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The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has been awarded a £50,000 capital grant from Veolia Havering Riverside Maintenance Trust towards its on-going QNew Transformation Programme.  

The Theatre will use this generous grant to upgrade its foyer lighting system to use LED lights, giving its audiences the benefit of an improved experience before the show, whilst enjoying a meal or participating in activities. By converting its current incandescent bulbs to LED lights, the Theatre estimates it will reduce total CO2 emissions by 7.5 tonnes annually.

The funds will also go towards lighting its new Learning & Participation space in the lower foyer. With the Theatre now working with over 30,000 participants ever year, this dedicated new space will enable the team to work with a broader range of participants with varying needs; providing great theatre for all and create new opportunities to engage with adults, young people, community and teachers for a wide range of educational and participatory work.

QNew is an exciting programme of building improvements which will allow the Theatre to make high quality theatre in developed spaces, work with more young people and community groups, offer an increasingly comfortable experience to audiences, be more open and accessible to D/deaf and disabled people, and keep the Theatre alive as a safe and environmentally friendly community hub, well into the future.

So far, the project has delivered a brand new rehearsal space on site at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and a stylish new Q Bar on the ground level, offering better accessibility for audiences, as well as making a number of urgent and essential backstage improvements.

Mathew Russell, Executive Director at the Queen’s Theatre says ‘We’d like to say a huge thank you to Veolia Havering Riverside Maintenance Trust for their generous support towards such a crucial part of our QNew project. With this grant we will be able to improve the experience for all our visitors and improve our environmental performance’.

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

Following its premiere in autumn 2017 and sell-out shows across the UK and in Italy, Motionhouse brings Charge, the company’s latest electrifying dance-circus production, to the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch on Tuesday 11 June.  

Charge features a fearless cast, who lift, soar and jump off not only each other but also the impressive set – which is the same height as a fully grown giraffe! Crackling with extraordinary acrobatics, stunning choreography and amazing 3D projections, you’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout.

In Charge, art and science collide: Dance-circus, film and music take audiences on a journey deep into the human body, tracing the extraordinary story of electricity in our lives.

Motionhouse’s Artistic Director Kevin Finnan, MBE (who jointly founded the company in 1988 with Executive Director Louise Richards), said, ‘Charge takes my interest in contemporary themes about the world we live in one step further. I was inspired by a specific area of scientific research – our relationship with energy and the role electricity plays in the human body.’

Kevin Finnan, also known for his choreography and movement direction of the London 2012 Paralympic Games’ Opening Ceremony, worked closely with the dancers and creative team to bring his vision of Charge to life.

★★★★★ ‘Full of magic and brilliantly performed dance and acrobatics… outstanding’ Ladies Take On

★★★★ ‘Powerful, acrobatic movement interacting with electrifying digital technology’ Bachtrack

‘Breathtaking and at times heart-stoppingly daring… excellent cast’ Seeing Dance

‘Utterly mesmerising… one of the best things I’ve ever seen on stage. See it!’  BBC Radio Manchester

Charge comes to the Queen’s Theatre on Tuesday 11 June at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 – £18 (plus 65p QNew Transformation fee) and £8 for under 26s. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office on 01708 443333, in person at the theatre or online here.

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has today unveiled its newest additions to its energetic autumn season of produced work, including productions of Love Unspoken with Spare Tyre, Macbeth co-produced with Derby Theatre and Sparky the Elf and the Secret Toyshop.

The premiere of Spare Tyre’s Love Unspoken in association with the Queen’s Theatre will play in Hornchurch from 2 to 5 October. Pushing the boundaries of non-verbal theatre, Love Unspoken is a visually stunning, dynamic piece exploring love and the journeys it takes. Punctuated by movements of lucidity, the show navigates love stories and poetry through dance, movement, sound and light. This is the final production in a trilogy conceived and directed by Arti Prashar, developed in collaboration with people living with dementia from South Asian communities.

This Christmas, the Queen’s Theatre is bringing back its charming festive adventure, Sparky the Elf and the Secret Toyshop from 5 to 24 December, which will be performed in a secret location in the Theatre. Suitable for accompanied 4 – 9 year olds, this engaging and interactive 45 minute show is guaranteed to get children excited for Santa’s visit as they join in as one of Sparky’s little helpers. The production runs alongside the Theatre’s previously announced swashbuckling actor-musician pantomime, Robin Hood, from 28 November to 5 January.

In spring 2020, the Theatre will be co-producing Shakespeare’s darkest thriller, Macbeth from 7 to 29 February with Derby Theatre. This follows acclaimed collaborations on Abigail’s Party and Abi and the forthcoming revival of One Man, Two Guvnors. Macbeth will be directed by the Queen’s Theatre’s Artistic Director, Douglas Rintoul following his celebrated productions of Much Ado About Nothing and UK Tour of The Crucible, and will be designed by Ruari Murchison. The production will also tour to the New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich for a week from 16 March, with more tour dates to be announced. Priority tickets will be available to schools at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 13 May and will go on general sale from October 2019.

Kali Theatre will be taking over the Queen’s Theatre’s stage with its moving and thought- provoking production of Homing Birds by Rukhsana Ahmad from 25 to 26 October. The play asks if life has meaning without a connection to family, home and roots and comes from a finalist for the Writers Guild Award and the Susan Blackburn Award.

This summer, families can enjoy the smash-hit family production of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt from 30 July to 1 August. Direct from the West End, this enchanting adaption of the much loved picture book by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury comes with catchy songs, interactive scenes and plenty of adventure!

A variety of hilarious comedy evenings are lined up throughout the season including the return of Jibbering Jester Comedy Club on Sunday 21 July and Friday 8 February, presenting seven well-known comedians in one night; Desi Central Comedy Show on Sunday 15 September, featuring Patrick Monahan, Kiran Morjaria, Tez Ilyas and Kane Brown and LOL (Ladies of Laughter) with Noreen Khan (BBC Asian Network) with some of the UK’s favourite female acts on Saturday 25 January. Finally, The Indians Are Coming is a brand new comedy show for Diwali featuring Mickey Sharma, Sukh Ojla, Omid Singh and Anuvab Pal and visits the Theatre on Sunday 10 November.

These programme highlights join the Queen’s Theatre’s recently announced produced work which features its Essex Girls and Boys season of two plays by exciting Essex playwrights performing alongside each other. They are the world premiere of Stiletto Beach by Sadie Hasler (4 – 28 September) and the Bruntwood prize-winning So Here We Are by Luke Norris (7 – 28 September) and forms part of the Theatre’s Essex on Stage programme, generously supported by The Clothworkers’ Foundation. This is followed by revivals of Richard Bean’s hilarious smash-hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors (2 – 19 October, co-produced with Derby Theatre) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the Tony-Award winning black comedy thriller by Martin McDonagh (30 October – 16 November, co-produced with Hull Truck Theatre).

Tickets for the entire season are now on sale.  

For more details and to book call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or go online at queens-theatre.co.uk

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is thrilled that its gritty and heart-warming revival of The Hired Man has received three nominations in the Off West End Theatre Awards. The production, which has opened to glowing reviews, is co-produced with Hull Truck Theatre in association with Oldham Coliseum Theatre.

Assessors from The Offies (Off West End Theatre Awards) have nominated Lauryn Redding for Best Female Performance in a Musical, Samuel Martin for Best Male Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical and jointly nominated Ben Goddard and Tom Self for Best Musical Director.

The OffWestEnd.com website, which champions London’s independent theatres, launched the annual awards – also known as The Offies – in 2010 to celebrate excellence in productions outside the West End. The Queen’s Theatre is one of over 80 participating venues across the capital.

The production is based on the stirring novel by Melvyn Bragg, with a superb score of rousing foot stomping rhythms and soaring choruses by Howard Goodall, the award-winning composer of West End hits Bend It Like Beckham and Love Story. This epic and heroic tale of love, betrayal and loyalty is directed by the Queen’s Theatre’s Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Made in Dagenham).

★★★★ ‘A beautiful and poignant show’ London Theatre 1

★★★★ ‘A strikingly talented cast of actor musicians’ ActDrop

‘A gorgeous, resonant new production…Wrenching and wonderful’ Mark Shenton

‘An amazing tug-at-the-heart musical production… It’s like having a West End show on our doorstep’ Hornchurch Life

The Hired Man runs at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch until Saturday 18 May and then tours to Hull Truck Theatre (23 May – 15 June) and Oldham Coliseum Theatre (20 June – 6 July). For more information and tickets call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or click here.

The Queen’s Theatre’s co-production of Melvyn Bragg and Howard Goodall’s gritty and heart-warming musical The Hired Man opened to glowing reviews this week, with its Twitter feed buzzing round the clock with positive comments!

Co-produced with Hull Truck Theatre in association with Oldham Coliseum, ActDrop gave the production four stars and said ‘Fine musicality to relish here from an excellently cast and hugely impressive team, who do more than ample justice to Howard Goodall’s exceptional compositions’.

East London Radio highly praised the production and said, ‘A truly emotional ride through the gritty reality of life for The Hired Men and their families around the start of 20th century in Cumbria. See it’.

Here’s what other critics have been saying:

★★★★★ ‘A West End standard production’ Musical Theatre Review

★★★★ ‘Rintoul’s impassioned production…pays artistic dividends as they play Goodall’s glorious folk-based score as if it’s pouring from their very souls’  Sunday Express

★★★★ ‘A beautiful and poignant show’ London Theatre 1

★★★★ ‘A classic musical from 1984 revived in a loveable, enjoyable and charming way’ The Thespians Blog

‘A gorgeous, resonant new production…Wrenching and wonderful’ Mark Shenton

‘All folksy fiddles and muted trumpets, soaring arpeggios and sweet, warbling high notes’ The Stage 

‘Intriguing and moving’  There Ought to be Clowns

‘A true ensemble piece. Also really enjoyed Douglas Rintoul’s direction’ Stage Favs

‘An amazing tug-at-the-heart musical production… It’s like having a West End show on our doorstep’ Hornchurch Life

‘A highly talented and versatile ensemble’ Broadwaybaby

‘The songs range from rousing ensemble numbers through romantic duets and tortured solos in time-honoured musical theatre fashion’ spyinthestalls

‘Gritty and powerful piece of musical theatre’ Theatre Life

‘Goodall’s score is rich and soaring, performed expertly by the cast of actor-musicians’ Mind the Blog

‘Emotional, heartfelt performances’ Romford Recorder

‘This new revival features 11 remarkably talented actor/ musicians who not only put their heart and soul into telling the story, but who also provided the “foot stomping rhythms” we were initially promised.’ Centre Stage Reviews

‘Wonderful, stirring music’ Operetta Research Centre

The Hired Man runs at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch until Saturday 18 May and then tours to Hull Truck Theatre (23 May – 15 June) and Oldham Coliseum Theatre (20 June – 6 July).

For more information and tickets call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit:  https://queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/the-hired-man/

A brand new family musical with soaring vocals and spectacular street dance will be back flipping into the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 22 – 26 May. The classic story of The Wind in the Willows is brought leaping into the twenty-first century by Metta Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre.

In The Willows stars the Olivier Award-winning,star of Tracy Beaker and many Hackney Empire pantos Clive Rowe as Mr Badger; deaf street dancer Chris Fonseca (The Greatest Dancer, BBC1) as Otter; Seann Miley Moore (X Factor, ITV) as Duck; Abiola Efunshile (Hairspray, UK Tour & Ireland) as Owl; Harry Jardine (Les Misérables, West End) as Toad; Zara Macintosh (Twelfth Night, Shakespeare Festival, Royal Court Theatre) as Rattie; Bradley Charles (Zoonation’s Into The Hood, West End) as Chief Weasel; with Katherine Picar (Miss Saigon, West End)and Treasure Lyamu (dancer on the X Factor Final 2017, with Rak Su and Wyclef Jean) as the Rabbits. Victoria Boyce makes her professional debut as Mole, having trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Mole’s first day in ‘The Willows’. Her classmates look a bit scary. Surely Mr Badger will look out for her, as streetwise Rattie, rich kid Toad and cheeky Otter teach her the ways of The Riverbank. But when Toad gets locked up for joyriding, the Weasel Clan break into his (lily) pad. It’s now only a matter of time before Chief Weasel reveals Mole’s dark secret…

★★★★★ ‘Nothing short of absolute brilliance’ Reviews Hub

★★★★★ ‘Theatre at its best…Drop everything and go and see it!’ Reviewsgate

★★★★ ‘Pure West End musical’ The List

With ballads, beats and backflips, this fresh new musical will be fun for the whole family!

In The Willows runs at the Queen’s Theatre from 22 – 26 May. Tickets are £14 – £24 (plus 65p QNew Transformation fee) and can be purchased by calling the Box Office on 01708 443333, in person at the theatre or online here.

The Queen’s Theatre has today announced its autumn season of produced work will include two new plays from Essex playwrights performing alongside each other as part of its Essex on Stage programme, as well as two major revivals of modern classics, One Man, Two Guvnors and The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

The season opens with Essex Girls and Boys, comprising of two dynamic pieces by local award-winning playwrights as part of the Theatre’s Essex on Stage programme. The world premiere of Stiletto Beach, a sharply observed authentic new play by Sadie Hasler (Pramkicker) plays 4 – 28 September.Supported by Arts Council England, the piece offers a funny, heart-warming look at what it really means to be an Essex girl. Audiences can also enjoy So Here We Are, a Bruntwood prize-winning play from Romford-born Luke Norris (best known for playing Dr Dwight Enys in BBC One’s Poldark). This funny and very moving play about Essex boys and their hopes, dreams and frustrations, runs from 7 – 28 September. 

Luke Norris says, ‘Having seen this play on the road at the High Tide festival in Aldeburgh, and the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, I’m delighted that it’s now returning home to Essex. The Queen’s Theatre is the first theatre I ever went to as a kid, and to be back with a play of my own, set 10-minutes up the road, is really special. The dedication in the play-text reads: “For the boys back home”, so with any luck they’ll come and see it. I hope they do. I hope they enjoy it. And I hope you do too.’

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. The programme has been made possible by the generous support of The Clothworkers’ Foundation.

The Queen’s Theatre and Derby Theatre are joining forces again to revive Richard Bean’s hilarious smash-hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors, following the success of their productions Abigail’s Party and Abi. Based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, with songs by Grant Olding, this actor-musician version opens in Derby from 7 – 28 September and transfers to Hornchurch from 2 – 19 October.

From 30 October – 16 November, the Queen’s Theatre is co-producing the Tony Award-winning black comedy thriller The Beauty Queen of Leenane with Hull Truck Theatre. This hauntingly beautiful and blisteringly funny production is by Martin McDonagh, the writer of the Golden Globe and Oscar winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and In Bruges. The production opens at the Hull Truck Theatre from 3 – 26 October.

Theatregoers can enjoy three of these productions with a cost-effective Jump the Q season ticket from £45*, that’s just £15 per show! Choose either Stiletto Beach or So Here We Are along with One Man, Two Guvnors and The Beauty Queen of Leenane to make up the package of three shows. Alternatively, audiences can see all four productions for just £12* more. (*A £1.95 QNew Transformation Fee will apply to each season ticket for three shows and £2.60 for all four) The season ticket goes on sale from Monday 15 April and individual tickets can be purchased from Tuesday 23 April. 

Queen’s Angels can access a 48-hour priority booking period as of tomorrow, Friday 12 April from 10am, for Jump the Q season tickets. 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 can sign up here.

Following triumphant performances of Pericles at the National Theatre in summer 2018, the next Public Acts production of As You Like It opens this August. Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Artistic Director, Douglas Rintoul will direct this musical adaptation, with performances taking place in Hornchurch from 24 – 27 August. This UK premiere sees more than one hundred community members, professional actors, and performance groups from across London, come together for this magical tale of faithful friends, feuding families and lovers in disguise. The Public Acts community partners are: Body & Soul, Bromley by Bow Centre, Coram, DABD, The Faith & Belief Forum, HASWA, Open Age, Queen’s Community Group and Thames Reach.

Bows at the ready, as this Christmas families can enjoy the swashbuckling adventures of Robin Hood from 28 November – 5 January. Written by Andrew Pollard and directed by Douglas Rintoul, this actor-musician pantomime features pop hits from across the decades and traditional audience participation.

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch will be continuing its partnership with the National Theatre to host a second year of the schools tour of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time this November, following its success in the local area last year. This project is enabling the Theatre to develop and deepen its relationship with local schools and reach new audiences in Outer East London.

For more information about the Theatre visit queens-theatre.co.uk

Following 2018’s highly successful first year; the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Take Part Festival is back, showcasing fantastic work performed and presented by young local talent from Sunday 14 April to Friday 19 April. This includes the Theatre’s own youth theatre and dance groups as well as brilliant school and community groups. This year’s Take Part Festival is kindly sponsored by L&Q Barking Riverside, a brand new town in East London.

Last year’s Take Part Festival comprised of three participation events over five nights and was hosted by 21 youth companies (including 7 of the Theatre’s own groups) that presented 29 performances, featuring 349 young people. The festival attracted an audience of 1,035 people!

Kick-starting this year’s six day festival is the Queen’s Theatre’s annual dance showcase First Feat on Sunday 14 April at 7pm. Hosted by dance artist Tyrone Isaac-Stuart, the evening celebrates the creative and diversity of young dancers in East London and Essex. Tickets are £7.50.   

From Monday 15 April to Wednesday 17 April at 7pm, the Queen’s Theatre will host six youth companies presenting brand new work as part of NT Connections Festival 2019. The NT Connections festival is a celebration of young people, theatre-making and the importance of access to the arts. Each year, the National Theatre commissions ten new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the most exciting emerging playwrights with the theatre-makers of tomorrow.  On Monday 15 April audiences will be able to enjoy two dramatic performances from Anglo European School, who will be performing The Sad Club by Luke Barnes and music by Adam Pleeth, and Class by Ben Bailey Smith & Lajaune Lincoln, presented by Nu.Dynamic Theatre Company.  The festival continues with unique performances from Ormiston Rivers Academy with Ageless by Benjamin Kuffuor, and Rob Drummond’s Flesh, performed by Rainham Mark Grammar School on Tuesday 16 April. Concluding the NT Connections Festival is another dynamic take of The Sad Club presented by Store Room Youth Theatre, and the Queen’s Theatre’s Youth Company perform the thought-provoking Chaos by Laura Lomas. Tickets for all six performances are £6.

Thursday 18 and Friday 19 April from 7pm sees two jam-packed evenings of vibrant, original youth theatre exploring the themes of home, journeys and belonging, with X-Roads, the QYouth One Act Play Festival. Over 160 young performers aged between 6 and 18 will be presenting a collection of scripted and devised performances, collated and directed by the Theatre’s team of tutors. Tickets are £10.

James Watson, Head of Learning & Participation, at the Queen’s Theatre says, ‘Growing on last year’s success, the Take Part Festival is a celebration of young local talent, featuring performers aged 6-18. We are immensely proud of the young people we work with and of the visiting groups who are bringing work to share with us. This platform allows young people the opportunity to share their authentic voice, to make bold decisions, and explore their curiosity for the world they experience. I am excited to witness this year’s thrilling offering of dance and drama.’

For more information about Take Part Festival and tickets call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or visit queens-theatre.co.uk

1. What is Approaching Empty about?
   Approaching Empty is the story of two lifelong friends and a business deal… and we know those things rarely end well! It’s also about family, community, about the choices we make and how we feel about them with the passage of time.
2. How is it relatable to working-class communities in East London / Essex?
   The play is set in a cab-office in Middleborough, but quite easily could be a back street garage in Hornchurch with Harry and Jack, or Mary and June in a greasy spoon café in Barking. The two main protagonists worked in factories together, were made redundant together and then one of them used his redundancy to pay off his mortgage. The other used it to open a business. Now it is many years later and they are both painfully aware of their mortality and the legacy they are going to leave. I think that this is a story that has been played out in many communities up and down the country. Really, the fact that it is Mansha and Raf as opposed to Harry and Jack is because I know this world intimately. I think the play examines class and our aspirations, those that we set ourselves and those that are imposed upon us. This is what makes the play universal and hopefully relatable to all regardless of our geographical location.
3. How much of this play is inspired by your time as a taxi driver?
   The title Approaching Empty is a phrase that always stuck with me from days as a cabbie. When a driver is asked where they are, he may reply “I’m approaching empty”(soon to be empty and ready for another job). Even back then, I always thought this would make a great title for a play. Many of my cab driver friends that have come to see the show have been impressed by the authenticity of the setting and how it feels so real which is really pleasing. As a writer, you are always told “write what you know”. It felt natural for me to set a play in this location and bring to life these characters that we have all had dealings with but perhaps, don’t see what goes on when the drivers aren’t going from A to B.
4. Rina Fatania’s character Sameena brings some lighter moments to this drama. Can you tell us more about her character?
   Sameena is a character that I’ve always wanted to write. I see many women around me that are not just victims, but are strong, feisty and driven. Sameena is very much in this mould. She has made some bad choices but as the play unfolds we realise that it was circumstance that drove her to them. Now she wants to put that behind her and rebuild her life. In order for her to do that, she must assert herself. I also wanted to write a female character that doesn’t take any prisoners and is outwardly fearless – she certainly is that!
5. How did you get into playwriting?
   I got into playwriting purely by accident. I’d bought a computer for my young daughters and used to resent the fact that it sat there for a majority of the time, (the girls would come home from school and use it for a while and then get a bath and go to bed). I was working one night and heard an advert looking for short radio plays with a sporting theme. I got the idea that I’d use the computer to write a play and enter this competition. I was convinced that someone at the BBC would read my effort and think, “what a git!” but to my complete surprise, they called me and said that they loved my play and were going to produce it. This was a really important moment because the idea that a cab driver from Middlesbrough was allowed to write was alien to me. I then starting entering competitions and attending writing workshops, really working at getting the tools required to become a professional writer. It has taken me a long time but I eventually got there and now write for theatre, TV and film!
6. Why do you like working with Tamasha?
   Tamasha is an incredible company that has been producing diverse work for over 25 years. Amongst its many productions over the years are the play (and later film) East is East and my own play Snookered. It’s a company that looks for and nurtures talent that would otherwise slip through the cracks and invests heavily in developing stories that would otherwise go unheard. My own journey with Tamasha has been fantastic! From them producing my first full-length play, Snookered, to working together on numerous other projects, including Taxi Tales which was aired on the BBC last year and is available on YouTube. I look forward to working again with them in the near future.
7. What other TV / Theatre projects have you worked on?
   It has been an incredibly busy and fulfilling time for me since turning professional. I’ve had the pleasure of helping develop and writing on the Channel 4 series Ackley Bridge. I’m working on a really fantastic project with Bend it like Beckham director Gurinder Chadda on a film screenplay. I’m also developing a play with the Royal Shakespeare Company that is really exciting but is still in the early stages. Of course, there is another play to write for Tamasha! This will be the third in a trilogy of which Approaching Empty is the second.
8. Why should people come and see Approaching Empty?
   People should come along to see Approaching Empty because it’s a thoroughly entertaining evening at the theatre. It tells a story that is instantly relatable with a great cast.