CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE RETURN OF THE WEST END’S HIT SCARE-FEST
RETURNING TO THE AMBASSADORS THEATRE FROM TUESDAY 11 AUGUST 2026 FOLLOWING A FOURTH EXTENSION
Written by acclaimed playwright Levi Holloway
and directed by Felix Barrett, visionary director behind Punchdrunk
Based on the Paranormal Activity films, first written and directed by Oren Peli and brought to the screen by Blumhouse and Solana Films
Following the recent announcement that Paranormal Activity is set to return to its West End home, the Ambassadors Theatre, this summer, producers Melting Pot are today delighted to announcecasting for its fourth extension. From Tuesday 11th August, the masterclass in supernatural suspensewill star Ty Fanning (Othello,Ethel Barrymore Theatre, opposite Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal)as ‘James’, Ami Okumura Jones (My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican; Hostage,the Netflix political drama) as ‘Lou’, Kirsty Bushell (BBC, Motherland; King Lear, Chichester Festival Theatre) as ‘Etheline Cotgrave’ and welcomes the return of Pippa Winslow in her role as ‘Carolanne’ following her celebrated runs in the Leeds Playhouse and first West End season.
Tickets for the new booking period, Monday 5 October – Saturday 7 November are on sale now at www.paranormalonstage.com. From Tuesday 11 August 2026, the show’s performance schedule will be evenings Monday –Saturday at 7.30pm with Friday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm.
Blurring the line between cinema and live theatre, Paranormal Activity has been hailed as a ‘relentlessly frightening – arm-clutchingly, stranger-embracingly so’ (Metro) theatrical experience— leaving audiences jumping out of their seats and questioning what’s lurking in the dark long after the curtain falls.
Praised for its inventive storytelling and terrifying atmosphere, Paranormal Activity is a must-see event for thrill-seekers and theatre lovers alike. Following its original run at Leeds Playhouse and its first West End engagement, which saw the show play at the Ambassadors Theatre from Friday 5 December 2025 – Saturday 25 April 2026, Paranormal Activity began a North American tour last autumn, with dates including the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington DC and American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco. Paranormal Activity marks its Canadian premiere at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto this June, ahead of a run at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theater in July, before embarking on a 20-week Broadway season at the August Wilson Theatre from August 14 2026.
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.
Ty Fanning makes his West End debut as ‘James.’ Broadway: Othello, alongside Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal. Off-Broadway includes SPAIN (Second Stage) and Crooked Cross (Mint Theater). Regional credits include the title role in Hamlet (DCPA), Lindiwe (World Premiere, Steppenwolf), The First Lady of Television (World Premiere, Northlight), McNeal (Regional Premiere, Milwaukee Rep), Teenage Dick (Chicago Premiere, Theater Wit), Death of a Salesman (Palm Beach Dramaworks), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Indiana Rep), 5 seasons at American Players Theatre, 2 seasons at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and multiple productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. TV/Film: ‘Chicago Med’ (NBC), ‘Search Party’ (HBO), ‘Hot Mess Holiday’ (Comedy Central), and the upcoming ‘Bolio: Spirit of the Mustang’ with Tony Shalhoub. BFA Acting, Oklahoma City University.
Ami Okumura Jones is ‘Lou’. Ami originated the breakout leading role of ‘Satsuki’ in the RSC’s Olivier award-winning production of My Neighbour Totoro, playing the role from its sell-out debut at the Barbican Theatre through to its West End run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. On screen, she can be seen starring in Matt Charman’s high-stakes Netflix series Hostage as ‘Zadie’, Acorn’s Art Detectives, and the BBC’s gritty Rebus reboot opposite Richard Rankin. She also leads the cast as Steph in the short film Shrike. An alumnus of East 15 Acting School, her early career includes television roles in EastEnders as ‘Mieko Yoshi’ and Midsomer Murders as ‘Erin Turner’, followed by starring stage roles in Scandaltown (Lyric Hammersmith) and Wendy & Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse).
Kirsty Bushell as ‘Etheline Cotgrave’ Theatre includes: In Case of Emergency (Southbank Centre), A View From The Bridge & Angels In America (Headlong, UK Tour), The Tempest (Jermyn Street), Richard III, The White Devil, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors (RSC); King Lear (Chichester & West End); Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe); Edward II, 13, Edgar and Annabel, There is a War, Danton’s Death, The Voysey Inheritance, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (National Theatre); Antigone (Barbican & International Tour), The Cherry Orchard (Bristol & Royal Exchange); Torn (Royal Court); Boys Will Be Boys, Disgraced, 2000 Feet Away (Bush Theatre); A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky, Don Juan (Lyric Hammersmith); Fen, Far Away, Plenty (Sheffield Crucible) Pornography, Testing The Echo (Tricycle) Belongings, I Know How I Feel About Eve (Hampstead) Hedda Gabler (Salisbury Playhouse), The Seagull (Northampton), The Importance of Being Ernest (The Watermill); An Inspector Calls (West End) Blue Heart (Out of Joint). Television includes: Run Away, Ellis, Inspector Lynley,Tom Jones, Murder in Provence, The Dark Tower, Motherland, This Way Up, Silk, Pulling, Injustice, Casualty, Pornography, Midsomer Murders, Eastenders, FM Radio Takeover, Tumanba. Law & Order, Is This Love, Pulling, Talk To Me, Family Business, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Life Isn’t All Hee Ha Ha, EastEnders, Roger Roger.
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).
A new story inspired by the worldwide horror phenomenon, Paranormal Activity, 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.
Paranormal Activity reimagines the modern ghost story with an unsettling intimacy only theatre can provide. Immersing audiences in an atmosphere of creeping dread, unseen forces, and psychological tension, Levi Holloway’s script offers a bold reinterpretation of the original, blending domestic horror with mind-bending theatricality. Felix Barrett, known for breaking boundaries between audience and performer, brings his signature visionary style to the production. With innovative staging and chilling soundscapes, Paranormal Activity invites audiences to witness the inexplicable up close—and feel the fear in real time.
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 and Associate Director, Anna Marshall.
‘Will I be scared? Yes. How scared? Very. Cleverly, too.’
Chicago Tribune
Released by Paramount Pictures in 2009, the original Paranormal Activity is a master class in 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.
Age recommendation – 15 +