Beryl - casting announced

Maxine Peake's 'Beryl' will play at Dalston's Arcola Theatre from 16 October to 16 November 2019.

The 'Beryl' in question here is Beryl Burton MBE, OBE - twice World Road-race Champion, five times World Pursuit Champion - a woman who was never meant to cycle ...

Aged 11, a serious illness left her with a weakened heart and doctors warned against strenuous exercise for the rest of her life.

Aged 30, branded 'the Yorkshire housewife' and with no financial sponsorship, she became the first sportswoman in history to break a men's competitive record.

Featuring a host of unforgettable characters and a great big dollop of Northern wit, Maxine Peake's freewheeling play is the extraordinary true story of a woman who pushed at the limits, took on the status quo - and won.

'Beryl', which celebrates the extraordinary sporting achievements of this inspirational cyclist, was specially commissioned as an adaptation from Maxine Peake's acclaimed 2012 Radio 4 play and marks her stage-writing debut.

It received its world premiere on 30 June 2014 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Cast (from left): Mark Conway, Jessica Duffield, Annie Kirkman and Tom Lorcan

Directed by Marieke Audsley, the cast features ...

Mark Conway

Theatre credits include: 'Blue Departed' (VAULT Festival 19), 'Ballistic' (Kings Head, Pleasance - EdFringe, UK Tour), 'Sex with Robots & other Devices' (Live Theatre), 'Occupied', 'It Never Ends', 'Hacked' (Theatre503), 'Chicken Dust' (Finborough Theatre).

Jessica Duffield

Theatre Includes: 'Goodnight Mister Tom' (East Riding Theatre) 'My Big Little Sister' (National Tour: Lyric Hammersmith, Yvonne Arnaud and Nottingham Playhouse); 'Lady Susan', 'The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband', 'The Vagina Monologues' (East Riding Theatre); 'Top Girls' (Tristan Bates Theatre).

As a founding member of She Productions, Theatre Company in Residence at East Riding Theatre, Jessica has co-written and performed in 'Beverley Does Broadway', 'The Three Kingdoms', 'The Lightless Pumkpin', 'The Lightless Pumpkin Returns' and 'The StorytEllas' for the company.

With She Productions, Jessica launched SheFest 2019 and rewrote and directed The Three Kingdoms. She was nominated for the BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award for Radio.

Annie Kirkman

Theatre credits include: 'Beryl' at East Riding Theatre, 'Red Riding Hood' (Engine House Theatre), ';The Butler Dresses Again' (LAF, New Zealand) 'Here & Now', 'Shakers' (John Godber Theatre Company), 'A Christmas Carol' & 'Oliver Twist' (East Riding Theatre & LAF, New Zealand), 'Sparrow' (East Riding Theatre), Diane Keaton in 'Being Woody' (Prince of Wales) Jane Austen in 'Austen The Musical' (UK Tour), Cinderella in 'Into The Woods', Sofia in 'Days of Hope' (Ye Olde Rose & Crown), Catherine De Courcy in 'Lady Susan' (East Riding Theatre), Mary Arnold in 'Shellshock' (Waterloo East Theatre), Diana in 'I Love You Because' (Theatro Technis) and Alice in 'The Martyr' (Soho Theatre).

Annie is a founding member of She Productions, Company in Residence at the East Riding Theatre.

Since forming in 2015, Annie has co-written and performed in 'Beverley Does Broadway,' 'The Three Kingdoms', 'The Lightless Pumpkin', 'The StorytEllas', 'MissCast' & 'It's Different for Girls' as well as launching 2019's SheFest.

Tom Lorcan

Theatre includes: 'Romeo & Juliet', 'Richard III' (Shakespeare's Rose Theatre); 'Julius Caesar', 'Titus Andronicus', 'Dido Queen of  Carthage' (RSC); 'The Damned United' (West Yorkshire Playhouse); 'Oh! What a Lovely War' (Theatre Royal Stratford East); 'One Man Two Guvnors' (West End), 'Peter & Andy' (Theatre 503); 'Billy Elliot' (West End); 'Jersey Boys' (West End); 'Fiddler on the Roof' (West End); 'Alice in Wonderland' (Birmingham Rep); 'Blood Brothers' (UK Tour).

TV includes: 'Coronation Street', 'Bliss', 'Drifters', 'Suspicion', 'Holby City', 'Hollyoaks', 'War & Peace', 'Doctors', 'Waterloo Road', 'Doctors', 'Half Time', 'Dalziel & Pascoe'.

Film includes: 'The Dare', 'Pride & Prejudice & Zombies', 'Between Two Worlds'.

Playwright: Maxine Peake

About the author

Maxine Peake is best known for her roles as Twinkle in Victoria Woods' 'Dinnerladies', Veronica Ball in 'Shameless', barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama 'Silk' and Grace Middleton in the BBC drama series 'The Village', as well as starring in Black Mirror episode 'Metalhead'.

She is also an accomplished stage actress, having played the title role in Hamlet at the Manchester Royal Exchange in a critically acclaimed "radical reimagining" of William Shakespeare's play, returning to play Blanche in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and Winnie in Samuel Beckett's 'Happy Days' in equally lauded productions.

Recent film credits include Oscar-nominated 'The Theory of Everything' and independent British feature 'Funny Cow' which earned her a BIFA nomination for Best Actress, Mike Leigh's period drama 'Peterloo' independent British feature 'Gwen' and Hulu/Channel 4 comedy 'The Bisexual' opposite Desiree Akhavan and the lead role of 'Anne' (ITV), which followed the true story of Anne Williams, a mother seeking justice after the Hillsborough tragedy.

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