Grace Coppin, Author at Queens Theatre

Come dine with us at Rice & Peas, a food and immersive theatre experience

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Countdown to Blueprint

A pop-up restaurant inside Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is the venue for Rice & Peas, the first major production from theatre company Blouse & Skirt! from Monday 19 September to Saturday 24 September.

In an immersive West Indian dining and theatre experience, audiences seated at tables will be served a three-course menu created by Executive Chef Jon Bentham (former head chef for Gary Rhodes), while the story of Figgy and Edith, a couple from the Windrush generation, unfolds in three acts.

Written and directed by Mia Jerome, who is Artistic Director of Blouse & Skirt!, Rice & Peas opens in 1970. The setting is the Caribbean family restaurant that Figgy and Edith opened where celebrations are underway for its 10th anniversary.

Filling the theatre with the tastes and smells of the Caribbean, the menu will include Green Fig Salad, Ground Provision Oil Down, Rice & Peas, Macaroni & Cheese, Grenada Spice Cake & Vanilla Ice Cream. (Dishes may be subject to change, and an optional vegan menu will be available.)

As the audience are served, they are transported back in time and place, to 1948 Grenada and the night before Figgy is due to board The Empire Windrush for Britain, leaving Edith behind. Over the course of the meal, their story of being separated, reunited and finally making their life in London is told.

Damian Lynch (The Split, BBC) played Figgy in the short run of Rice & Peas at Metal Culture, Southend-on-Sea, in April this year, and now returns to the role.

Damian says: “I’m delighted to be playing Figgy again in Rice & Peas and bringing such an important part of our history to the Blueprint Festival. As an actor of Caribbean heritage, I’m honoured to be able to bring Figgy’s story to life in such a unique and exciting way. I was born in East London so it feels like I’m coming home!”

Also returning, in the role of Edith, is Nicole Dayes (Phoenix, The Big House Theatre Company) and Khrystalle Moriah as Marion (Performance Preparation Acadamy graduate).

New to the cast are JD Hunt as Marcus (Who Cares?, ITV); and Daiyaan Simeon as Michael (Identity School Of Acting Talent graduate).

Mia Jerome founded Blouse & Skirt Theatre Company in 2021 to celebrate stories, songs, performers and puppets from the African-Caribbean diaspora. She studied Creative Writing and Television at Kingston University and trained as an actress and theatre maker at Fourth Monkey Theatre Company.

Mia (Writer, Director, and Producer), and Jon (Executive Chief), will be joined by Luke Circus as Senior Sous Chef, Simon George as Commis Chef, Anne Odeke as Dramaturg, and Wesley Laing as Sound Designer.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has been supporting development of Rice & Peas for the past year, before programming this production as part of the Blueprint festival. Mia says, “It is wonderful to be on the roster with so many exciting artists in this festival. I can’t wait to see the Theatre transformed into a space for experimentation.”

★★★★★ “Mia Jerome’s ‘Rice and Peas’ sets the bar astronomically high for concept of immersive theatre and it will be an experience I will be pondering on for a while to come.” Alwaystimefortheatre.com

“A clever, meticulously thought out experience with a great atmosphere established, I highly recommend!” Theatrefullstop.com

Blueprint: a festival of new ideas has something for everyone. Two weeks of 12 exciting events inside and outside the theatre using every available space from the rooftop to the basement and carpark – with new writing, immersive experiences, a scratch night, culinary delights, promenade performances, Essex stories, accessible performances, DJ Chinaman and more. Most events are £5 plus 65p QNext Fee and some are free.

Tickets for Rice & Peas are £38. Rice and Peas runs from 19 – 24 Sep. For more details about Rice & Pease and the full programme of the Blueprint Festival, click here. Blueprint runs from 12 – 24 September.

Cast and creatives announced for Laura Ann Price’s In This Smoking Chaos as part of the Blueprint Festival

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Cast and creative team announced for In This Smoking Chaos, playing 15 – 24 September as part of the Theatre’s Blueprint Festival.

Part theatre, part art installation, part cinema – artist and designer Laura Ann Price and her team of collaborators have devised a raw human drama of 31 scenes in 31 minutes. It will be played by two performers, who act, dance and perform spoken word poetry and create live soundscapes. Laura is interested in how design and scene changes can tell a story beyond words.

This production is led by its design. The playing space is an impressive five-metre high cube on the main stage of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch that revolves to reveal the different facades and interiors of the constantly shifting scenery. Projections and bold lighting illuminate the cube, and a soundtrack of high-octane contemporary music sets the emotional tone of the haunting drama.

From the poetic paintings of Edward Hopper to the “disrupt and disturb” cinema of Gaspar Noé, In This Smoking Chaos is inspired by a whole range of cultural influences. Classical music meets rave meets ambient sound on a soundtrack originally inspired by the heartfelt music of Fred Again (the DJ and producer to Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and Aitch).

Laura Ann Price represented the UK at Prague Quadrennial, an international event that aims to bring together the best of performance design, scenography and theatre architecture from around the world every four years. To celebrate the diversity of performance design in the UK, the Society of British Theatre Design selected some of the most exciting artists working today to exhibit in a show called Staging Places: UK Design for Performance 2015-2019. She showcased her 2018 design for Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads for Leeds Playhouse.

Other design credits include: The Rising Sun in association with David Shearing, Donmar Resident Design Assistant, Hello & Goodbye (York Theatre Royal), Dinner 18:55 (Leeds Playhouse), Linbury Finalist 2019, Talking Heads (Leeds Playhouse), Economy of Ecology (New Diorama & HOME Manchester), and Heretic Voices (Arcola Theatre).

31-year-old Laura said “Blueprint is opening doors for creatives to explore ground breaking ways of working both inside and outside of conventional theatre spaces. To be afforded the opportunity to experiment and create with the support of the technical staff at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is a game changer for me as an artist and designer. Thanks to QTH for taking a risk at a time when it would’ve been easy to fall back into safe norms and for championing artists and new work.”

Laura’s collaborators are: Raisa Daya Deputy Stage Manager, Jitney (Old Vic/Headlong), Bring It On (Southbank Centre); Charlie Derrar Director, Dramaturg and Lyricist, Hand of God (The Hope Theatre), Clockwork (Bolton Great Hall); Yael Elisheva Performer and Deviser, Pride Table (Avenues: The World School), Take On Me (Retro Factory); Bar Groisman Movement Director and Deviser, This Is Not A Show About Hong Kong (Edinburgh Fringe – Fringe First Award), Bar co-founded Sababa Co (a contemporary dance theatre company); Tatenda Matsvai Performer, Deviser and Lyricist, Anybody of Water (Theatre Peckham), Dark Matter (Black Womxn In Theatre); Stephen Pemble Lighting Designer, All My Sons and Neville’s Island (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch); and Anna Short Sound Designer, Seven Celebrations (Orange Tree), I Know I Know I Know (Southwark Playhouse).

Blueprint: a festival of new ideas has something for everyone. Two weeks of 12 exciting events inside and outside the theatre using every available space from the rooftop to the basement and carpark – with new writing, immersive experiences, a scratch night, culinary delights, promenade performances, Essex stories, accessible performances, DJ Chinaman and more. Most events are £5 plus 65p QNext Fee and some are free.

Tickets for In This Smoking Chaos are £5, £3 concessions. For more details about In This Smoking Chaos and the full programme of the Blueprint Festival, click here. Blueprint runs from 12 – 24 September.

Cast and creatives announced for John Webber’s Wake Up People as part of the Blueprint Festival at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Cast and creatives announced for John Webber’s Wake Up People as part of the Blueprint Festival at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch

‎Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch have announced the cast and creative team for Wake Up People, playing 16 – 17 September as part of the Theatre’s Blueprint Festival.

Inspired by anti-vaxxer marches, paranoid YouTube videos and flat-earthers, John Webber’s Wake Up People is a funny and ultimately heart-breaking glimpse into how obsessions can tear apart a family that is already under pressure.

The cast of seven includes Eve Matheson (May to December and Vanity Fair, BBC). She returns to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch following last Spring’s production of All My Sons (★★★★ The Stage). Eve will be taking on the role of Pauline, a grandmother from Thurrock who spends too much time surfing the internet.

In the role of Pauline’s daughter is Laura Doddington as Stacey, with Mark Field as her ex, Hannah Traylen as their daughter and Nathan Clarke as a younger colleague from work who Stacey brings home. Playing shadowy characters online are Jacoba Williams and David Tarkenter.

Beth Kapila is directing this script-in-hand performance Video and sound projections will also help to show how the internet is enabling the contagion of conspiracy and misinformation to sweep through local communities.

Beth is a former Artistic Associate at Tara Theatre, South West London. She often works with new writers to develop their work and aims to represent experiences and voices that go unheard. Wake Up People explores issues of identity and how we interact with the world, to ask questions that make us see the world in new ways, and delve deep into ideas and imaginations.

Thurrock-born playwright John Webber has worked as an actor at the National Theatre, among other theatres, and his screen credits include EastEnders and Doctor Foster. The first full production of a play written by him was the acclaimed Spiderfly in 2019 at Theatre503, which The Guardian called “a taut relationship tangle” ★★★★ (Off West End Award nomination).

John said: ‘I grew up a stone’s throw away from Hornchurch so I’m really excited to be part of Blueprint – and this festival shows the vibrancy of the Theatre in spades – I can’t wait. This is going to be such an enjoyable two weeks of theatrical invention. To think as a kid growing up in the neighbourhood I’d barely imagine having something on at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch – even if it’s a reading – it’s going to be special. Do come along!’

Creatives: John Webber Writer Spiderfly (Theatre503); Beth Kapila Director Our Streets (Tara Theatre); Sarah Jane Schostack Dramaturg from High Tide Theatre, The Last Five Years (West End); Simon Frith Camera Operator Under the Radar: The Mike Edmonds Story.

Cast: Nathan Clarke The Suicide (National Theatre), East is East (West End); Laura Doddington The Birds and The Bees (New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, Norwich Playhouse and Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal), Oleanna (New Vic); Mark Field Vincent River (Old Vic), An Inspector Calls (National Theatre Tour); Eve Matheson All My Sons (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich), May to December (BBC); David Tarkenter The 47^th and Endgame/Rough For Theatre II (Old Vic); Hannah Traylen Heroine (HighTide Festival/Theatr Clywd/Sherman Theatre), A New and Better You (The Yard Theatre); and Jacoba Williams Before I Was a Bear (Soho Theatre), Hamlet (Shakespeare’s Globe).

Wake Up People
Writer John Webber
Director Beth Kapila
Dramaturg Sarah Jane Schostack from High Tide Theatre
Camera Operator Simon Frith

Cast: Nathan Clarke, Laura Doddington, Mark Field, Eve Matheson, David Tarkenter, Hannah Traylen and Jacoba Williams.

Friday 16 September 6.30pm and Saturday 17 September at 2.30pm and 6.30pm.

Tickets: £5* | £3* concessions
Running time: 140 minutes

Tickets for Wake Up People are £5, £3 concessions book here. For more details and for the full programme of the Blueprint Festival, visit our Blueprint page or call the Box Office on 01708 443333. Blueprint runs from 12 – 24 September.

*(plus +65p QNext fee)

The Empty Chair team moves into its secret location

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Blueprint countdown

Rehearsals are under way at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch for The Empty Chair. The countdown begins with the first show in our new Blueprint festival of ideas opening next week.

“The Empty Chair is a love letter to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and to the surprises that can be discovered in the theatre over centuries,” says actor Robert Pickavance, who has worked in many of the country’s theatres and companies, including the Young Vic, Leeds Playhouse and Northern Broadsides.

One of two performers in the The Empty Chair, he shares the cast with singer and performer Melanie Pappenheim (Damon Albarn’s Dr Dee, Netflix’s The Crown).

This project, Melanie says, “presents a wonderful opportunity to take our audience on an offbeat journey exploring the nooks and crannies of the theatre and our theatrical past.”

Joe Lichtenstein is the director. He is returning to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch after his hit revival last year of David Eldridge’s play Beginning. Joe came up with the initial idea for The Empty Chair and devised the play in collaboration with his cast of two. Together they will create a dramatic atmosphere of intrigue, while keeping details under wraps until audiences experience it for themselves to preserve the show’s strong element of surprise.

Each performance is for a privileged audience of just two people. Each audience will be directed to a secret door into the theatre and led into the bowels of the building to arrive at a secret location not generally accessible to the public. Finally, the full drama of The Empty Chair will unfold as the audience settles in for an exciting half-hour long performance.

“The Blueprint festival of new work at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is encouraging bold ideas ,” says Joe. “The opportunity for a group of artists to take bold risks in a supportive environment is what leads to discovery. These are the ingredients for artistic alchemy.”

Blueprint festival takes over every available space in the theatre, and runs September 12-24. It includes 13 mostly new works of non-traditional forms of theatre to be performed in and around the recently Grade II-listed building. From the basement to the roof and the carpark, as well as the auditorium and foyer. There will be immersive and devised pieces, staged play readings, a dramatic design-led production on a revolving set of 31 scenes in 31 minutes, Shakespeare on film and digital and musical innovation.

The Empty Chair opens the festival on Monday September 12, with up to six performances a day until September 17. Book your tickets here.

Sharon Rose leads cast of Mawa Theatre Company’s Shakespeare on Sea

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Grace Coppin

As part of our upcoming Blueprint Festival, a fortnight of extraordinary, new and unusual theatre, Mawa Theatre Company has announced the cast for ‘Shakespeare-On-Sea’,
a short film project exploring Shakespeare’s maritime imagination through the gaze of Black female artists in Essex. The project will run at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 12 to 24 September 2022.

Sharon Rose (Hamilton, Jingle Jangle) will play Prospero in The Tempest, Mia Jerome (Squad Goals, A Christmas Carol) will play Adrianna in The Comedy of Errors, Deborah Imhogiemhe (To Whom It May Concern, One Last Goodbye) Will Play Juliet in Romeo & Juliet.

The film will be directed by Mawa’s Artistic Director Maisey Bawden and Executive Director Danielle Kassaraté, their first collaboration with us since they joined the creative leadership team this year.

Maisey Bawden says: “Following our first digital project last year, we are so excited to put Shakespeare on film once again, this time honouring some of the fantastic talent we have here in Essex. Making Shakespeare digestible and accessible is so important to us and we hope by giving our audiences free access to Shakespeare as it has never been seen before, in bitesize chunks will inspire a new generation of theatre-goers.”

Sharon Rose says: “Having grown up deep in the heart of Essex and experiencing a drought of representation in the arts growing up, seeing and now being a part of Mawa Theatre Company is pure joy. It reminds me that I matter, that my stories matter, and that I am not entirely invisible to the thing I love. Mawa Theatre Company is food for the soul. A safe space to refresh, replenish and spring forth.”

Mathew Russell, Chief Executive says: “We were thrilled when Maisey and Danielle recently joined the creative leadership team, as we are huge admirers and supporters of the important work of Mawa. ‎It’s therefore even more exciting to have the opportunity to work together on this clever approach to making Shakespeare accessible to many more people and to be working with such an extraordinary group of Black female artists from Essex. Blueprint offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy these newly made films intimately or on the large screen.”

Entry to Shakespeare on Sea is free but advance booking is required, book for the Foyer Seating here or the Main House seating here. To book your tickets and to find out more about the full programme of exciting shows and experiences on offer as part of Blueprint festival, click here.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch revamps its QCafé to enhance the much-loved community hub

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch today relaunches its QCafé situated in the Theatre’s large foyer space at the front of the building.

The newly decorated café now ties in with the recently redesigned Box Office and QBar. As well as boasting a modern, sleek appearance, the café has a brand-new menu. Customers can select breakfast items such as stack of American pancakes, a granola mixed berries and yoghurt breakfast bowl, or an avocado and cream cheese bagel. For lunch and dinner, the Theatre offers a variety of hot and cold meal options from jacket potatoes with a filling of choice, to a hearty steak and ale pie. Staff are excited to add ‘poke bowls’ to the new menu which include avocado, edamame beans, carrots and cucumber on a bed of white rice, with a choice of tuna, chicken, or simply just plain. The delicious new menu also has options for vegetarians, vegans and customers who require gluten free food.

Megan Withers, Customer Services and Facilities Manager said: “The main focus behind the relaunch of the café was to give it a modern, fresh look and to tie in with the rest of the foyer. Alongside this, we have introduced an extremely exciting new menu which is filled with an extensive range of bites and dishes. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian or gluten free, we cater for all! From the classic cottage pie to a falafel and hummus sandwich, we really do have something for everyone. If it’s not something savoury that takes your fancy and you’re after a sweet treat instead, we have an array of cakes and bakes, a particular favourite amongst our staff is the tasty apple crumble cake.

The QCafé staff are also delighted with the new look and have stated that it’s easier to work in and use, that it looks stylish and modern, and that the new menu has a wide selection of tempting products. We look forward to welcoming you all soon.”

Over the last three years Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has been looking at ways to become more sustainable. This was an essential factor to consider during the refurbishment of the café. The works were carried out by the Theatre’s own Facilities Team, materials were reused from their in-house workshop, LED lights were installed and new energy efficient appliances, including a hot plate, chiller, and new coffee machine, were purchased.

QCafé are running the following special offers:

Opening Day Special (Mon 15 Aug only) –
Get a free hot drink when you buy a slice of cake

Pre-Order Meal –
Get a hot meal and a drink for just £10 when you pre-order
(pre-orders must be made at least 24hr in advance)

Coffee and Cake –
A coffee of your choice and a slice of cake for just £4.50

Lunch Meal Deal –
A sandwich or a baguette, a bag of crisps, and a drink for only £5.00

Hot Meal Special –
‘Hot Meal of the Day’ for just £7.50

For more details about QCafé and the Theatre, click here or call the Box Office on 01708 443333.

Cast announced for co-production of Jekyll and Hyde this autumn!

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Derby Theatre are thrilled to announce the cast and creative team for their co-production of Jekyll and Hyde this autumn.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic tale will be brought vividly to life through Neil Bartlett’s brilliant and extraordinary adaptation, and through a stellar cast and creative team. Playing at Derby Theatre from Friday 30 September until Saturday 22 October and at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from Wednesday 26 October until Saturday 12 November.

Playing the title role(s) of Jekyll and Hyde will be Nicholas Shaw, whose numerous theatre and TV credits include: Beauty and The Beast and Brassed Off (New Vic Theatre); Wonderland (Nottingham Playhouse); Nell Gwynn (Shakespeare’s Globe/Nimax); Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2 (Royal Shakespeare Company at Winter Garden Theatre, NYC), and for TV: Bridgerton, After Life, Endeavour and Young Wallander, to name but a few.

Nicholas will be joined by Polly Lister as Dr Stevenson. One Man, Two Guvnors and The Hound Of The Baskervilles (Bolton Octagon) Abigail’s Party – UK Theatre Award Winner – Best Performer, Fallen Angels, The Memory Of Water, Blue Room, Hayfever, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Our Country’s Good and Private Lives (Theatre By The Lake, Keswick); and Great Expectations, Solace of the Road and Cooking with Elvis (Derby Theatre); plus Doctors, Coronation Street and Emmerdale for TV); Charlie Buckland as Lanyon. Olivier-nominated play, This House (National Theatre/Garrick Theatre, London); Oscar Wilde in In Extremis written by Neil Bartlett (King’s Head in London and UK tour); Mr Selfridge (ITV); and an award-winning short film Lonely in Lockdown: Couples Therapy; Hilary Greatorex as Matron and Mrs Poole. Who Needs Stephen King? (Ink Festival); All for One (Theatre by the Coast/mtp Productions); and Friday Night Dinner, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road for TV); Tife Kusoro as The Girl. Animal Farm (National Youth Theatre); and making her professional debut with this co-production of Jekyll and Hyde; James Morrell as the Inspector Spring Awakening, Nell Gwynn and Twelfth Night: Or What You Will (ALRA South). James has also amassed over a quarter of a million followers on TikTok, taking the internet by storm!; Craig Painting as Enfield. Oliver Twist (Leeds Playhouse and Ramps on the Moon); The Firework-Maker’s Daughter (Bloomsbury Theatre, London and No. 1 UK tour); The Jungle Book (The Old Rep in Birmingham & No. 1 UK tour); Soonchild (Red Earth Theatre); Flathampton (Royal & Derngate in Northampton), plus Casualty and Doctors for TV; Levi Payne as the Guest. Teechers Leavers 22 (Hull Truck); Love Hurts? (New Vic Theatre); Hidden Histories (Mind the Gap/On the Wire); Mother Courage and Her Children (Red Ladder); plus Brassic 3 and Coronation Street for TV; and Robert Vernon as Utterson. Marlowe’s Fate (White Bear); Great Expectations (Rotherhithe Playhouse); The Rivals, Dial M for Murder, The Vertical Hour (Theatre by the Lake); A Doll’s House, Beauty and the Beast (Sherman, Cardiff); Solace of the Road (Derby Theatre); plus Father Brown and Casualty for TV.

The creative team for Jekyll and Hyde is Neil Bartlett (Adaptor); Sarah Brigham (Director); Jessica Curtis (Designer); Deborah Pugh (Movement Director); Simeon Miller (Lighting Designer); Omar Khan (Assistant Director) and Stuart Allen (Producer).

Jekyll and Hyde is the latest collaboration between Derby Theatre and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, following on from previous co-produced successes, including Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh (“Cringing brilliance”, The Guardian), and a companion piece called Abi by Atiha Sen Gupta (“Delightfully enjoyable”, Broadway Baby); Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors (“Gloriously daft and highly entertaining”, The Stage) and Shakespeare’s Macbeth (“Slick and Polished”, British Theatre Guide).

Jekyll & Hyde will play at Derby Theatre from Friday 30 September until Saturday 22 October before transferring to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch to run from Wednesday 26 October until Saturday 12 November.

“If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also”

Dr Jekyll is well respected but when a momentous scientific discovery is made, it spins into a double life in which inner demons threaten to take control.

In the streets of Victorian London, respectability is mixed with murder. As two identities begin to blur, we are invited to delve into what makes Jekyll tick. Why do the bystanders choose to let them get out of control, as they battle to defeat the monstrous alter-ego inside?

“An assured and sufficiently gripping production” ★★★★
London Theatre 1 on Macbeth at Derby Theatre and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch

“A dark and chillingly atmospheric adaptation from Neil Bartlett, Sarah Brigham and a fine ensemble cast”
The Stage on Great Expectations at Derby Theatre

Sarah Brigham (Artistic Director, Derby Theatre and Director, Jekyll and Hyde) said:
“I am thrilled to be once again co-producing with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. We share an ambition to bring brilliant theatre to local audiences to challenge, delight and entertain and I hope this production does just that.

This fresh new adaptation by Neil Bartlett gives audiences everything they expect from this well-known story, but also introduces three new space-taking female characters. It is these three women who drag the violence and secrecy of Hyde out from the shadows of the Victorian gentlemen’s club, into the light.

I’m delighted we have brought together a stellar cast to tell this classic tale, which will have a visceral and explosive feel wrapped up in the dark mystery of Victorian London on stage. The talented Nicholas Shaw takes the title role, but it really is an ensemble company who never leave the stage, as this pressure cooker of a play comes to its dramatic climax.”

Mathew Russell (Chief Executive, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) said:

“As we embark upon the adventure of our next exciting co-production with Derby Theatre, we couldn’t be more delighted with the quality of the company that’s been assembled for this landmark new adaptation.

This ensemble have a fantastic set of credits to their names, having performed in the best of theatres‎ across the country, as well as in favourites on screen. It’s always so satisfying to see the stage shared between seasoned performers and those making their professional debut.

Under the guidance of an accomplished and brilliant creative team, led by Sarah Brigham directing and Jessica Curtis designing, we can’t wait to get into rehearsal.”

Tickets
Tickets for the Derby Theatre run: £11 – £33.50, under 26s £14 – £31.50 (£5 on Friday evenings); schools £11 (one free with every 10 purchased). For more information and to book tickets, call the Box Office on 01332 593939 or online at www.derbytheatre.co.uk

Tickets for the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch run: £12.50 – £29 (plus 65p QNext fee); under 26s £8; schools £10 (one free teacher ticket with every 10 purchased). For more information and to book tickets, call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or click here.

Sharon Rose leads cast of Mawa Theatre Company’s Shakespeare-On-Sea, part of Blueprint Festival

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Mawa Theatre Company has announced the cast for Shakespeare-On-Sea, a short film project exploring Shakespeare’s maritime imagination through the gaze of Black female artists in Essex. The project will run as part of the Blueprint: a festival of new ideas at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 12 to 24 September 2022.

SHARON ROSE (‘HAMILTON’, ‘JINGLE JANGLE’) will play PROSPERO in THE TEMPEST, MIA JEROME (‘SQUAD GOALS’, ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’) will play ADRIANNA in THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, JOSEPHINE MELVILLE (‘LITTLE MISS JOSCELYN’ ‘EASTENDERS’) will play NURSE in ROMEO & JULIET.

The film will be directed by Mawa’s Artistic Director Maisey Bawden and Executive Director Danielle Kassaraté, their first collaboration with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch since they joined the creative leadership team this year.

Maisey Bawden says: “Following our first digital project last year, we are so excited to put Shakespeare on film once again, this time honouring some of the fantastic talent we have here in Essex. Making Shakespeare digestible and accessible is so important to us and we hope by giving our audiences free access to Shakespeare as it has never be seen before, in bite size chunks will inspire a new generation of theatre goers’

Sharon Rose says: “Having grown up deep in the heart of Essex and experiencing a drought of representation in the arts growing up, seeing and now being a part of Mawa Theatre Company is pure joy. It reminds me that I matter and that my stories matter and that I am not entirely invisible to the thing I love. Mawa Theatre Company is food for the soul. A safe space to refresh, replenish and spring forth.”

There’s free entry for Shakespeare-On-Sea but advanced booking is required. For more details and to book tickets, click here.

Full cast & creative team announced for first UK revival & regional premiere of Kinky Boots the Musical

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and the New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich have today announced the full cast and creative team for the first UK revival and regional premiere of the Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical Kinky Boots. The production will also mark 10 years since the musical’s debut at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre in 2012.

The new production, which will be directed by Tim Jackson, will run at New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich from 1 – 24 September (Press Night: 8 September) and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 28 September – 22 October (Press Night: 29 September).

Based on the Miramax motion picture, the musical adaptation features a Tony-Award nominated book by Harvey Fierstein and Tony and Grammy award-winning music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper.

Charlie Price has reluctantly inherited a struggling shoe business from his dad, which he’s desperate to save. He unexpectedly bumps into a larger than life drag queen Lola, who’s looking for some sturdy stilettos. They think they’ve nothing in common, but as the unlikely pair ruffle a few feathers, designing some fabulous footwear for the factory floor, perhaps they do…

The new production sees Tim Jackson reunite with the two theatres, having previously choregraphed their celebrated revival of Made in Dagenham. Tim Jackson has also previously worked with the New Wolsey Theatre as director and dramaturg of The Stage Debut Award-winning co-production of The Season (Royal and Derngate, New Wolsey).

The full cast announced today are: Jay Anderson (he/him) as Angel, Will Arundell (he/him, Queen of the Mist) as Harry/Bailey/Onstage Musical Director, Matt Corner (he/him, The Last Ship) as Charlie, Aruhan Galieva (she/her, Doctor Who) as Lauren, Keanu Adolphus Johnson (he/him, Never Lost At Home) as Lola, Josephine Lloyd-Welcome (she/her, Goldie’s Oldies) as Georgie, George Lynham (he/she/they) as Angel, Roddy Lynch (he/him) as Don, Cavan Malone (they/them) as Angel, Tim Parker (he/him, Once) as Mr Price, Anna Soden (she/her, Five Children And It) as Nicola, Lucy Elizabeth Thorburn (she/her) as Pat and Hiromi Toyooka (she/her) as Angel. Casting for Young Lola and Young Charlie will be announced at a later date.

The full creative team are: Daniel Denton (Misty) as Video Designer, Tony Gayle (Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical) as Sound Designer, Crystal Hantig as Choreographer, Charlie Ingles (Anyone Can Whistle) as Musical Supervisor & Arranger, Tim Jackson (The Season) as Director, Jamie Platt (The Last Five Years) as Lighting Designer, Amanda Stoodley (Bloody Elle) as Set & Costume Designer and Molly Wilsher (The Kitchen Sink) as Assistant Director.

Tim Jackson said of the new production, “I am thrilled to be collaborating with this incredible bunch of super-humans, within the acting company and the creative team alike. The casting process has been a real joy – we’ve met such talented folk and roared with laughter every day. Person after person has shared in their connection to the show and its wonderful characters, and I am thrilled to have found an ensemble of exceptional performers who all lead with kindness and heart. Each actor is bringing something special and individual to our rehearsal room, and there is a powerful collective desire to make this new production a beautiful celebration of self-love, individuality and acceptance. With a cast of 13, we can revel in the intimacy of the 2005 film on which the musical is based, and allow our audiences to feel part of the factory community. And when we need to let rip, we’ve got a company that can bring a spectacular, explosive, contemporary energy. Audiences should expect stellar actor-musicianship, killer vocals and dazzling, high-octane (high-heeled!) dancing, all packaged within a funny, empowering, heart warming story.”

There will be British Sign Language, Audio Described and Captioned performances available at both theatres. Tickets are now on sale, click here.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch announces full programme for Blueprint: a festival of new ideas

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Grace Coppin

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch today announces the full programme for its extraordinary fortnight of new and unusual theatre. Blueprint: a festival of new ideas runs at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 12 to 24 September 2022.

Mathew Russell, Chief Executive of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch said: “We’re delighted to be confirming the full programme for Blueprint. The conversations we’ve been having with some brilliant artists about the festival over recent weeks have been so inspiring and we can’t wait ‎for you to experience theatre at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch in some entirely different ways. Some of the work is designed for small numbers, so book now to avoid disappointment. Although they’ll be plenty of opportunities to discover some things nearer the time too.”

The full programme is:

A Different Class by Kenny Emson

Tag’s out with the lads on his last night before he leaves to go to university. The car crawl in Southend. But the empty seat in the car where his mate Luke should be sitting in is playing on his mind. That and the fact they’ve agreed to an illegal race at midnight against a Cowboy in a Honda Civic.

An exploration of mental health, masculinity and working-class culture. With a drum and bass soundtrack that will blow the doors off the theatre – literally!

In addition, during Blueprint, Kenny Emson will be offering two free writing workshops.

Centre Stage

Join us for our very first ever Centre Stage event, showcasing the greatest of Essex/East London deaf/disabled and neuro-divergent talent in an evening of fun, community, and raffle prizes! We will have a headliner performance, food and drinks.

Final Farewell by Sudha Bhuchar

Final Farewell is a moving theatrical experience that captures the voices of individuals and a little black pug in four poignant audio stories from Tara Theatre. Each of these stories has been carefully crafted by writer Sudha Bhuchar, who has spoken and listened in depth to real people’s memories and accounts of their loved ones who were lost during Covid-19.

As you wander with friends and other community members, you’ll hear the imagined voices and stories of Shahin, Baby Han, Ann and Oberon in a truly immersive and unique experience. At the conclusion of the experience, we will gather at the tree installation where you will be able to take some time to reflect on your own memories of loved ones and commemorate their lives.

Food For Thought

A series of three micro plays from commissioned playwrights all from the Global Majority. Each play will feature two actors and after the performance there will be an open discussion with the audience. This is an opportunity to encourage new local talent and voices into the theatre we do not get to hear often.

Frostiana: A Sensory Experience by Kate Lovell

Take a trip back in time to London’s Little Ice Age when the Thames froze over, and Frost Fayres celebrated this once in an eon phenomenon. Join us in an icy grotto hidden within Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch for a frosty feast for the senses.

In This Smoking Chaos by Laura Ann Price

Experience the power of design-led performance with a profound exploration of life over 31 scenes. Audiences are invited to follow a solitary figure that shifts through time and space. In This Smoking Chaos combines both the physical and dynamic digital space with raw and intuitive forms of emotion. In This Smoking Chaos is a durational piece performed as one continuous transition – there will be no definitive beginning or end.

Rice and Peas

The first major production for Blouse & Skirt! is Rice & Peas – a three-course, three-act immersive dining experience. Come and celebrate the ten-year anniversary of local family restaurant, Fig & Oil, being open – and allow each course to transport you back in time to discover the heartache and courage it took so many to start a new life in Great Britain. Grenada, 1948. Figgy and Edith enjoy a meal the evening before Figgy boards The Empire Windrush, both blissfully unaware they will not see each other for two years. But when Edith arrives in London two years later, she carries a secret that threatens to tear apart their dreams of the Motherland. All of the food is prepared by Executive Chef, Jon Bentham. (Former head chef for Gary Rhodes).

Shakespeare-On-Sea by Mawa Theatre Company

A digital project by Mawa Theatre Company, exploring Shakespeare’s maritime imagination through the gaze of Black female artists in Essex.

The Empty Chair by Joe Lichtenstein

A personal theatrical experience for two audience members. Participants will be taken to a secret location within the theatre for an intimate otherworldly performance that’s punctuated by live music.

This Story Is True For Most Of Us by David Shearing

An invitation to join us at the table, to dine in a climate of food, art, and activism. Over the course of five mini tasting moments, this intimate setting allows us to see ourselves, each other, and our environment from a whole new perspective. This Story Is True For Most Of Us is part guided audio and part shared experience – it offers a space to consume some of the most challenging climate questions of our time, staged in a magical reflective setting. This design-led project is led by artist David Shearing with the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Environmental Responsibility Group. Together we propose a toast to a new future…

Through The Ages by the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Technical Team

Travel through the ages and celebrate the remarkable history of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, with spectacular visuals bringing those memories back to life. Presented alongside a musical medley inspired by our previous shows, with lighting to light up the skies. Join us on the green as the sun goes down to witness this visual feast created by our very own creative Technical Team.

Wake Up People by John Webber

John Webber’s Wake Up People, commissioned by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, is a funny and ultimately heart-breaking look at how obsessions can tear apart a family already under pressure. Using stories from interviews, attending events and watching far too many YouTube videos, John’s play, set in Thurrock, will be presented by actors as a script-in-hand performance with video and sound projections to thrillingly show how the internet is enabling a new pandemic – conspiracy theories – to sweep through local communities.

In additional to the public programme, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch will be hosting Boost!, a free residential training and developmental lab designed to upskill artists and choreographers/devisers working in contemporary dance or contemporary circus interested in extending their work to the outdoors/or developing their understanding of the outdoor touring sector.

With plenty of discussions and after parties to attend where there’s an opportunity to talk about what has been seen, and meet the makers of the work, festivalgoers won’t want to miss out on this thrilling festival of theatrical discoveries!

Tickets £5 | £3 concessions (unless otherwise stated), plus 65p QNext Fee.

Festival Pass

(with the exception of Rice & Peas, The Story Is True For Most Of Us and Boost!)

Book 4 Blueprint events and get 50p off each ticket

Book 6 Blueprint events and get £1 off each ticket

For full details and to book, visit our What’s On page or call the Box Office on 01708 443333.

Author: Grace Coppin