

The producers of Helen Forrester's By The Waters Of Liverpool have announced the first wave of cast for the play's major UK tour in Spring 2020.

By The Waters Of Liverpool is the stunning production from the team that brought you Helen Forrester's timeless story, Twopence To Cross The Mersey.

After a hugely successful premiere run at the Liverpool Empire Theatre last Autumn, the play will now make its way round the country telling the next part of Helen's fascinating tale.

Tour dates have already been announced for Wirral, Stockport, Warrington, St Helens, Lancaster, Crewe, Southport, Rhyl, Swansea, Darlington and Malvern. The second leg of the tour will be announced shortly.

Writer and friend of Helen Forrester, Rob Fennah has written both the stage play versions of Twopence To Cross The Mersey and By The Waters Of Liverpool.

The new touring production is again produced by Pulse Records Limited in association with Bill Elms and is directed by Gareth Tudor Price.

The creative team are delighted to reveal the first cast members for the 2020 tour.

Mark Moraghan will play John Forrester (Helen's father). Mark previously played 'Father' in the 2007 and 2009 adaptations of Twopence To Cross The Mersey. He returned to play the role in By The Waters Of Liverpool in 2018. Mark is best known for his roles in Holby City, Coronation Street and Brookside.

Coronation Street and Doctor Who's, Eric Potts will play 'Mr Ellis', Helen's fiery-tempered boss. Eric has also appeared in Peak Practice, Heartbeat, The Royal, Last of the Summer Wine and Steel River Blues.

Other confirmed cast members are Lynn Francis as the 'Deaconess'; Danny O'Brien as 'Harry O'Dwyer'; Chloe McDonald as 'Fiona' (Helen's sister); and Roy Carruthers as 'The Detective'.

The search is now taking place to find the lead role of 'Helen' - together with 'Mother' and 'Alan' (Helen's brother).

By The Waters Of Liverpool is the next chapter of Helen Forrester's life story. The production follows the smash-hit success of Twopence To Cross The Mersey and is being brought to audiences by the team behind both the musical and stage play versions of the award-winning true story.

Millions of people know Helen Forrester's best-selling volumes of autobiography - Twopence To Cross The Mersey, Liverpool Miss and By The Waters Of Liverpool.

By The Waters Of Liverpool is a period drama set in the 1930s. The story opens in 1935. Helen Forrester is 16 years old and fighting a bitter battle with her parents for the right to educate herself and go out to work.

During the Great Depression, Helen's father lost his fortune when the stock market and the family were suddenly thrown into poverty. Leaving behind the nannies, servants and comfortable middle-class life in the South West of England, the Forrester's chose Liverpool as the place to start over. They were in for a terrible shock. Taken out of school to care for her younger brothers and sisters while her parents struggled to re-build their shattered lives, Helen is treated as an unpaid slave and desperate to escape.

By 1939, now aged 20 and with Britain on the brink of war, she has never been kissed by a man. But things start looking up for Helen when she meets a tall strong seaman and falls in love.

And in celebration of what would have been Helen Forrester's 100th Birthday, the 11-week tour will open at Wirral's New Brighton Floral Pavilion from 3 to 8 March 2020 - just a few miles from where she was born.

The tour will then move on to the Stockport Plaza from 10 to 12 March; Warrington Parr Hall on 14 and 15 March; St Helens Theatre Royal from 17 to 21 March; Lancaster Grand on 23 and 24 March; Crewe Lyceum on 25 and 26 March; before heading to Southport Theatre on 27 and 28 March.

It continues with dates at Rhyl Pavilion Theatre from 31 March to 4 April; Swansea Grand Theatre on 6 and 7 April; Darlington Hippodrome from 9 to 11 April; followed by Malvern Theatres on 14 and 15 April.

Playwright Rob Fennah commented: "We had an amazing response when we premiered By The Waters Of Liverpool last autumn at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. Helen Forrester's books resonate with millions of people across the UK and many more around the world.

"This adaptation of By The Waters Of Liverpool features a sizeable chunk from Liverpool Miss, Helen's second volume of autobiography, together with flashbacks to Twopence To Cross The Mersey, so newcomers to Helen's story will get a complete picture of her life.

"As with its prequel, Twopence To Cross The Mersey, this next instalment of Helen's autobiography is once again staged using a 'narrative style' of theatre whereby our cast of nine take on multiple roles. This way of telling a story is new to many audiences and those who witness it are amazed at how such an epic tale can be told in just a couple of hours."

By The Waters Of Liverpool by Helen Forrester has sold more than a million books. Now this is your chance to see it come to life in this exciting new stage play adaptation.

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