Author: Grace Coppin

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch have an amazing team running the Brentwood Half Marathon & Fun Run on Sunday 15 March all to raise vital funds for the theatre’s Dementia Friendly shows including our next production Maggie May and foyer performances, Down Memory Lane.

Dementia is one of the leading challenges facing older people and their families today and we understand the positive impact theatre can have on their lives in relieving stress and loneliness, stimulating cognitive function and the senses, regaining a sense of self and aid in the communication to carers and family members.

You can support our fantastic runners Doug (Artistic Director), Sara (Trustee), Lauren & Holly (Admin), Peter (Head of Facilities), Alison (Chaperone) and Tom (Fundraising) will all be running. You can find our donation page here https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/QueensTheatreRunners2020

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is thrilled to announce that the first show of its Autumn 2020 season will be a revival of the National Theatre’s 2017 production of Beginning by David Eldridge. This will be the second play of David Eldridge’s produced by the Theatre, with 2019’s homecoming revival of In Basildon playing to national critical acclaim and opening the Theatre’s Essex On Stage initiative, an ambitious new two-year programme championing positive notions of Essex. Beginning will play at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 4-19 September 2020.

It’s the early hours of the morning and Danny from Upminster is the last straggler at Laura’s party. The flat’s in a mess. And so are they. One more drink?

Romford-born David Eldridge returns home with a ‘gorgeous new play’ (Independent) that takes a touching look at the first fragile moments of risking your heart and taking a chance.

David Eldridge says ‘I am thrilled that the tour of the revival of Polly Findlay’s magical National Theatre production of my play Beginning will begin its journey at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. It’s the theatre where I did work experience aged 18 and having a play on in RM11 feels like a homecoming of the most moving kind. I can’t wait.’

This tender‎ and funny critically acclaimed smash hit received its world premiere at the National Theatre before transferring to the West End. It’s being revived and relaunched by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch this Autumn, before embarking on a major national tour.

The announcement follows the news that Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has been named London Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards. Under the directorship of Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul and Executive Director Mathew Russell, the organisation’s on-stage programme and off-stage community and outreach work have a symbiotic relationship. In 2019, the theatre produced 14 shows, with an estimated 45% of audience members attending for the first time.

Queen’s Angels will have 24 hour priority access to booking from Wednesday 19 February at 11am, with the show going on sale to the public from Thursday 20 February at 10am.

Queen’s Angels are those who regularly support our work by making monthly donations.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has announced that it is rolling out its £8 Under 26 concessions across all performances of its produced work!

The Theatre continues its commitment to engaging younger audiences, and making theatre accessible for all.

Upcoming productions with the £8 concessions include Shakespeare’s bloody thriller, Macbeth, jukebox music celebrating the best of Essex, Love Letters, and Romeo and Julie, a brand new play from the National Theatre and Sherman Theatre.

Find out more about what’s on offer for Under 26s here

Our Scratch Night is an invitation into the creative process and a chance to be there at the very beginning.  It’s also a chance to meet the Queen’s Theatre team, have a drink, take a seat and give constructive feedback to the creatives performing.

Join a selection of local professional performers as they share developing work. Including short plays, movement, spoken word, comedy, puppetry, and more.

How To Apply

• Fill out the Scratch Night Application Form
• Attach a script if you have one (or an extract or treatment) – 15 minutes is the absolute maximum running time.
• The closing date for applications is Mon 3 Feb
  • We’ll then go through all of the applications and let you know within a week whether your piece has been selected.
  • We’ll then hold your place for a week.  In that time, you’ll need to get your cast and creative team together (if you haven’t already) and request rehearsal space if you need any.
  • If we don’t hear from you (with all of the people in place) by Mon 10 Feb we’ll give your place to someone else.
• The evening itself commences at 8pm.  There will be slots to rehearse on stage before the performance.

We endeavour to put together a varied evening of performance. Therefore, please do not be disappointed if your work is not selected, it can always be re-submitted for the evening in the autumn.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch will open its Spring 2020 season with a revival of Shakespeare’s bloodiest thriller, Macbeth. The revival continues the Theatre’s tradition of quality, classic drama and will be directed by Douglas Rintoul, following his acclaimed productions of Much Ado About Nothing and UK tour of The Crucible. Most recently, Douglas has directed this Summer’s highlight musical adaptation of As You Like It; a European premiere in partnership with the National Theatre. This co-production with Derby Theatre follows successful collaborations on Abigail’s Party, Abi and One Man, Two Guvnors.

Cast includes: Rikki Chamberlain (Flashdance, Selladoor), Martin Johnston (Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, Palace Theatre), Adam Karim (Years and Years, BBC One), Danielle Kassaraté (The Color Purple, Leicester Curve), Daniel Kendrick (We Anchor In Hope, Bunker Theatre), Collette McNulty (DNA, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), David Nellist (Taboo, BBC One), Ewan Sommers (Sinbad, Perth Theatre), Phoebe Sparrow, (Rope, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Paul Tinto (1917, Universal Studios), Connie Walker (In Basildon, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) and Tilda Wickham (Out Of Water, Orange Tree Theatre).

The show will play at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 7 – 29 February and at Derby Theatre from 3 March – 14 March. It will then go on a national tour, with the Theatre making its first visit to Perth Theatre, and returning to long-term partner New Wolsey Theatre.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is thrilled to announce that Mathew Russell, Executive Director, and Douglas Rintoul, Artistic Director, have been listed as one of The Stage’s top 100 most influential figures in theatre, a new entry for the list.

Under the directorship of Douglas Rintoul and Mathew Russell, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch‘s on-stage programme and off-stage community and outreach work have a symbiotic relationship. In 2019, the Theatre produced 14 shows, with an estimated 37% of audience members attending for the first time – in a borough that has the fourth lowest arts engagement in London.

Its landmark project, Essex on Stage, championed positive notions of Essex. Beginning with an acclaimed production of David Eldridge’s In Basildon in March 2019, it included talent development and new artistic work, with the commission of Sadie Hasler’s Stiletto Beach and the regional premiere of Romford-born playwright Luke Norris’ So Here We Are in Autumn 2019. Essex on Stage has been made possible by the generous support of The Clothworkers’ Foundation. Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is the recipient of the 2018 Clothworkers’ Theatre Award, a competitive annual prize given to a regional producing theatre, that has only ever been awarded five times.

Elsewhere, the Theatre partnered with the National Theatre on the second iteration of the NT’s large-scale Public Acts programme – with an impressive participatory production of As You Like It – while co-producing partners have also included the New Wolsey in Ipswich, Central School of Speech and Drama, Hull Truck Theatre and Derby Theatre. At a time when theatres’ need to be open and accessible to all parts of their communities is at the top of the collective agenda, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is making this its raison d’être and proving that quality theatre and outreach can go hand in hand.

The Stage 100 is intended to reflect who are the 100 most influential people working in the theatre and performing arts industry. It is considered from the point of view of The Stage, as a trade publication, and so focuses both on theatre as a business and an art form. Inclusion within the list and ranking is weighted towards achievements in the past 12 months, but also takes into account continuous achievement.

For a full list, please visit www.thestage.co.uk/features/2020/the-stage-100-theatres-most-influential-2020-analysis/

A staple of every traditional pantomime is the costumes, especially the outrageous, extravagant dresses worn by the panto dame. The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Wardrobe department have been making the dresses for the pantomime dame at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch for many years, and have worked on all of the costumes for 2019’s panto, Robin Hood.

Nicola Thomas has worked at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch for ten years after graduating from a BA in theatre design and costume construction, and has been Wardrobe Manager since 2018. Her favourite costume in this year’s pantomime is the evil witch Morgana’s elaborate horned ensemble.

‘I love making period costumes so any show that I can do that for is great but I do love making costumes for panto too because of the scale of makes and they’re always very different and interesting.’

Richard Foxton, who has worked on many pantomimes, including last year’s panto at Queen’s Theatre, Jack and the Beanstalk, designed the costumes and set for the show.

Construction on the costumes begin as early as September, with over 250 metres of fabric being used. There are 65 costumes in the show, all of which are washed more than twice a day.

Written by Andrew Pollard and directed by Douglas Rintoul (the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Artistic Director), this family friendly actor-musician panto is twanging to the beats of pop hits from across the decades, filled with traditional audience participation and laugh out loud silliness. This heroic panto spectacular will be playing from Thursday 28 November to Sunday 5 January.