Guest Curator
Julie Hesmondhalgh
Oldham Coliseum Theatre
Julie Hesmondhalgh is the Coliseum's Guest Curator. Julie is an award-winning actor and writer, who was part of the (ultimately successful!) campaign to save Oldham Coliseum, for which she received Lifetime Membership to Equity, the performing arts union.
As well as being a regular voice on Radio 4 and a participant in series 2 of Celebrity Traitors, she has appeared in many TV shows - Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Sisters in Arms (the Call the Midwife prequel), Broadchurch (for which she was nominated for a BAFTA), Dr Who, Inside no 9, Happy Valley, etc. But she is best known for her National TV Award-winning portrayal of Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street. In 2026 Julie won an Olivier Award for her role in James Graham’s Punch.
She has written two books: An Actor’s Alphabet and A Working Diary, co-runs Take Back Theatre in Manchester and the fundraising group 500 Acts of Kindness. She has previously performed in Oldham in Curtain Up at the Coliseum and The Greatest Play in the History of the World, written by her husband Ian Kershaw, an Oldhamer who has written many plays for the Coli over the years.
Julie’s role at OCT is to assist the Creative Director and to help curate an exciting programme of work leading up to reopening and beyond.
She co-hosts the popular ColiCast with the Friends of the Coliseum.
