Genre: Blueprint

Last year, we were proud to launch our first-ever Blueprint Festival, a project that aimed to provide a platform for artists to showcase their talents and develop new, daring works. The festival was a resounding success, earning three award nominations for two productions and even winning the prestigious Off-West End ‘One Offie‘ Award.

We are excited to return with the Blueprint Festival this October, continuing to push creative boundaries while shining a light on underrepresented stories and voices. From 10 – 14 October, we invite you to join us for a week of new ideas and theatrical delights, featuring a mix of fresh talent and returning favourites in multiple performance spaces all over the theatre. 

Whether you’re a seasoned attendee or a first-timer, we can’t wait for you to experience the diverse range of theatrical performances on offer this autumn. We welcome you with open arms to join us for an unforgettable week that celebrates the drive, creativity, and ambition of our team at QTH. As the Off West End Awards noted in their appraisal of our 2022 festival, our programming is a testament to our commitment to excellence in the arts.

 

The Freak By Bertie Darrell

A sprawling mass of explosive queer chaos, ‘mad’ performer Kit can either start living a healthier life or continue as they are and risk losing everything. It is that simple. Yet the world is determined to make everything more complicated for them.

 

Evening Conversations By Bhuchar Boulevard

Middle class, middle-aged, multicultural mother of millennial sons, Sudha lives a ‘squeezed middle’ life in Wimbledon. As she navigates her career, family and returning to India as a NRI (Non-Resident Indian), she is prompted to investigate her own sense of home and place in the world. Evening Conversations is warm-hearted, humorous, and truthful storytelling.

 

Open The Front Door By various artists

Open the Front Door showcases the work of disabled artists or those who have experience of shielding during the pandemic. This series of three pieces of digital theatre platform artists who are pushing at the boundaries of what theatre can and should be. Open the Front Door can be enjoyed from the comfort of your armchair, bed or kitchen table.

 

Walking on Deep Time & Air By Sára Märc

Embark on a mindful art walk around Hornchurch! Join us as we delve into the mystical world where minerals, rocks, and the very air we breathe blur boundaries and create desire lines leading us to both lush green havens and intriguing urban corners. Journey with a collective of artists, green enthusiasts, historians, and scientists as we collectively unravel the secrets of our local landscape.

 

[Don’t] Try This At Home By State of the [art]

Discover the secrets behind the enduring success of wrestling and its iconic “Kayfabe” element that keeps audiences hooked. Take part in this immersive 1 hour performance, half interactive lecture and half performance art, become part of the action as we unravel the essence of wrestling and the skills it entails.

 

Usher By Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Second-Year Students

Experience the extraordinary as students from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s BA Experimental Arts and Performance program invite you to ‘Usher.’ This captivating promenade performance takes you on an immersive journey through the enigmatic and concealed spaces of the theatre.

 

Foodaholix By BLINK Dance Theatre

Expect twerk-a-luscious Burger Drag and walk-about food memory mayhem with our iPad MC! Come and party at our Silent Disco sensory rave, banish your food icks with our Ice Cream Queen, and join the Pudding Parade: a tactile, travelling interactive dance workshop.

 

A Different Class By Kenny Emson

Exploring mental health, masculinity and working-class culture, with a drum and bass soundtrack that “will blow the doors off the theatre”.

 

Defiant Journey By Jo Cox and Kate Lovell

A sonic-saga exploring the experiences of disabled and neurodivergent people living under austerity and through the cost-of-living crisis through allegory, sensory exploration, storytelling and original composition played live on the electric Dragon Cello. Includes live electric cello, spoken word, vocal expression, song and sensory exploration. (This is a work-in-progress performance).

‘Bhuchar radiates knowledge, warmth and real likability’ – The Guardian

‘Subtle blending of the personal and the political. Gently caustic…beautiful and moving’ – The Stage

Acclaimed actor and writer, Sudha Bhuchar brings her one woman show, Evening Conversations, to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.

Middle class, middle aged, multicultural mother of millennial sons, Sudha lives a ‘squeezed middle’ life in Wimbledon. As she navigates her career, family and returning to India as a NRI (Non-Resident Indian), she is prompted to investigate her own sense of home and place in the world. Inextricably shaped by Sudha’s cross-continental childhood, a far cry from her sons’ upbringing in leafy Wimbledon, Evening Conversations is warm hearted, humorous, and truthful storytelling.

Sudha invites her boys to ‘crack open a cold one’ and share their views on life. Will her dual heritage (Hindu/Indian and Muslim/Pakistani), fiercely British, mono-lingual sons see their background as a place of strength or an unwelcome inheritance? Shots are fired in the quick-fire exchanges between mother and sons, forcing Sudha to take stock.

Evening Conversations has wide intergenerational appeal and engages many diverse audiences. This joyful monologue invites you to carry on the conversation after….

Dedicated to the late Philip Osment (director, writer and mentor).

 

Experience the extraordinary as students from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s BA Experimental Arts and Performance program invite you to Usher. This captivating promenade performance takes you on an immersive journey through the enigmatic and concealed spaces of the theatre.

Made over 48 hours, Usher is a one-of-a-kind theatrical experiment, defying conventions and redefining the boundaries of performance art. As you step into this mysterious world, you’ll encounter hidden moments, explore intriguing situations, and witness beautiful scenes, all within the uncharted corners of our iconic venue.

“Jo-anne is an amazing accomplished musician and after seeing her live performance, I discovered that she is also an amazing storyteller.” – Ivan Riches, Sonic/Visual Artist 

Enter the Dragon’s Cave and succumb to the sonic succulence of the Dragon Cello in its sparkling amethyst splendour. Respond to the gentle hums and the booming roars of the Dragon Cello as it describes the story of its persecution and eventual spectacular rebellion. Come and find your voice within the Dragon’s Cave…

Defiant Journey is a sonic-saga exploring the experiences of disabled and neurodivergent people living under austerity and through the cost-of-living crisis through allegory, sensory exploration, storytelling and original composition played live on the electric Dragon Cello by Jo-anne Cox.

Performance includes: live electric cello, spoken word, vocal expression, song, sensory exploration. (This is a work-in-progress performance).

BLINK’s neurodiverse and learning disabled director-performers are taking over Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch to bring you a colourful and creative interactive exhibition of food-themed activities inspired by their current show ELVIS DIED OF BURGERS.

Expect twerk-a-luscious Burger Drag and walk-about food memory mayhem with our iPad MC! Come and party at our Silent Disco sensory rave, banish your food icks with our Ice Cream Queen, and join the Pudding Parade: a tactile, travelling interactive dance workshop.

All of the experiences/performances will be Relaxed and some integrated BSL is used in the ELVIS DIED OF BURGERS excerpts. For visually impaired participants we will use creative lighting and tactile elements as part of the sensory rave experience.

A sprawling mass of explosive queer chaos, ‘mad’ performer Kit can either start living a healthier life or continue as they are and risk losing everything. It is that simple. Yet the world is determined to make everything more complicated for them.

Navigating the pass-agg difficulties of a late 20s London flat share, questionable nights out and a distant pull back to their family, they oscillate between appeasing those around them and throwing as much sh*t to the wall to see what sticks.

The Freak explores how queer appearances are sought to be made palatable for heteronormative consumption. Where does our tolerance for queerness lie? Can society accept the differences it does not stand?

The Freak is a work in progress

Discover the secrets behind the enduring success of wrestling and its iconic “Kayfabe” element that keeps audiences hooked.

In this immersive 1-hour performance we have a half-hour workshop to begin with, you’ll embark on a journey of deconstruction and reconstruction. Dive deep into the suspension of disbelief that fuels wrestling’s allure. Engage with our interactive lecture, where you become a part of the action. Join fellow fans in lively games, quizzes, and content creation sessions, as we unravel the essence of wrestling and the skills it entails.

But the excitement doesn’t stop there. For the second half of the show, witness an epic wrestling showdown like no other. And here’s the twist – you can be part of the spectacle! Join us as a commentary team member, a ring announcer, or even the referee. Experience the adrenaline, the drama, and the glory of professional wrestling like never before.

[Don’t] Try This At Home is your chance to step beyond the ring ropes and explore the magic that makes wrestling an enduring spectacle.

Book your tickets now for an unforgettable journey into the heart of the squared circle.

Embark on a mindful art walk around Hornchurch!

Join us as we delve into the mystical world where minerals, rocks, and the very air we breathe blur boundaries and create desire lines leading us to both lush green havens and intriguing urban corners. Journey with a passionate collective of artists, green enthusiasts, historians, and scientists as we collectively unravel the secrets of our local landscape. Together, we’ll explore the powerful politics of the air, the intricate dance of carbon cycles, and the hidden wonders of minerals beneath our feet.

Inspired by the innovative works of our resident artist, Sára Märc, we will be led by a series of captivating guests who will stimulate your mind and encourage you to delve deeper into our remarkable natural world.

Get ready to experience an art walk that will awaken your senses and inspire you to see the world around you in a whole new light!

Our walking guides are Ian Mercer, who spent 25 years at the British Geological Survey and nearly two decades as Director of Education at the Gemmological Association of Great Britain. And Ros Mercer, a geologist-turned-teacher with 20+ years of experience, active leaders in geological societies, UK advisors, and recipients of the 2020 Halstead Medal for promoting geology education. Authors of ‘Essex Rock’ (2022).

Open the Front Door showcases the work of disabled artists or those who have experience of shielding during the pandemic. This series of three pieces of digital theatre platform artists who are pushing at the boundaries of what theatre can and should be. Many artists and audiences continue to shield or face significant barriers to leaving their homes. Open the Front Door can be enjoyed from the comfort of your armchair, bed or kitchen table. Tune in to adventure through an audio-visual poem about surviving cancer treatment during the pandemic, an odyssey through an English seaside town and dark corners of the mind and a playful online quest including monsters, magic powers and unicorns which guide us through Carmen’s real-life experience of cancer.

The Origin Of Carmen Power

An online superhero adventure filled with monsters, magic powers and Unicorns! There you’ll meet Carmen who, through this playful quest, shares her real-life experience of cancer five years ago when she was seven years-old. In this self-guided online experience, Carmen uses play and imagination to express the challenges she faced and overcome. Made in Association with the Unicorn Theatre with support from Arts Council England, John Thaw Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Unlimited.

Humetheus and The Quest for the Bronze Cloak

See Humetheus in jeopardy, encountering mayhem and myths. Which way to turn, which challenge to conquer next, seems so binary. Our hero’s insatiable desire to prove worth may be the downfall that prevents him from ever seeing home again. What if Hugh & Steve get stuck in the loop of trying?

Swimming With Sharks

A short film exploring the physical sensations and emotional impact of Jenni’s treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, which coincided with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was created to ‘bear witness’ to this experience; by describing one of the darkest, most difficult moments, and the fragile threads of hope that seemed to emerge from this lowest ebb.

 

To watch

Use the buttons below to book. You will receive the links to all three shows, and an video additional link to an introduction to the work, on your booking confirmation email.