Willy Russell's Shirley Valentine

Willy Russell's one-woman show, Shirley Valentine, comes home to the Liverpool Everyman as part of our 60th birthday celebrations. ? Originally commissioned and staged by the Everyman, the role of Shirley will be played by Liverpool actor Helen Carter in a revival directed by Stephen Fletcher.? Willy Russell is one of the most celebrated and widely produced writers of his generation, with works regularly produced across the globe. Willy has had a long association with the Everyman; his breakthrough as a writer came in 1974 with John Paul George Ringo? & Bert, which transferred to the West End and won numerous awards. Further stage plays at the Everyman included Breezeblock Park (1975) and Stags and Hens (1978). After huge international success with Blood Brothers and Educating Rita, he returned to the Everyman in 1986, writing the iconic Shirley Valentine. "I'm delighted to be back at the Everyman, a theatre that holds a special place in my heart. As it has done for so many writers, actors and directors in its 60-year history, the Everyman gave me my first opportunities as a writer. I can't wait to work with Helen and Stephen on bringing the play back home and seeing Shirley strut her stuff across the boards on which she was born". Willy Russell ? Shirley Valentine is a life-affirming story of one woman's journey of self-discovery, laughter, and liberation. Shirley once had a zest for life, but at 42 is left with an empty nest, an emotionally distant husband and only 'the wall' for company. When her best friend offers the trip of a lifetime to Greece, can Shirley's dreams of a life less ordinary finally come true? Playing Shirley, Liverpool actor Helen Carter has numerous stage credits for the Everyman and Playhouse, including The Flint Street Nativity, Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi, No Wise Men, The Star, A Christmas Carol and Dead Heavy Fantastic. She has most recently appeared at Liverpool's Royal Court in Boys from the Blackstuff, soon to be seen at the National Theatre. ? Stephen Fletcher has previously worked with the Everyman and Playhouse as an Artistic Advisor, and as an actor in Dead Heavy Fantastic, A Streetcar Named Desire and Eric's. An Associate Writer on The Hook for Spiegelworld in Atlantic City, Associate Director on A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at The Lido 2, Paris, Stephen has also worked extensively at Liverpool's Royal Court as a writer and director. He has previously performed in three Willy Russell plays, Breezeblock Park, Our Day Out and Stags and Hens, and alongside Helen in The Last 5 Years and Dead Heavy Fantastic. ? Millions have seen the movie, now see the one-woman tour de force on which the film was based.