Category: Queen’s news

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is excited to announce musical theatre star Lee Mead will perform his new show My Story: A Dream That Became a Reality at the Theatre on Sunday 12 May at 7.30pm.

Selected from thousands of performers, Lee Mead was thrust into the spotlight in 2007 to play the iconic role of Joseph in the West End, an incredible run that had to be extended to satisfy public demand to see Lee wear the coat of many colours!

From there this young man’s career has been a never ending rollercoaster of differing engagements from stage to screen. In the West End Lee has appeared in classic musicals such as Wicked, Legally Blonde, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to name just a few, and his television credits include Casualty and Holby City, in which he still portrays “Lofty Chiltern”.  He has released five albums and appeared on countless others including The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

This gentleman’s life has been a whirlwind of incredible achievements and now, for 2019, Lee wishes to give something back and invite his fans to join him for an intimate interview, completely stripped back where Lee gets the opportunity to talk not only as Lee the showman but also as Lee the man. Lee will talk about the magical moments, the highs the lows, the memories and of course the songs the audience love to hear.

Just Lee, a grand piano and a pianist showcasing the exquisite poignancy of his voice.

This is Lee Mead, this is a dream that became a reality, this is his story!

Queen’s Angels can access a 48-hour priority booking period as of today, Friday 16 November from 10am. Queen’s Angels are those who regularly support the Theatre’s work by making monthly donations. Audiences who would like to become a Queen’s Angel and receive priority booking to Lee Mead: My Story can sign up here. Details about the show can be found here.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Sunday 18 November at 10am and can be purchased online at queens-theatre.co.uk. Tickets are £22, with a £47 premium experience offer that includes a meet and greet with Lee Mead (Ticket price also includes an additional 65p QNew Transformation fee).

Lee Mead: My Story – A Dream That Became A Reality is presented by Total Productions.  

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is overjoyed to receive a generous £4,000 donation from McDonalds Romford towards QNew, an exciting programme of building improvements which will allow the Theatre to make high quality theatre in developed spaces.

The Theatre has been fundraising towards plans to innovate and renovate the iconic building for artists, participants and audiences alike, assisted by the introduction of a 65p QNew Transformation fee per ticket. This came into effect on the Theatre’s 65^th birthday, Friday 21 September. Since then, generous customers have already helped the theatre raise a public contribution towards QNew, in just two months, of £10,700. The Theatre was also recently awarded a grant of £350,000 by Arts Council England towards QNew.

The funds will contribute towards supporting a number of exciting projects throughout 2019. If all the £1million required is raised, these will include:

• Equipping a new dedicated rehearsal facility on site for the first time in the Theatre’s history
• Dedicating a bespoke new space for the Theatre’s expanding range of learning and participatory work with the local community
• Creating a special room for local and regional artists to try out new ideas
• Building a new look ground floor Bar to complement the busy Café
• Making front of house and backstage much more accessible to D/deaf and disabled people
• Replacing outdated equipment so that it’s cheaper and safer to run
• Installing better air conditioning in the foyer so everyone can be comfortable all year round
• Ensuring the roof and exterior of the Theatre are weather proofed for the future

Havering McDonald‘s franchisee Gerry Byrne said, ‘It’s great to be supporting such a major part of our community and the excellent work the Theatre produces. The Theatre has brilliant plans for the future of the building and we’re really pleased to be contributing towards this.’

Douglas Rintoul, Artistic Director at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch said, ‘A massive thank you to McDonalds Romford for so generously supporting our exciting QNew project. By investing into the building, this support will ensure we keep producing the very best work we can, whilst encouraging members of our community to take part or see some of our superb productions.’

For more information about QNew visit queens-theatre.co.uk/qnew/q-new-transformation/

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

After last year’s sell out run at the National Trusts’ Rainham Hall, the Queen’s Theatre is delighted to be bringing its magical festive treat ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas home to Hornchurch from 1 – 23 December.

Based on the famous poem by Clement Clarke Moore, this fully immersive show sees families enter the bedroom of a Christmas mad seven-year-old. Youngsters will help him finish decorating his room, turning it into the cosiest, Christmassy bedroom in the world! Join in the countdown to Christmas and discover which toy he finds in his patchwork quilt advent calendar, and don’t forget to listen out for the elf bells!

This story about a child’s encounter with Santa Claus and his desperation to see him again is suitable for accompanied 3 – 7 year olds.

Local actor Samuel Ward-Smith is returning to perform this joyful Christmas cracker of a production for the second year. Samuel Ward-Smith is a graduate from Mountview Academy and has a strong association with the Queen’s Theatre. He was a member of its youth theatre, QYouth for 8 years (2005 – 2013) and appeared in several of the Theatre’s pantomimes over the years, including starring as King Rat in Dick Whittington in 2013. He also completed an apprenticeship with the theatre before going to drama school.

Written and directed by the Queen’s Theatre’s Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul, this unique experience will get everyone, young and old, peering a little further into the sky this Christmas Eve.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas will be performed at the Queen’s Theatre in its new rehearsal space from 1 – 23 December. Tickets are £7.50 for all weekday performances and £10 at weekends. Performance times vary; please see the Theatre’s website.

Families must arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled performance start time in the Theatre’s foyer.

To book, call the Queen’s Theatre’s Box Office on 01708 443333 or click here.

Ian McKellen is to celebrate his 80th birthday next year by raising funds for theatres, with a new solo show which will play on 80 stages across the UK. His show Ian McKellen On Stage comes to the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 February 2019. His intimate show is a mixture of anecdote and acting, including Tolkien, Shakespeare, others…and you the audience.

Ian McKellen says: ‘I’m celebrating my 80th birthday by touring a new solo show to theatres I know well and a few that I don’t. The show starts with Gandalf and will probably end with an invitation to act with me on stage. In-between there will be anecdotes and acting. I open at my local arts centre in January and end up by August in Orkney. It’s high time I performed in Hornchurch. The original Queen’s Theatre offered me my first professional job in 1961 for £7 a week. Like many another young actor I was attracted by being part of a repertory company doing a different play every fortnight. However, I took a rival offer from the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry for £8 a week! My 2 performances in Hornchurch – at last – are a way for me to say thank you for that encouraging offer, long ago, and to benefit the QNew Transformation programme and support local artists.’

Profits raised from this rare opportunity to see one of Britain’s greatest actors in a local venue will go towards the Theatre’s QNew Transformation fundraising programme. QNew is an exciting programme of building improvements which will allow the Theatre to make high quality theatre in developed spaces. More information about QNew can be found here.

Queen’s Angels can access a 48-hour priority booking period as of today, Friday 9 November from 10am. Queen’s Angels are those who regularly support the Theatre’s work by making monthly donations. Audiences who would like to become a Queen’s Angel and receive priority booking to Ian McKellen On Stage can sign up here. Details about Ian McKellen On Stage can be found here.  

Tickets go on sale to the public on Sunday 11 November at 10am and can be purchased online at queens-theatre.co.uk. Tickets are £50, with a £65 premium experience (plus a 65p QNew Transformation fee) offer that includes the best seats, an ice-cream in the interval and a post-show reception with prosecco and canapés. There are also a limited number of £20 tickets for Under 26s.

Ian Mckellen On Stage is presented by Ambassador Theatre Group and directed by Sean Mathias.

More information about the tour can be found here: www.ianonstage.co.uk

The spirit of Halloween is still well and truly alive at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch as its chilling production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Haunting Julia, runs until 17 November.

It’s received plenty of critical praise from audiences and critics alike, here’s what they have to say:

★★★★ ‘An intriguingly entertaining evening’ Broadwaybaby

★★★★ ½ ‘Impeccable timing’ Anne at the Theatre

‘An impressive ending’ The Stage

‘The actors perform faultlessly throughout the night…I especially enjoyed Clive Llewellyn as Ken Chase’ Hornchurch Life

‘Matthew Spencer delivers a strong and nuanced performance as Andy Rollinson’ Spyinthestalls

‘Admirable performance of Sam Cox’ The Reviews Hub

‘Worthy of the West End! I would definitely recommend it’ This is Local London

‘This production was well cast and gave a great evening’s entertainment, with some superb surprises along the way. If you like suspense drama then this is definitely one for you.’ Theatre Life

‘If you’re looking for a show which is exciting, tense and has a generous sprinkle of supernatural thrown on top, this is a good one for you. It’s brilliantly paced, the dialogue is fantastic and the ending is dramatic beyond belief.’ Polka Dot Pages Blogger

‘There is much to think about in the play, especially about letting go and moving on’ London Theatre 1

‘Haunting Julia is certain to have you jumping out of your seats’ GatewayFM

‘A thought-provoking production’ Romford Recorder

‘Very impressed’ Audience Member

‘Excellent with first class acting’ Audience Member

‘Mesmerising, lots of jumps from your seat!’ Audience Member

‘Compelling viewing’ Audience Member

‘The ending was fantastic!’ Audience Member

Haunting Julia runs at the theatre until Saturday 17 November. For more information about this production and to book click here.

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has been awarded a grant of £350,000 by Arts Council England towards QNew, an exciting programme of building improvements which will allow the theatre to make high quality theatre in developed spaces. Only a small number of applicants nationally have secured this funding, which is highly competitive especially in London, and recognises the important work Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch does.

The Theatre has been fundraising towards plans to innovate and renovate the iconic building for artists, participants and audiences alike, assisted by the introduction of a 65p QNew Transformation fee per ticket. This came into effect on the Theatre’s 65^th birthday, Friday 21 September. Since then, generous customers have already helped the theatre raise a public contribution towards QNew, in just over a month, of £6,481.

The funds will contribute towards supporting a number of exciting projects throughout 2019. If all the £1million required is raised, these will include:

• Equipping a new dedicated rehearsal facility on site for the first time in the Theatre’s history
• Dedicating a bespoke new space for the Theatre’s expanding range of learning and participatory work with the local community
• Creating a special room for local and regional artists to try out new ideas
• Building a new look ground floor Bar to complement the busy Café
• Making front of house and backstage much more accessible to D/deaf and disabled people
• Replacing outdated equipment so that it’s cheaper and safer to run
• Installing better air conditioning in the foyer so everyone can be comfortable all year round
• Ensuring the roof and exterior of the Theatre are weather proofed for the future

Douglas Rintoul, Artistic Director at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch said, ‘We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Arts Council England and to all our loyal customers for their generous support for this important QNew project. QNew is an exciting new vision and long overdue bit of love for our wonderful building, ensuring it’s used by more of our community and enabling us to make the best work that we possibly can.’

Joyce Wilson, London Area Director, Arts Council England said: ‘QNew is an exciting moment for the London borough of Havering. The improvements to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch will help it to expand and diversify both its participants and audiences, and this is very good news for local talent and the community. This work is crucial to the theatre realising its plans for the next decade, and will help to improve its accessibility.’

The Arts Council England’s Small Capital Grants help ensures their National Portfolio Organisations have the right buildings and equipment to deliver their work and become more sustainable and innovative in business. These Small Capital Grants allow organisations to consolidate and improve existing arts and cultural facilities and equipment, make energy efficiencies and develop digital technologies.

For more information about QNew visit queens-theatre.co.uk/qnew/q-new-transformation/

 

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, it’s almost panto time at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, oh yes it is! The Queen’s Theatre is excited to present the action-packed Christmas pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, from 28 November – 6 January.

Enjoy all the fun of the fair this festive season! When Jack sells Pat, his beloved family cow, for magic beans, he soon discovers they open up an unexpected world of thrilling adventure. Join Jack and dotty mum Dame Trott as they scale the Beanstalk, outwit the Giant and are reunited with Jill, the girl Jack loves.

The cast includes John Barr, Hollie Cassar, Celia Cruwys-Finnigan, Richard Emerson, Sheldon Greenland, Claire Greenway, Taylor Rettke, Elizabeth Rowe and James William-Pattison. They will be supported by a talented Young Company, a cast of 30 local schoolchildren.

This Christmas spectacular is peppered with pop hits from across decades! These include This is Me (The Greatest Showman), Great Balls of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis), 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton), Reach For The Stars (SClub7), One Way or Another (Blondie), Baby Shark (Pink Fong) and many more.

Brought to you by the same team as last year’s record-breaking Beauty and the Beast and 2016’s Cinderella, this actor musician version of the popular panto tale is filled with bundles of audience participation and hilarious slapstick.

Jack and the Beanstalk is written by Andrew Pollard, directed by Martin Berry, with designer Richard Foxton, musical director Gemma Hawkins, lighting designer Prema Mehta, sound designer Leigh Davies and choreographer Sundeep Kent.

The theatre is offering several access performances; a Relaxed performance on Wednesday 2 January at 5.30pm, a Dementia Friendly performance at 1.30pm on Thursday 3 January followed by a 6.30pm Signed performance and an Audio Described performance on Friday 4 January at 1pm.

Jack and the Beanstalk will be performed at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 28 November – 6 January. Tickets are £12.50 – £29 (plus 65p QNew Transformation fee per ticket) with discounts for groups and schools. To book, call the Box Office on 01708 443333, visit the theatre in person, or go online here.

• A regional premiere by an acclaimed Romford playwright, a landmark revival of an epic British musical and the second major production of a new comedy
• A new two year programme of work, Essex On Stage
• A partnership with‎ the National Theatre on the next Public Acts production, As You Like It

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has today announced its exciting spring programme of produced work will feature a regional premiere by an acclaimed Romford playwright, a landmark revival of an epic British musical and the second major production of a new comedy.

The season opens with the sequin-studded Kiss Me Quickstep by Amanda Whittington, playing from 22 February – 9 March. The Queen’s Theatre is co-producing this warm hearted ballroom drama with the New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich (13 – 23 March), following successful collaborations on Once, Rope, The Ladykillers, Worst Wedding Ever and Made in Dagenham. The production will also tour to Theatr Clwyd (26 – 30 March); the first time the Queen’s Theatre has worked with this major theatre.

Amanda Whittington says, ‘I’m delighted Kiss Me Quickstep will be dancing into the Queen’s Theatre next year.  The show pulls back the glitter curtain on competitive dance, revealing what it takes to make a ballroom champion, on and off the floor. I can’t wait to see the new production hot-footing across the country, too.’ 

From 14 – 30 March, the Queen’s Theatre is producing the regional premiere of the sharply funny comedy In Basildon by Romford playwright David Eldridge. The theatre is excited to be bringing this explosively knotty drama home to its roots after its premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in 2012. The production will be directed by Douglas Rintoul, Artistic Director at the Queen’s Theatre.

The Queen’s Theatre is partnering with both Hull Truck Theatre and Oldham Coliseum Theatre for the first time to produce a landmark revival of the award-winning musical The Hired Man by Melvyn Bragg and Howard Goodall. This heroic tale of love, betrayal and loyalty will run at the Hornchurch venue from 27 April – 18 May, in Hull from 23 May – 15 June and in Oldham from 20 June – 6 July.

Howard Goodall says, ‘I am absolutely thrilled about this revival: three brilliant regional theatres, a wonderful creative team and a chance for a new generation of theatre-goers to see this piece that Melvyn Bragg and I first put in front of an audience 45 years ago.’

Theatregoers can enjoy all three of these productions with a cost-effective Jump the Q season ticket from £45, that’s just £15 per show! (A £1.95 QNew Transformation Fee will apply to each season ticket). The season ticket goes on sale from Thursday 25 October and individual tickets can be purchased from Friday 2 November.

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Essex on Stage is an ambitious new two year programme led by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, championing positive notions of Essex, celebrating theatre made by working class people and raising aspirations for emerging artists from Essex and Outer East London. It includes commissioning new plays, establishing a network of venues, touring drama about Essex across Essex for new audiences, organising local events to develop talent and making life changing projects with communities.

The programme will kick off with the regional premiere of David Eldridge’s In Basildon in March 2019, never before performed professionally in the part of the world it tells the story of. Alongside this will be rehearsed readings of new plays in development from three exciting Essex playwrights – Sadie Hasler, Kelly Jones and Dan Murphy – which you can hear in one day on Saturday 23 March.

About her play, Slaying the Essex Girl (working title), Sadie Hasler says, ‘what happens when a toffy London type decides to write a newspaper piece about Essex girls and gets it all wrong? Revolt, that’s what. Seriously. Things really kick off.’

Set in Dagenham, Kelly Jones’ TAMMY is a play about female sexuality, family secrets and the fractured relationship between mother and daughter. The play won the Wales Drama Award (BBC Writersroom and NTW) in 2014.

Dan Murphy’s Legacy follows a group of builders working on the 20th floor of a luxury apartment block in Stratford, overlooking the Olympic Stadium on ‘Super Saturday’ 2012. As the world is glued to Britain’s greatest sporting day, the builders watch on as the place they call home becomes unrecognisable.

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 5 times.

David Eldridge says, ‘I am delighted that the first revival of In Basildon is being mounted in Essex at my local theatre and this spring is a fascinating and momentous time for Douglas Rintoul to revive my family comedy drama, as we Brexit. It will be nearly nine years on from Len’s passing and when Barry, Maureen, Ken and Doreen and the rest of the family were beginning to argue over cuts and immigration from Europe, West Ham United and the small matter of Len’s will as they gather in Basildon. The Queen’s Theatre occupies a special place in my heart. It is where I did my experience aged 18, and it’s where I was the late Bob Carlton’s Literary Associate for six years, running the theatre’s writers’ groups and advising on new work for the program. I can’t wait to be back with a play of my own.’

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Public Acts

Following the success of Pericles in the National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre this summer, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul will direct next year’s Public Acts production 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. Performances will take place at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 24 – 27 August.

This version of As You Like It is by Director of Public Works Laurie Woolery and Shaina Taub, featuring music and lyrics by Taub, and set and costume design by Hayley Grindle. The score is infectious, with sounds ranging from calypso to pop, Broadway musical to soul. Collaborating with Douglas on this production will be Pericles director Emily Lim who assumes the role of Public Acts Director for the National Theatre.

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Other key highlights

The Queen’s Theatre is also producing DNA by Dennis Kelly (7 – 14 February), a dark modern day black comedy tailored specifically for young people. Under Douglas Rintoul’s direction, DNA will be performed by final year students from the BA (Hons) Acting CDT course from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

The theatre has also unveiled a selection of key visiting productions for this season. Three Sat Under The Banyan Tree, a new contemporary production for children aged 7+ by Tara Arts and Polka Theatre (25 – 26 January); Approaching Empty, a razor-sharp new drama produced by Tamasha, Kiln Theatre & Live Theatre (2 – 6 April) and the extraordinary new hip-hop family musical, In The Willows, produced by Metta Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre (22 – 26 May).

Members of the Queen’s Theatre’s Young Company will be participating for their sixth year in NT Connections 2019 with Chaos by Laura Lomas, directed by Will Hudson. The theatre’s Take Part Festival also returns for its second year (14 – 19 April) featuring fantastic work performed by its youth theatre and other local groups. The week will comprise of its annual dance showcase First Feat, a One Act Play Festival and six youth companies presenting brand new work as part of the national NT Connections Festival 2019.

For further information about these productions, Jump the Q and to book tickets, call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/ 

On Saturday 27 October we’re running an exclusive Under 26’s event – packing in a workshop, pizza, the evening performance of LOVE and a post-show Q+A! All this for only £8.

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch ‘Up Close’ events give you the opportunity to explore high quality theatre up-close, with additional activity to question and examine the world of the play and its creative process.

To book, contact the Queen’s Theatre Box Office on 01708 443333, and quote ‘LOVE – Up Close’.

Workshop starts at 5pm, and the evening is due to finish approximately 9:30pm. Spaces are limited.

16:45 – arrival

17:00 – 18:00 = workshop

18:00 – 19:00 = pizza

19:30 – 21:00 = performance

21:00 – 21:30 = Q&A

LOVE by Alexander Zeldin is co-produced by the National Theatre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. It premiered at the National Theatre in 2016. For more information about the production visit: https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/love/

(Please note LOVE has an age guidance of 15+)

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has today announced the cast for its revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s chilling ghost story, Haunting Julia, which runs from 1 – 17 November. For those who love all things paranormal, it’s the perfect entertainment to delve into to keep the Halloween spirit alive for a little longer this autumn.

The production sees Matthew Spencer’s return to the Hornchurch stage, following his performance in the Queen’s Theatre’s world premiere production of The Invisible Man last year. His other credits include 1984, Playhouse Theatre & International Tour and The Woman in Black, Fortune Theatre & Tour. He will be joined by Sam Cox as Joe (A Woman of No Importance, Vaudeville Theatre, West End and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Young Vic) and Clive Llewellyn as Ken (Twist of Gold, Polka Theatre and Beckett In Brixton, National Theatre).

  

Haunting Julia tells the story of Julia Lukin, a nineteen year-old musical prodigy – nicknamed ‘Little Miss Mozart’ in the tabloids. She was composing symphonies aged eight. By nineteen the world was at her feet… until her dead body was found mysteriously in a dingy attic. Twelve years on and her father Joe has never come to terms with this. Was it really suicide? Or was someone else with Julia the night she died? Joe wants answers and tonight he will get them…

This hauntingly tense study of grief and the supernatural is punctuated with trademark wit from Alan Ayckbourn. Ayckbourn is an Olivier and Tony Award winning playwright and has written more than 80 plays which have been produced in London’s West End and New York, as well as around the world. Ayckbourn’s inspiration for Haunting Julia came from the thrilling stage adaptation of The Woman in Black, written by Susan Hill, adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt. The original production of Haunting Julia was performed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre and had its first performance on 12 April 1994, with a London premiere on 27 May 2011.

A Sign Language Interpreted Performance of Haunting Julia will take place on Wednesday 14 November at 7.30pm and Audio Description is available via a headset at all performances from 5 Nov.

‘As exciting as The Woman in Black’ The Guardian

Haunting Julia runs at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 1 – 17 November. Tickets are £12.50 – £29 (plus an additional 65p QNew Transformation fee), with £8 tickets available for Under 26s (Tue – Thu & previews).

For more information about Haunting Julia at the Queen’s Theatre call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/haunting-julia/