Sheringham Little TheaterOne of the UK’s best-known TV actresses says she hopes a talent search will help raise money for a community theater in Norfolk.
Sheringham Little Theater said it faces a “black hole” in its finances following last week’s budgetdue to changes to employer national insurance contributions.
Suranne Jones, who starred in BBC dramas Dr Foster and Vigil, said she would support the project by launching a playwriting competition for local writers.
Funds would be raised by selling tickets to performances of the winning works, with theater president Jones then giving an on-stage review.
“It will combine finding community talent and being a money generator,” she said.
Jones, who made his name on ITV’s Coronation Street, became president of the Petit Théâtre earlier this year.
Theater director Debbie Thompson said she welcomed the support following the “double whammy” of changes to the rules on employers’ national insurance contributions and the increase in the national minimum wage.
THE The national living wage should increase by 6.7%, from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour.
She said both measures would cost the theater an extra £25,000 a year.
“This is coming after Covid, and then we had the cost of living crisis – which is still going on.”
Ms Thompson said the playwriting competition would launch next year and she thanked Jones for his support.
“She’s very involved because she absolutely sees the value in community theater, because that’s how she started,” she said.
“She was truly heaven-sent.”
