THE cast has now been announced for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, which opens at The Barn Theatre in Cirencester on July 7.

Featuring Downton Abbey and Coronation Street’s Stephen Omer, alongside Gary Richards, Angela Phinnimore, Hadley Brown, Gillian McCafferty and newcomer Sarah Louise Hughes, who will play the title role of Little Voice, the play will be directed by Michael Strassen.

The play follows the hugely successful The Secret Garden and the critically acclaimed and sometimes controversial One Minute.

The Olivier Award-winning play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright was nominated for six Oliviers, winning three of them as well as the prestigious Evening Standard Award.

Its film adaptation, Little Voice (1998) starring Jane Horrocks in the title role was also a huge hit receiving an Oscar nomination alongside numerous other awards for its screenplay and cast.

Little Voice tells the heart-warming story of a reclusive Northern girl-next-door whose remarkable ability to impersonate the great singers provides her with an opportunity to transcend her tragically unappealing domestic life.

But pushed by a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking mother and coaxed into the limelight by her mother’s latest talent agent boyfriend, timid 'Little Voice' will need to conquer more than just stage-fright if she is to find her own voice in the world.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice runs at The Barn Theatre from July 7-August 4. Box Office barntheatre.org.uk. 01285 648255