Actress and former Coronation Street star Annie Hulley, best known for her role as Gwen Loveday, has now turned her hand to writing.

She spoke to Reannon Licorish before the upcoming performance of her debut play Dog Days at the Theatre503, in which she also plays the lead role of Cate.

Reannon Licorish: What do you hope to bring to the performance?

Annie Hulley: I hope to bring a fuller, rounder perception of an older woman through the production and my character,  Cate, who I hope will provide the audience with multiple layers towards their perception of a real woman. 

RL: What aspects of your performance are you most looking forward to?    

AH: I’m looking forward to the audience laughing as it’s a comedy. I’m also looking forward to showing the darker side of Cate’s character in a natural and positive way.

RL: How long have you been writing your own parts and what encouraged you to do so?

AH: This is my first time writing. What encouraged me to write was my disappointment with the roles available for older women. 

RL: What most influences the female roles you create?

AH: I’d say motherhood and most of my own life experience, as it adds excitement and a kind of wrath to the character I portray.

RL: How does writing a character differ to acting?

AH:  Writing allows me to explore possible opportunities for the character as well as providing me with three weeks to rehearse, allowing me to get a feel for the character and their perspective, which is something that doesn’t happen within soap
rehearsals.   

RL: How does the character you created through playwriting differ from your previous female roles?

AH: I believe creating my own roles has much more clarity than being given a character to play. When writing the character is ever changing, I’ve got to be able to let my babies go when and if dialogue needs changing. 

RL: What will you be doing next year?

AH: I’m certainly in a unique position, at the moment I’ll be focusing on my current play Dog Days. I hope to see where it brings me as well as the journey the production will take once it becomes its own person as such.

Dog Days, Theatre 503, Latchmere Road, Battersea; until March 22, doors 7.45pm; £15; visit theatre503.com or call 020 7978 7040.