Julie Hesmondhalgh of 'Traitors': Theatres Must Be 100% Faithful to 'Local Stories'

As she leaves the Traitors castle to star in 'The Pelicot Trial' and receive a lifetime achievement award, the actress stressed the 'loss of regional identity' caused by financial pressures on British theatres. According to Hesmondhalgh, regional identity has been lost in stage productions across Britain due to the challenging conditions facing theatres. The actress, who last week...

According to Julie Hesmondhalgh, there has been a "loss of regional identity" in stories on the British stage due to the challenging conditions facing theatres.

The actor, who last week became the fourth contestant to leave The Celebrity Traitors, observed that regional theaters are increasingly co-producing with other venues for financial reasons. This could result in a "generic" product, he said, rather than a show that specifically says something about the local area.

Hesmondhalgh highlighted the extraordinary impact of James Graham's Punch, a drama about restorative justice, which opened at Nottingham Playhouse in 2024 and was based on the true story of a death by punch in the city. The play, which won Hesmondhalgh an Olivier Award for her performance as the victim's mother, went from Nottingham to the West End, a UK tour and Broadway. "It's always very hard to sell new work, but because it was a local story and it was written by James Graham, it sold," he said.

Asked whether programming has become risk-averse since Covid, Hesmondhalgh said: "It's really hard for regional theatres. There's room in my heart for musicals and Noel Coward shows. There's familiarity with the old classics that people love. But the co-op world makes it very difficult for people. To survive as another regional theatre, now with other regional co-productions, you have to produce so much. Identity theatres. They have lost a region, local products.

Hesmondhalgh, who led a successful campaign to save Oldham Coliseum from closure, was appointed guest curator for its reopening program earlier this year. The building is being renovated and overhauled by the council. It performs shows that have "the signature Oldham, Coliseum signature" as well as works that will visit other venues. "The amount of fundraising we have to do to build regional specific works, because we know we can't support it," the actor stressed. He said the experience gave him "a new empathy for people trying to run regional theaters - it's not easy".

When audiences watch shows with real local resonance — productions that are "by them and for them" — there's a visceral reaction, Hasmounhalgh added. She explained that she saw such a reaction when Beth Steele's film Down to the Stars, the story of a Mansfield community, was screened at Nottingham Playhouse last month. "It's a real experience to be an actor in a show in Oldham and Nottingham. Every time it's pointed to somewhere [the audience] knows, there's a wave of approval - it's fantastic."

Hesmondhalgh, 56, will next month receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural British Theater Awards to mark the 50th anniversary of the Theaters Trust, the national support and advice body for British theatres. Its chief executive, Joshua McTaggart, said: "This award is in recognition of someone who believes in Theaters Trust that everyone should have access to theater and live performance, regardless of where they live or what their background is. No one in the public eye embodies this spirit more than Julie Hasmundhalgh. Jolie has used her platform as one of the country's most popular actors to beat the drum for inclusive and equitable access to the performing arts and to champion important community theater.

Hesmondhalgh, who is from Accrington in Lancashire, recently had a TV hit with Mr Bates in Front of the Post Office and will soon be on stage in the documentary The Pelicot Trial at London's County Hall. He joked that the award might be a little premature - "I still think I'm 19!" — and said he's been fortunate to appear in "a disproportionate number of shows and television programs that have had something to say about the world, and I've been very proud to be a part of them."

He also expressed faith in Andy Burnham's understanding of art. He has been to the theater and has seen me in Manchester in his work and been involved with it. On a real level, he knows it's important for communities to come together—for a concert, a soccer match, or a game. I think he has a handle on this. I have a lot of faith in him to do this. "For communities that are struggling, having a cultural policy and investing in culture is always a tool for regeneration."