News

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and the National Theatre has today announced tickets for its musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s, As You Like It, will be available to the public on Friday 23 November at 10am. This is their second Public Acts production together, produced under the National Theatre’s new initiative which creates extraordinary acts of theatre and community. Five performances of As You Like It will take place at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 24 – 27 August. Tickets are £15 (plus 65p QNew Transformantion fee) and £7.50 for under 18s. Only 100 tickets per performance will be released to the public so audiences should book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Following the success of Pericles in the National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre this summer, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul will direct As You Like It in a musical adaptation first seen at the Delacorte Theater, New York, in 2017 as part of The Public Theater’s Public Works programme. This UK premiere sees more than one hundred community members, professional actors, and performance groups from across London, come together for this magical tale of faithful friends, feuding families and lovers in disguise. Pericles director Emily Lim will collaborate with Douglas Rintoul in the role of Public Acts Director, continuing to work with the Public Acts community partners: Body & Soul, Bromley by Bow Centre, Coram, DABD, The Faith & Belief Forum, HASWA, Open Age and Thames Reach. This version of As You Like It is by Director of Public Works Laurie Woolery and Shaina Taub, featuring music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, and set and costume design by Hayley Grindle. The score is infectious, with sounds ranging from calypso to pop, Broadway musical to soul. Queen’s Angels can access a 48-hour priority booking period as of today, Wednesday 21 November from 10am. Queen’s Angels are those who regularly support the Queen’s Theatre’s work by making monthly donations. Audiences who would like to become a Queen’s Angel and receive priority booking to As You Like It can sign up here: queens-theatre.co.uk/join-support/become-a-queens-angel/ This landmark moment in the history of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and London’s summer theatre for 2019 is not to be missed. More information about Public Acts and As You Like It can be found here. Public Acts is inspired by Public Works, the Public Theater’s ground-breaking programme in New York and by the visionary participatory work of other theatres across the UK over the past decades. Supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Hertz, The Sackler Trust and Garfield Weston Foundation. The National Theatre’s Partner for Learning is Bank of America Merrill Lynch.