Author: Grace Coppin

Their legs ache but it was definitely worth it – a number of Queen’s Theatre staff successfully raised their target of £3,000 for the theatre’s brilliant Learning & Participation department by competing in the Brentwood Half Marathon and 5K race at the weekend.

Cheered on by friends and colleagues, Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul joined thousands of runners in the annual event, finishing the course in an impressive hour and 59 minutes – a personal best. Joining him was Abi Booth (Wardrobe) who ran the course in two hours and 15 minutes and Tom Lowe (Communications) who finished in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Running in the 5K race on the same day was Claire Bailey-Day (Administration), Lewis Tomlinson (Workshop) and Peter Thorne (Front of House).

There’s no resting for Douglas Rintoul however, as he is set to run again in the Hackney Half Marathon on 30 April.

The Learning & Participation department offers a variety of programmes that enables everyone the chance to discover and nurture their performing arts talents.  Last year, the Learning & Participation team at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch facilitated 20,670 engagement opportunities across Havering, East London and Essex with people of all ages and backgrounds. This includes producing high quality productions involving the local community, training young people in theatre skills both on stage and behind the scenes and assisting schools in delivering the curriculum in an innovative way. This year the youth theatre celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The Queen’s Theatre’s thanks everyone who has donated so far.  The theatre has recently faced significant cuts from local government so donations are vital for the theatre to continue bringing arts into the community. As a registered charity, the Queen’s Theatre receives regular funding from the London Borough of Havering and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation but also relies on donations and a wide range of fundraising activities and initiatives in order to be able to continue its work across the region.

For more information about the Queen’s Theatre’s Learning & Participation programme visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/get-involved/youth-theatre/

After months of anticipation, the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has announced it will be staging Beauty and the Beast as this year’s pantomime.

Audiences are invited to join in the fun as their favourite fairytale comes to life in a magical, action-packed panto for the whole family. It will run at the Queen’s Theatre from 30 November – 7 January.

The Queen’s Theatre is committed to ensuring everyone can enjoy the pleasure of live performance and has confirmed it will be providing two specially adapted shows for their charming production of Beauty and the Beast. Tickets to a Relaxed Performance (Tuesday 2 January) and a Dementia-Friendly Performance (Wednesday 3 January) are available to purchase alongside the theatre’s regular Signed and Audio-Described performances.

Tickets range from £12.50 to £29 and are on sale now. The theatre is offering its loyal customers a 10% off ‘Early Bird’ discount if they book before 15 April (T&Cs apply).

From the team that created the 2016 box office smash-hit spectacular Cinderella, it’s going to be the best Christmas extravaganza in town!

In a land far away, lived a bright and beautiful young woman. Her life becomes in danger when she is taken prisoner by a hideous Beast in his castle. Will she escape? Will the Beast be able to find true love and break his terrible curse?

Beauty and the Beast has it all – sparkling sets, colourful costumes, tunes that everyone knows, lots of laughter and most importantly plenty of audience participation. The whole family will enjoy booing the baddie, cheering the hero and laughing along with the hilarious Dame.

For further details about dates, times, prices and to book, call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/beauty-beast-201718/ 

The Queen’s Theatre is excited to be co-producing the revival of the ‘killingly funny’ (Daily Mail) hit comedy Worst Wedding Ever with Salisbury Playhouse and New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich.

Worst Wedding Ever is a ‘downright farcical’ (Daily Telegraph) family drama about downsizing wedding preparations and comes to the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 15 March – 1 April. It is written by stage and television writer Chris Chibnall who is best known for creating the ITV detective serial Broadchurch and BBC sci-fi hit Torchwood. He will also become the Head Writer and Executive Producer of Dr Who in 2018.

Chris Chibnall reveals he got the idea for the play after attending many weddings as well as planning his own big day. Speaking about Worst Wedding Ever he said, “It’s as much a play about families and relationships as it is about a wedding itself. How families deal with weddings, who gets to control the wedding, whose day is it – the bride’s, the groom’s, the mother’s? – that was very interesting. And I was surprised that there really aren’t many plays about weddings. So I wanted to write a big, funny, mainstream play about not just things that can go wrong, but also what weddings mean to families and what they’re loaded with now. Because I think the modern wedding is a very different concept to what it was 30, 40 years ago.”

The cast is led by Julia Hills (Calendar Girls, Chichester Festival Theatre, West End and national tour; 2point4 Children) as Liz, the bride’s mother. She will be joined by Elizabeth Cadwallader, Ben Callon, Derek Frood, Lloyd Gorman, Kieran Hill, Elisabeth Hopper, Nav Sidhu and Chris Talman.

Worst Wedding Ever is set in West Dorset about a mother who, after her daughter’s original wedding plans begin to crumble, enlists the whole family to help make the day one she’ll never forget. With a marquee in the back garden, the pub band, the help of the local vicar and two almost fully functioning portable toilets, surely the day will pass without a hitch?

Packed with hysterical wedding day antics, plenty of slapstick and a live wedding band, Worst Wedding Ever is a brilliant, feel-good piece of theatre that will have audiences in fits of laughter from the start.

It runs at the Queen’s Theatre from 15 March – 1 April. Tickets are £18 – £29 and can be purchased by calling the Box Office on 01708 443333, in person at the theatre or online at https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/worst-wedding-ever-2/.

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is delighted to receive such high acclaim for its exhilarating production of Arthur Miller’s classic The Crucible.

Reviews Gate was intensively captivated and awarded it five-stars, claiming ‘Douglas Rintoul’s production of this classic play grips like a vice’.

‘A stunning piece of Theatre that all should take in while they can!’ was the verdict given by the Phoenix FM, who became fully immersed and absorbed in the performance, giving The Crucible five-stars.

The chilling production has left critics gripping the edges of their seats. Here’s what they have been saying:

★★★★ ‘A ‘timely and powerful’ production of The Crucible’  – The Stage

★★★★ ‘Gripping production’ – What’s On Stage

★★★★  ‘An atmospheric feast for the senses’ – West End Wilma

‘You will find your heart pulled back and forth’ – Hornchurch Life

‘A spectacularly haunting adaptation of a classic’ – Romford Recorder

‘A captivating step back in time’ – Yellow Advertiser

‘Impressive’ – Enquirer

‘Incredible’ – Bedrock FM

To read the reviews in full click here

The Crucible runs at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch until 11 March. For tickets visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/the-crucible-2/

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is excited to announce its resident young company Cut2 is performing in the biggest youth festival in the UK and Ireland with the gothic melodrama, The Monstrum.

NT Connections 2017 is the National Theatre’s annual youth theatre project that champions new writing and offers young people aged 13-19 the chance to stage plays written by some of the country’s most exciting playwrights. Each year it handpicks just 10 original plays to perform at the festival, and this year the Queen’s Theatre’s Cut2 company will be performing The Monstrum on 5 & 6 March before transferring to the Theatre Royal Stratford East on 1 April.

Set in a cold village on the edge of nowhere, a disease has broken out, infecting the young and transforming them into monstrous creatures. The villagers fearfully watch their children for symptoms of the disease, whilst the Mayor has adopted tough measures for dealing with those who are infected. When Bolek, the local scholar, makes a breakthrough in finding a cure, few are prepared for the gruesome nature of the treatment. But with his own daughter showing signs of infection, there is no choice than to stop this terrible disease dead in its tracks.

Cut2 is a focused training programme run by the Queen’s Theatre’s Learning and Participation Department, which nurtures the artistic potential of 14-18-year-olds committed to theatre. The company has earned itself a strong reputation in youth theatre and also performs alongside the Queen’s Theatre cast in various professional productions. Learning & Participation Producer James Watson said, ‘It’s our fourth year as a participant. It’s a valuable key project of our celebrated youth theatre programme and an exciting opportunity for young people to experience professional theatre practice.’

Featuring a cast of 16 young performers, The Monstrum will also see 10 young people be actively involved in all technical aspects of the production of the show including costume design, stage management, sound and lighting.

The Monstrum is directed by local director Amy Insole who has worked with the theatre’s young company since 2013 and has directed professional productions at the Queen’s Theatre, as well as fringe theatres including Etcetera Theatre, Roundhouse Studio and Tristan Bates Theatre. Music is by Andrew Linham who performs regular jazz sessions at the theatre and has been actively involved in the young company’s previous productions.

The Monstrum will be performed at the Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane on Sunday 5 March at 8pm and Monday 6 March at 6pm and 8pm. Tickets are £10 and can be purchased by calling the Box Office on 01708 443333, online at queens-theatre.co.uk or in person from the theatre.

For more information about The Monstrum visit: https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/the-monstrum/

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is set to launch a very exciting audio and visual exhibition inspired by local voices, Women’s Stories of Ford Dagenham.

Women’s Stories of Ford Dagenham celebrates the exceptional women who worked at Ford Dagenham between 1968-1984 who fought for women’s equal pay. The strikes of 1968 and 1984 influenced history by revolutionising women’s rights and is still significant in today’s local community. Join us to celebrate their wonderful stories and remarkable achievements.

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch recruited and trained 10 young women from the local community to interview and record stories from over 50 machinists, Ford Dagenham workers, family and friends. Discover the friendships forged, the good times spent and the hardships fought whilst on the picket line striving for equality. The documentary video will showcase an eclectic range of transcripts, stories and personal photographs, exploring how far we have come since those cold winter days and how much further we must go to achieve equal rights for all.

Following the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s critically acclaimed premiere of Made In Dagenham last year, the documentary will enable a physical passing down of history from one generation of women to the next.

The documentary can be watched in full here:

The exhibition will tour to local venues, starting at the Havering Museum from 8 – 17 February and finishing at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 16 – 29 May. The full tour schedule is as follows:

8 Feb -17 Feb | Havering Museum

20 Feb – 6 Mar | Dagenham Library

7 Mar – 26 Mar | Valence House Museum

27 Mar – 18 Apr | Brentwood Road Gallery, Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls

18 Apr – 1 May | Romford Central Library

2 May – Fri 12 May | Rainham School for Girls

16 May – 29 May | Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch

The exhibition is open to the general public. For more information about the exhibition, call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit http://www.womensstoriesofforddagenham.co.uk/

A number of Queen’s Theatre staff are limbering up for this year’s Brentwood Half Marathon to raise money for the theatre’s Learning & Participation department.

Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul ran last year and raised over £2,000 for the theatre. He will be running the Brentwood Half Marathon again on Sunday 19 March and this time will be joined by Abi Booth (Wardrobe), Ashley Darran (Finance) and Tom Lowe (Fundraising). Running in the 5K race on the same day will be Claire Bailey-Day (Admin Assistant), Lewis Tomlinson (Workshop), Ben Collins (Technician) and Peter Thorne (Front of House).

The Learning & Participation department offers a variety of programmes that enables everyone the chance to discover and nurture their performing arts talents. Last year, the Learning & Participation team at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch facilitated 20,670 engagement opportunities across Havering, East London and Essex with people of all ages and backgrounds. This includes producing high quality productions involving the local community, training young people in theatre skills both on stage and behind the scenes and assisting schools in delivering the curriculum in an innovative way. This year the youth theatre celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Donations received will contribute towards continuing this work that promotes creativity, helps build confidence and enables participants to develop new skills and make like-minded new friends.

The Queen’s Theatre has recently faced significant cuts from local government so donations are vital for the theatre to continue bringing arts into the community.

Anyone that would like to support the Queen’s Theatre’s vital work, they can do this at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/QueensTheatreRunners. The theatre aims to raise £3,000.

As a registered charity, the Queen’s Theatre receives regular funding from the London Borough of Havering and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation but also relies on donations and a wide range of fundraising activities and initiatives in order to be able to continue its work across the region.

For more information about the Queen’s Theatre and its Learning & Participation programme visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/get-involved/youth-theatre/

Are you hoping to grab yourself a bargain on your next theatre trip? Look no further, we’ve got some awesome discounts available on our spring season opening show, The Crucible!

Preview tickets from just £12.50

Be one of the first people to watch this spine-tingling thriller and pay as little as £12.50 at the show’s two preview performances. You can even secure top-price seats for just £19.50 – that’s a saving of up to £10.50 compared to Friday and Saturday nights and £7.50 for midweek performances!

Preview performances are on Fri 17 and Sat 18 Feb at 7.30pm. To book tickets call our Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/the-crucible-2/

Tickets for previews are selling fast so don’t delay!

Limited £1 tickets up for grabs

£1 tickets are up for grabs to watch for Havering residents who have never been to the Queen’s Theatre before.

As part of the Queen’s Theatre’s Good Neighbour Scheme, an inventive new drive to make the performing arts as accessible as possible for everyone, £1 tickets are on offer to residents of the Borough who are new to the Queen’s Theatre for the 7.30pm show on Monday 20 February.

Anyone interested should call the Box Office on 01708 443333 and quote ‘Good Neighbour Scheme’. This is a limited offer so customers are urged to book very soon.

Midweek concessions (Mon – Thu evenings & Thu matinees only)

Come to one of our midweek performances and save up to £4 on your ticket. Plus we’ve got some awesome discounted tickets available:

Over 60s | £3.50 off full-price tickets

Disability Living Allowance claimants | £3.50 off full-price tickets

Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support claimants | £8 off full-price tickets

Groups of 8+ | £4 off full-price tickets

Equity/Bectu/SDUK | £7 off full-price tickets

To take advantage of these offers call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit the theatre in person.

Under 26s and students – listen up!

We’re offering you an even cheekier bargain – sit anywhere in the house for just £9.50 on preview nights – Fri 17 and Sat 18 Feb at 7.30pm.

Can’t make the previews? Come to one of our midweek performances instead (Mon – Thu evenings and Thu matinees) and we’ll give you £7 off full-price tickets. What a bargain!

To secure these discounts call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit the theatre in person.

About The Crucible:

Written by renowned American playwright Arthur Miller (All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, A View from the Bridge), The Crucible is inspired by the true story of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 – 1693.

In a tight-knit community, a group of girls is caught dancing wildly in the woods. Terrifying allegations of witchcraft ensue. Lust, superstition and personal grievances collide and the whole village is quickly consumed by an unstoppable flow of fear, paranoia and manipulation – no person is safe from its neighbour and the noose. Who will survive?

The Crucible is co-produced with Selladoor Productions in association with Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg. It will premiere at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 17 February – 11 March before going on tour across the UK and to Luxembourg.

For more information about the production visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/the-crucible-2/

The cultural hub in the heart of Havering, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, today announced the final members of its leadership team with the appointment of a new Chair and Executive Director.

The Queen’s Theatre is excited to reveal Claire Gevaux as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. She succeeds Dennis Roycroft who said,
Claire brings invaluable experience from other arts organisations to the Queen’s Theatre. In addition, Claire’s appointment as Chair together with Mathew and Douglas creates a new and dynamic executive leadership team capable of building on the Queen’s Theatre’s reputation nationally.’

Claire Gevaux is very much looking forward to leading the theatre during this very exciting time and welcomes the newly appointed Executive Director, Mathew Russell.

‘We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Mathew Russell who will join Artistic Director, Douglas Rintoul as joint Chief Executives at the Queen’s Theatre. Mathew joins us at an exciting time and brings a wealth of skills and experience that we need to deliver an inspiring vision for the future. We’ve already achieved an incredible amount in the last year; winning ‘Most Welcoming Theatre’ award, refreshing our brand, creating innovative programmes to support local artists through ‘Outer Limits’, engaging a more diverse audience with the theatre as well as taking our work out to communities. Mathew’s appointment completes our new leadership team and we are looking forward to continuing with this ambitious vision for the Queen’s Theatre as the leading cultural hub in Havering, outer London and beyond.’

Mathew Russell is currently Executive Director at Cast in Doncaster, a major new arts centre in South Yorkshire that opened in September 2013. Previous to this, Mathew was Chief Executive at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, overseeing a significant period of organisational change. From 2009 – 2014, Mathew spent five years as Executive Director of Watford Palace Theatre and before that eight years as Executive Director of Greenwich+Docklands Festivals.

As Executive Director, Mathew will oversee the delivery of the theatre’s business objectives ensuring that it thrives both artistically and financially now and in the future. He succeeds Thom Stanbury and Interim Chief Executive Mary Caws. Of his appointment, Mathew said:

‘I’ve seen some brilliant theatre at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, and very much admire its rich heritage, the warm support it enjoys from audiences and the recent impressive changes under the leadership of new Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul. I’m looking forward to working with the Board, Doug and staff team to help realise some exciting projects in the pipeline, on stage and off, and contribute to the continuing development of this much loved and vitally important regional theatre.’

Since Douglas Rintoul was appointed Artistic Director 18 months ago at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, he has pioneered a new era of creative collaborations with UK theatres and supported emerging local artists. The theatre is set to undergo even more exciting development under the direction of its two newly appointed leaders.

Over 200,000 people enjoy the Queen’s Theatre’s programme every year, including the best in home-produced theatre, visiting live entertainment and inspiring Learning and Participation projects.