Suranne Jones is one of the finest actors of our generation, who has had us glued to our small screens from the moment she first trod the cobblestones of Coronation Street. She has since – and this is just the tip of the iceberg – played the wronged, revengeful wife in Doctor Foster, for which she won a BAFTA; 19th-century trailblazing lesbian Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack; DCI Amy Silva in edge-of-your-seat Vigil (series three, set in a remote Arctic research station is due out later this year); and an under-pressure PM in Hostage. But it’s not all nail-biting drama. She’s equally adept at comedy, most recently appearing alongside Aimee Lou Wood in Film Club; and she also runs a successful production company TeamAkers with her writer-producer husband, Laurence Akers.

In 2024, Suranne added another role to her considerable CV – president of the Sheringham Little Theatre. The couple – who along with their 10-year-old son are based in London but have a home in the Sheringham/Holt area – are also patrons of the theatre through TeamAkers. ‘When we were putting things in our house [in Norfolk], we met a lovely couple who were framing pictures for us; they were really kind, telling us about the area – the best restaurants, where to go – and one day they said, “Oh, we’ve been asked to see if you would fancy any involvement in the theatre in Sheringham”,’ Suranne tells North Norfolk Living. 

Although she’s about to start filming the third instalment of Doctor Foster a fews day after we speak – her head no doubt full of lines and production notes (she’s also the show’s executive producer) – she could not have been more generous with her time when we chat on the phone. ‘We’d actually been to see The Hound of the Baskervilles [at Sheringham Little Theatre in 2023], which was an intelligent kids’ show and the actors were really good,’ she continues. ‘And we’d been to the panto. Again, it was well-written and funny. So we’d fallen in love with this little space anyway. When we got the letter about taking over the presidency from the Walpoles [Lady Walpole and her late husband Lord Robin Walpole], we went to see Debbie [Thompson, Sheringham Little Theatre’s director]. We loved what she wanted to do with the theatre. And I said to Laurence, “You know what? It’ll give us a real sense of community if we do it” … With our house in Norfolk being a second home, we wanted to feel rooted because I think that was the whole point of finding somewhere that perhaps we might end up in. It isn’t just a place where we breeze through. We spend summer here – any chance we get, we come to Norfolk – and now the theatre has given us real purpose.’

Sheringham Little Theatre began life as a place housing whelk coppers for boiling local seafood; in the 1940s it was the seaside town’s picture house. After being rescued from demolition in the 1970s and following a major refurb in 1995, it is now the thriving arts venue and cafe that we know today. For a theatre whose motto is ‘Where BIG things happen’, it doesn’t get much bigger than having one of Britain’s leading screen and stage stars as president. ‘Listen, I could have just put my name to it and let them do whatever they wanted to do with my name. But actually, I think it’s so important, and both Laurence and I really enjoy it… We’re in touch with them all the time and we try to do as much as we can.’

Born in Oldham, Suranne grew up in Greater Manchester, where she started acting at the age of eight, later completing a Diploma in Performing Arts. She also enrolled in a ‘Theatre in Education’ course, driving a van around the country with her fellow actors, visiting schools and holding pop-ups, talks and plays. ‘I think [theatre] opens up anyone who doesn’t really want to listen or who has a brain that works a different way. Sending messages visually, using your physicality to tell a story in a different way, can engage people that might not normally be engaged.’

Since becoming president, Suranne and Laurence have been busy. Last year, they helped Sheringham Little Theatre launch a playwriting competition, which set entrants the task of penning an hour-long play with a coastal theme. It was a great success, with two winners – Shamble by Martha Allison and On the Edge by Robert White. The latter will be performed at the theatre this September; other entries have been turned into audio plays. 

‘We want people to be buoyed by the fact that they did it,’ explains Suranne. ‘I was getting a coffee at the beach and the woman serving me said, “Oh, I entered your playwriting competition” – and that filled me with such joy. I did a lot of interviews around that time to say, “Just do it. We’re going to read the plays and what if something that you really enjoyed doing gets picked? Or you enjoyed the process so much, it makes you do it again?”’ A new competition is planned for 2027, with a different theme. 

Meanwhile, the theatre promises a wide-ranging summer rep programme, from Ken Ludwig’s beloved screwball farce Lend Me a Tenor to sci-fi smash musical Little Shop of Horrors. There’s also a Sheringham Little Theatre production of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw at Wolterton, the immersive performance running at the Palladian hall from 8 to 11 July. ‘The theatre didn’t used to do that, but they’ve given themselves a lot of challenges with the encouragement from myself and Laurence, which is brilliant. And obviously Wolterton is beautiful. Hopefully we’ll be taking our productions to other parts of Norfolk.’ Plus with comedy, musical performances, film screenings and more, it’s set to be a busy season ahead. 

Behind the scenes, there are weekly drama sessions for young people aged eight to 18 – ‘it’s really important we run these – it’s what I did when I was younger, where I found a community of like-minded people, my own tribe,’ says Suranne. In addition, they’re going to look into an adult drama group ‘because we don’t do that and I think we should.’ And keep an eye on the website for creative workshops. ‘We’ve been trying to do Q&As for young actors and writers – we did a few last summer. It’s about saying, look, we need your voices because obviously when you can represent on a stage, you can get people to open up, you can get people to talk. We need to share stories.’

As ever, accessibility is key. ‘When you think about theatre, you think about the West End and Broadway. While there’s often a few cheaper tickets for students, it’s expensive. So we’ve introduced a special ticket system this year [at Sheringham Little Theatre], where you are able to get all four summer season shows for £100. And obviously the theatre offers schools cheaper tickets. These smaller theatres are where the local stories and the hub of a community can really be.’

And yet, for Sheringham Little Theatre to continue to thrive, it needs support, especially, says Suranne, ‘when nationally there’s a real climate change in arts funding.’ Though it receives core funding from North Norfolk District Council and Norfolk County Council, if that were to disappear, the theatre would really struggle. It is continually applying for grant support and relies heavily on fundraising. ‘We’ll have a summer garden party this year where we hope to get local businesses together and I’ll do a speech. We’re trying to get my son to give a speech, too, about why theatre is good for younger people.’

The last time Suranne appeared in a theatrical production was 2018. I’m intrigued as to whether she’s tempted to step back onto the stage any time soon? ‘It’s part of my life and I’m sure if the right part came up, I would. If it came at the right time, I would. I’ve just not done it for a few years. Also my son’s only 10, so when he comes home from school, I don’t particularly want to then go out to work … When we started our business [TeamAkers], it consumed us and we’ve made quite a lot of shows over the last couple of years – there’s a lot of development and a lot of meetings, as well as the TV that people see. It’s just busy.’

No wonder that Suranne seeks sanctuary on the North Norfolk coast. Indeed, being by the sea is what made them fall in love with Norfolk. ‘Laurence used to work in Norwich; it was one of our anniversaries and we went to Galton Blackiston’s restaurant at Morston Hall. On that short trip, we visited Wells-next-the-Sea, Holkham, Sheringham, Cromer and Holt, too. And we thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to have somewhere that’s by the water?” And that was it.’

‘I said to Laurence just this morning, if you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d be walking along the coast with my two dachshunds before 8.30am on the cliffs, I’d be like, “What?” But actually it’s beautiful and rugged and rough in the morning and the air is gorgeous. After a walk, I’ll quickly get in the sea and then go home. It’s glorious.’

‘And there’s a sense of community. We have a local caff that we go to – it’s all very down-to-earth. Plus there’s a lot for my son to do here, we’re an outdoorsy family – and obviously there’s the theatre. I think Norfolk’s nostalgic, but it’s also got a modern edge to it. It’s lovely and we just feel like it gives us a sense of the real world.’

Sheringham Little Theatre; www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com