TWOPENCE TO CROSS THE MERSEY to Embark on Autumn 2016 North West Tour

Following a hugely successful 2015 Merseyside tour, Twopence to Cross the Mersey will now embark on its biggest tour to date, a unique tour that covers seven venues across England's North West and North Wales.

The smash-hit play, based on the best-selling autobiography, Helen Forrester's Twopence to Cross the Mersey will open at Liverpool's Royal Court on Tuesday 20th September for a three week run. The play will then tour to six further venues in Rhyl, Preston, Southport, Warrington, Stockport and St Helens, taking the show to its readers.

There are just two changes to the line-up who generated rave reviews when the show enjoyed a successful six-week tour in Spring 2015. The cast now features actors Phil Hearne and Tom Cawte as part of the 8-strong ensemble cast.

Phil Hearne will play a variety of roles in Twopence and is looking forward to treading the familiar boards of Royal Court Liverpool, where he has regularly entertained audiences in shows including Good Golly Miss Molly and the Council Depot Blues. He was part of the West End cast for Blood Brothers, and his television credits include Coronation Street.

Tom Cawte brings a wealth of experience to the role of Alan, Helen's younger brother. His theatre credits include the 2015 national tour of The Lone Pine Club and Boys of the Empire Production Sandel at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013. Film and television credits include the upcoming BBC series Witless and London Fields.

The line-up sees the return of Emma Dears (Judy & Liza, Les Miserables) as Mother; Christopher Jordan (Moving On, Coronation Street) as Father; Maria Lovelady as Helen; and together with Tom Cawte as Alan, they make up the Forrester family.

Eithne Browne (Brookside, Brick Up The Mersey Tunnel); Jake Abraham (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Game of Thrones); Roy Carruthers (Night Collar, Tales from Haunted Liverpool); and Phil Hearne all take on lead roles, as well as supplementary characters throughout.

Son of Helen Forrester, Robert Bhatia said "The play is great! I saw it last year and Maria Lovelady was utterly convincing as my mother".

Helen Forrester's Twopence to Cross the Mersey tells the true story of a young girl and her formerly wealthy family as they are suddenly thrown into poverty during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Leaving behind the nannies, servants and comfortable middle-class life in the South West of England, they uproot their shattered lives and choose Liverpool as the place to start again to rebuild their dreams and fortune. Unbeknown to them however, a terrible shock awaits them.

The play is staged by Pulse Records Ltd in collaboration with producer and stage writer Rob Fennah and producer Bill Elms, they are joined by directorBob Eaton.

Co-producer and stage writer Rob Fennah, said: "We are absolutely thrilled that we can welcome the return of almost the same cast for our biggest ever tour of the Twopence play - it's fantastic news and is something we have worked hard to achieve. Helen's story is such a special one and is one which so many people can relate to - but you need an extremely strong cast who can embrace just what it was like for Helen and her family and are able to portray their lives with passion and dignity. Our cast won the hearts of audiences and also the Forrester family which is absolute testament to their creative talent."

Producers Pulse Records Ltd in association with Bill Elms, recently announced a partnership with church and charity, The Salvation Army. Audiences will be able to donate to The Salvation Army at every performance during the North West and North Wales tour. All monies raised will help to fund the work of the church and charity, supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the community.

This stage adaptation is fully authorised by the Helen Forrester estate.

FULL TOUR LISTING:

TWOPENCE TO CROSS THE MERSEY - The Stage Play

LIVERPOOL
Royal Court Theatre
20 September - 8 October 2016
0151 709 4321
www.royalcourtliverpool.com

RHYL
Pavilion Theatre
12 - 15 October 2016
01745 330000
www.rhylpavilion.co.uk

PRESTON
Charter Theatre
19 - 22 October 2016
01772 804444
www.prestonguildhall.com

SOUTHPORT
Theatre and Convention Centre
24 - 27 October 2016
0844 871 3021
www.atgtickets.com/southport

WARRINGTON
Pyramid & Parr Hall
28 - 29 October 2016
01925 442345
www.pyramidparrhall.com

STOCKPORT
Plaza Theatre
1 - 4 November 2016
0161 477 7779
www.stockportplaza.co.uk

ST HELENS
Theatre Royal
7 - 12 November 2016
01744 756000
www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com

Helen Forrester was born June Huband in Hoylake, Cheshire (now in Merseyside), the eldest of seven children of inept, socialite, middle-class parents who lived on credit. When her father was made bankrupt during the Great Depression, the family was thrown into poverty. Evicted from their comfortable home in an English market town and with nothing more than the clothes they stood up in, the large family took the train to Liverpool where they hoped to rebuild their lives. While Forrester's father searched unsuccessfully for work, the family were forced to live together in a single room. As the eldest child, the 12-year-old Helen was kept away from school to look after her six younger Brothers and Sisters. For the next few years the family were forced to rely on meagre hand-outs from the parish, and the kindness of strangers. At the age of 14 Forrester rebelled against her life of drudgery and her parents agreed to allow her to attend evening classes to make up for her missed years of education. Throughout her teenage years, Forrester worked for a charitable organisation in Liverpool and Bootle, which provided background for her novels Liverpool Daisy, A Cuppa Tea and an Aspirin, and Three Women of Liverpool. After surviving the Blitzing of Liverpool and losing two consecutive fiancés to the Second World War she met and, in 1950, married Dr. Avadh Bhatia; her life with him in India provided background for Thursday's Child and The Moneylenders of Shahpur. The couple travelled widely, eventually settling in Edmonton, Canada, in 1955, where Dr. Bhatia became the director of the Theoretical Physics Institute at the University of Alberta. He was a pioneer in electronic transport theory and the study of diffraction of light by ultrasonic waves. The best-selling memoir of her childhood was Twopence to Cross the Mersey. It was later turned into a successful musical. Living in Alberta provided background for Forrester's novels The Latchkey Kid and The Lemon Tree. Yes Mama, which takes place mostly in late 19th and early 20th Century Liverpool, also includes a section about Alberta. She died on 24 November 2011 in Edmonton, Alberta.

The Salvation Army is an integral part of the Christian Church, although distinctive in government and practice. The Army's doctrine follows the mainstream of Christian belief and its articles of faith emphasise God's saving purposes. Its objects are 'the advancement of the Christian religion... of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole.' The movement, founded in 1865 by William Booth, has spread from London, England, to many parts of the world. The rapid deployment of the first Salvationists was aided by the adoption of a quasi-military command structure in 1878 when the title, 'The Salvation Army', was brought into use. A similarly practical organisation today enables resources to be equally flexible. Responding to a recurrent theme in Christianity which sees the Church engaged in spiritual warfare, the Army has used to advantage certain soldierly features such as uniforms, flags and ranks to identify, inspire and regulate its endeavours.

Evangelistic and social enterprises are maintained, under the authority of the General, by full-time officers and employees, as well as soldiers who give service in their free time. The Army also benefits from the support of many adherents and friends, including those who serve on advisory boards. Leadership in the Army is provided by commissioned officers who are recognised ministers of religion. All Salvationists accept a disciplined and compassionate life of high moral standards which includes abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. From its earliest days the Army has accorded women equal opportunities, every rank and service being open to them and from childhood the young are encouraged to love and serve God. Raised to evangelise, the Army spontaneously embarked on schemes for the social betterment of the poor. Such concerns have since developed, wherever the Army operates, in practical, skilled and cost-effective ways. Evolving social services meet endemic needs and specific crises worldwide. Modern facilities and highly-trained staff are employed. The need for modern facilities and longer-term development is under continual review. Increasingly the Army's policy and its indigenous membership allow it to cooperate with international relief agencies and governments alike. The movement's partnership with both private and public philanthropy will continue to bring comfort to the needy, while the proclamation of God's redemptive love offers individuals and communities the opportunity to enjoy a better life on earth and a place in Christ's everlasting Kingdom. The Salvation Army is currently led by General André Cox, who was elected as the 20th General on 3 August 2013.

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