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Casting announced for West End premiere of Paranormal Activity

November 3, 2025

As rehearsals begin for the West End’s festive season, casting has been announced for Paranormal Activity.

Melissa James will reprise her electrifying Leeds Playhouse role as ‘Lou’ alongside fellow Playhouse performers Pippa Winslow as ‘Carolanne’ and Jackie Morrison as ‘Etheline Cotgrave’. The West End company welcomes Ronan Raftery as ‘James,’Cheyenne Dasri as Understudy ‘Lou’ and Jake Solari as Understudy ‘James.’

Performances begin at the Ambassadors Theatre on December 5th 2025, and, following a recently announced extension, now play through to March 28th 2026.

The story sees James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape their past, but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are… Inspired by the iconic, terrifying film series, Paranormal Activity is a new story live on stage.

A new tale inspired by the worldwide horror phenomenon, Paranormal Activity, Live is directed by immersive theatre pioneer and Punchdrunk’s Founder and Artistic Director, Felix Barrett and written by playwright Levi Holloway, whose pulse-pounding theatrical thriller Grey House chilled Broadway audiences.

The cast:

Ronan Raftery is ‘James’. His theatre roles include Mary Page Marlowe (Old Vic); The Real Thing (Broadway); Ravens: Spassky vs Fischer (Hampstead); The Silver Tassie (National Theatre); The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe); Juno and the Paycock (National Theatre); A View from the Bridge (Royal Exchange, Manchester). Television includes: Obituary; Gangs of London; The Rook; The Terror; Moone Boy; Crossing Lines; Fresh Meat. Film includes: Royal Rendezvous; Mortal Engines; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; The Siege of Jadotville; Death of a Superhero; Captain America: The First Avenger.

Melissa James plays ‘Lou’. Melissa’s theatrical roles includes: ‘Lou’ in Paranormal Activity: A New Story, Live on Stage (Leeds Playhouse); ‘Helena’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal Exchange); ‘Satine’ in Moulin Rouge (Piccadilly Theatre); The Magician’s Elephant (RSC); ‘Louise’ in Gypsy (Royal Exchange Theatre); Wise Children (Old Vic/UK tour); One Love: The Bob Marley Musical (Birmingham Rep); ‘Nikki Maron’ in The Bodyguard, ‘Bombularina’ in Cats (UK tour); Guys and Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre); ‘Anita’ in West Side Story (RSC/Sage, Gateshead). Television roles include: Castaways (BlackBox Multimedia); The Diplomat (World Productions); Wheel of Time S2 (Amazon Prime); Hard Cell (Netflix/ Leopard Productions); Father Brown (BBC One); Coronation Street (ITV); The Emily Atack Show (ITV); The Split (Sister Pictures); Training Days (Studio M); Ransom (CBS/ Big Light Productions); Dead Pixels (E4); Waffle the Wonderdog (CBBC); Thanks for the Memories (ZDF); Holby City (BBC); Silent Witness (BBC); WPC 56 (BBC); Doctors (BBC). Film roles include: Caribbean Summer (Hallmark); Death on the Nile (Fox UK Productions).

Pippa Winslow performs as ‘Carolanne.’ Theatrical credits include: Bonnie & Clyde (Garrick and Arts Theatres); Eureka Day, Other Desert Cities (Old Vic); Strangers on a Train (Gielgud Theatre); Buried Child (Trafalgar Studios); Paranormal Activity: A New Story, Live on Stage (Leeds Playhouse); Follies (Grand Opera House, Belfast); Flowers for Mrs Harris (Riverside Studios); Mame, Perfectly Ordinary, The Exonerated (Hope Mill Theatre); Oklahoma!, Hairspray, Sister Act, Cougar the Musical, 9 to 5 the Musical, Phantom, The Sound of Music (UK and Ireland tour). TV includes: The Bombing of Pan Am 103 (BBC/Netflix); Silo (AppleTV+); The Crown and Rebecca (Netflix); The King’s Man (Disney+); Ten Percent, The Piper, Jericho Ridge (Amazon Prime); Revolution X; Dead Island 2 (video game).

Jackie Morrison is ‘Etheline Cotgrave’. Theatre Credits include: An Inspector Calls (UK Tour); Love and Other Stories (Arran International Festival); Paranormal Activity: A New Story, Live on Stage (Leeds Playhouse); Local Hero (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Last Ship (US Tour and Canada); Dirty Dancing (Dominion Theatre & UK Tour). Television Credits: Romantic Getaway (Ranga Bee for Sky); Love In Scotland (Heehaw); Black Earth Rising (BBC/Netflix); Coronation Street (ITV); Doctors (BBC); Londongrad (Wind Catcher); Endeavour III (Mammoth Screen); EastEnders (BBC). Radio and Recording Credits: The Eyes of the Soul (BBC Radio 4); The First Person (BBC Radio 4); The Child (BBC Radio 4); Into Exile (BBC Radio 4); Brigadoon (EMI).

The creative team also includes Fly Davis as Set and Costume Designer, Illusions by Chris Fisher, Anna Watson as Lighting Designer, Gareth Fry as Sound Designer, Video Design by Luke Halls and Casting Direction by Stuart Burt CDG and Ginny Schiller CDG.

Released by Paramount Pictures in 2009, the original Paranormal Activity is a celebrated psychological terror. Reimagining the found footage genre for a new generation, the film became a global sensation, grossing nearly $200 million worldwide and kicking off a blockbuster franchise spanning seven feature films.  Now, the legacy of fear comes to the intimate world of the theatre as the terrifying phenomenon transitions to the West End stage. Get ready to experience Paranormal Activity in real life.

Paranormal Activity is produced by Simon Friend & Hanna Osmolska for Melting Pot in association with Gavin Kalin, Ken Davenport, Jenny King, Patrick Gracey, Jonathan & Rae Corr and Leeds Playhouse.

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