Choreographer & Movement Director Sundeep Saini talks about her vision on choreographing the second Public Acts production, As You Like It and what she is most looking forward to working on. This musical adaption of William Shakespeare’s classic play will be performed by over 100 community members, professional actors and performance groups from across London.

Following triumphant performances of Pericles at the National Theatre in summer 2018, this is the second Public Acts production and will take over the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch stage from 24 – 27 August.

Public Acts is a nationwide initiative to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community.

Tell me a bit about your dance background. What first got you into dance? When did you decide you wanted to do it professionally?

I came to dance quite late; I started Disco Dancing when I was about 7 years old and went to a local Saturday Theatre school. It wasn’t until I was doing Joseph at the London Palladium with my school choir that I started to take it seriously after the Musical Director, Mike Dixon, came up to me and said he thought I was great. That was high praise for a 10 year old! I had never worn a pair of ballet shoes and didn’t know what a time step was (it’s a tap step!) but I danced at every opportunity from then on and choreographed for shows throughout secondary school. I studied Dance, Drama and Theatre Studies at University; I wanted a fully rounded understanding of theatre but it was the dance sessions (mostly contemporary) that were always the ones I most looked forward to. I choreographed and danced in as many productions as I could fit in between studying. I went to live in NYC for a year and took hundreds of classes and lived and breathed theatre and commercial dance. I always thought I wanted to be a dancer but the desire to have my own creative voice far outweighed my ambition to be on the stage. So I followed a career into choreography and movement direction.

Which projects have been your favourite to work on over the course of your career?

I have been fortunate to work on some very varied projects and a few that always stick in my mind are: Working as a dancer in India on Bollywood movies with a group of dancers that were bought over from the UK. My family originates in North India and it was wonderful that my career allowed me to see areas of India I hadn’t previously visited. It wasn’t an easy job, there were long hours in sometimes difficult conditions – due to heat and different working regulations, coupled with a language barrier and being a long way from home. I was there for 6 months and learnt a lot about the Indian film industry, choreographing dance for camera (which I knew very little about) and about myself. In complete contrast I recently got to choreograph a new musical, Grandma Saves the Day, at the New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich. It combined two things I love: actor musicianship and 80’s music, it was a joy to work on!

How did you get involved with Public Acts?

I first heard about Public Acts when Douglas Rintoul, Artistic Director at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, approached me and asked if I would be interested in joining the team for As You Like It. I talked to people who had worked on Pericles last year and saw archive footage of the show and was blown away by the execution of the production and the scale of community involvement. After a conversation with Emily Lim, Public Acts Director for the National Theatre I knew it would be an incredibly exciting and rewarding project to be a part of.

What preparation have you undertaken for this project?

I have immersed myself in the script and music. Our production of As You Like It is a musical adaptation which has a wonderful score by Shaina Taub. I have spent a long time becoming familiar with its intricacies before starting to think about the choreography that will complement the narrative and highlight the complex characters Shakespeare has written us.

Most importantly, I have spent time with all 9 of the community partners, getting to know the participants who form our company. The production is about them more than anything else and so spending time with the community company has been vital prior to starting to create a movement vocabulary for them.

Can you tell me more about your vision for As You Like It? 

At its heart As You Like It is a celebration of Love and it is this that I hope to carry through the movement vocabulary of the piece.

What are you most looking forward to working on As You Like It?

Alongside the final production itself, I can’t wait to see the development of our company members throughout the rehearsal process.

What have you enjoyed most about working on this community theatre project so far?

Getting to know the community participants who are all such wonderful individuals has been incredibly rewarding.

Have you worked on such a large-scale production before? Choreographing over 120 people must be quite a challenge!

No! I have worked with 60/70 people on youth community projects but this is definitely the largest production I have done and I am thrilled that the National Theatre and the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch are entrusting it to me. There certainly will be challenges working with a company of over 120 people and the success of the choreography lies in being very prepared and knowing the show inside and out before rehearsals commence. I am also very lucky to have a team of incredible dance captains who have experience working on large scale projects and I will be taking their advice at every turn.

Why should people come and see As You Like It?

Our production is a wonderful adaptation with an original score of exciting music. It is a great opportunity to see a work of Shakespeare delivered on such a large scale and to support our talented community participants.

Have you worked with the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch or the National Theatre before? If so, on which productions? 

This is my first time working with the National Theatre and I am thrilled to have been asked to be part of the project. I have worked on two shows previously at the Queen’s Theatre, Beauty and the Beast and Jack and the Beanstalk.

As You Like It runs from 24 – 27 August at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. For more information about As You Like It, Public Acts and to book tickets click here.

On Friday 28 June, Fairlytes Singers hosted its feel-good Friday sing-a-long concert A Right Royal Sing Your Heart Out at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and announced their generous donation towards nurturing young talent at the Theatre.

Fairlytes Singers kindly donated £600 which will go towards the Theatre’s Youth Theatre and fund a young person for 10 terms on either its QSteps Programme (6 – 14 year olds) or Young Company Programme (14 – 18 year olds). These weekly workshops provide children with valuable experience in performance, technical and dance opportunities as well as help them develop creativity, skills and teamwork.

Fairlytes Singers sing for fun, health and fundraising causes. The group meet on Tuesdays in the Church Hall, of the Church of the Eternal High Priest on Brentwood Road, Romford, between 12 noon and 2.30pm. Singers of all abilities are welcome and there are no auditions. The group sing a wide repertoire of pop, rock and musical hits and the new term starts on 3 September.

If you would like to support the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and our wide range of work, please consider becoming a Queen’s Angel, further information on benefits can be found here.

Designer Hayley Grindle talks about her inspiration and vision for the second Public Acts production, As You Like It. This musical adaption of William Shakespeare’s classic play will be performed by over 100 community members, professional actors and performance groups from across London.

Following triumphant performances of Pericles at the National Theatre in summer 2018, this is the second Public Acts production and will take over the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch stage from 24 – 27 August.

Public Acts is a nationwide initiative to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community.

How did you get involved with Public Acts?

Through Douglas Rintoul, our director. We have been collaborators for about 16 years now so he introduced me to the project.

Can you tell me more about your design vision for As You Like It? What can we expect?

You can expect two worlds that feel very different, an environment that changes and surprises. One that feels dark and oppressive and one that should delight.

When you read the script, did you have an immediate response to it in terms of how you wanted the production to look visually?

I felt like I wanted to be able to transform the space with very little happening in terms of structure and huge set pieces; that the visual storytelling should be seamless and allow the company to be at the design’s centre.

How did you get from the first idea to the final design?

Lots of dreaming, charts, researching, sketching, building in the model; I tend to do a lot of this so I can get a feel for the space, going back to the script and working through the production and its tone with Doug. This process allows you to navigate your way through the story, keeping the story and the company at the heart of the design. The big question for this design was how to start the show, and how do we end up at a forest!

Did the company size impact your decisions in any way?

Yes! One of the first things I did was to put all the figures in the model that represent our company. They filled the stage! This really guided the design; the design is the company in a way. The set design needs to serve that idea.

What are you most looking forward to working on As You Like It?

The tech, I strangely love a tech! (Technical rehearsals) It is the time you get everyone involved with the project in the same room at the same time and you solve and create together. There is a huge energy to this week and I am excited to be sharing one with this company of people.

Why should people come and see As You Like It?

To see this extraordinary company! Their energy and vibrancy on stage I know will be uplifting and full of joy.

How did you first get interested in Set and Costume design?

I was lucky enough to meet a fantastic woman called Ruth Sabin when I was about 17. She was a costume wardrobe supervisor and introduced me to all kind of projects she worked on. It was through her that I was inspired and discovered that you could actually do this for a job.

Which projects / productions have been your favourite to work on over the course of your career?

This is a tricky one as each project offers something different. But I think Romeo and Juliet produced by Leeds Playhouse. The story, The Quarry stage, the energy of a large group of professional and young company of actors and our discoveries of the piece.

Have you worked with the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch or the National Theatre before? If so, on which productions?

Yes, I worked on Doug’s second show as Artistic Director Made In Dagenham and Iphigenia in Splott, a show produced by The Sherman, which had a run at The Shed, the National Theatre’s temporary Theatre in 2016. I am thrilled to be working with the National Theatre and Public Acts more directly though and of course to be back at the Queen’s Theatre alongside Doug.

As You Like It runs from 24 – 27 August at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. For more information about As You Like It, Public Acts and to book tickets click here.

People of Havering, are you guilty of having a pair of unloved or forgotten Stilettos tucked away at the back of your wardrobe? Dig them out and give them a stomping new lease of life at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch!

The Theatre is making a towering collection of Stilettos for its world premiere production Stiletto Beach and is in need of over a hundred unwanted heels. So whether you wore them once for a special occasion or have simply fallen out of love with them, bring your shoes along to the Queen’s Theatre and drop them off in the box in the foyer by Thursday 1 August. Don’t forget to write your name on the sole and be part of the show! Donators will also have the chance to share their memories of wearing the shoes, their views on what it means to be an Essex girl and their favourite thing about being from Essex when giving their shoes. These statements will contribute towards Stiletto Beach’s campaign on combating the ‘Essex Girl’ stereotype and celebrating strong Essex women.

Written by local playwright Sadie Hasler, Stiletto Beach is a funny, heart-warming and authentic new play about what it means to be an ‘Essex Girl’. The show runs at the Queen’s Theatre from 4 – 28 September as part of the Theatre’s Essex Girls and Boys season. For more information click here.

Following triumphant performances of Pericles at the National Theatre in summer 2018, the next Public Acts production of As You Like It starts rehearsals this week and will play from 24 – 27 August. Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Artistic Director, Douglas Rintoul will direct this musical adaptation of the William Shakespeare classic.

Forced from their homes, Orlando, Duke Senior, his daughter Rosalind and niece Celia, escape to the Forest of Arden, a fantastical place where all are welcomed and embraced. Lost amidst the trees, they find community and acceptance under the stars.

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 (Havering Asian Social Welfare Association), Open Age, Queen’s Community Group and Thames Reach.

The cast of professional actors include Beth Hinton-Lever (Hadestown, National Theatre), Linford Johnson (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Park Theatre), Ebony Jonelle (Top Girls, National Theatre), Rohan Reckord (The Rat Pack, The Savoy) and Vedi Roy (Laila The Musical tour, Rifco Theatre Company/Watford Palace).The production will also feature several cameo groups who represent the cultural breadth of the city.

As You Like It is the second Public Acts production, the National Theatre’s new initiative to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community. The production forms part of a two-year partnership with community organisations who deliver visionary work in their communities, together with theatre partner Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.

This version of As You Like It, adapted by Laurie Woolery and Shaina Taub, featuring music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, will be directed by the Queen’s Theatre’s Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul, and will feature set and costume design by Hayley Grindle, musical director Yshani Perinpanayagam, choreographer and movement director Sundeep Saini, lighting designer Paul Anderson, sound designer Leigh Davies and assistant director Jules Tipton. The score is infectious, with sounds ranging from calypso to pop, Broadway musical to soul. Live captioning and live audio description will be available at all five performances.

Douglas Rintoul, Director of this production said, ‘Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is thrilled to be the first theatre partner working with the National Theatre on their excellent Public Acts programme. I can’t wait for our stage here in Outer East London to be the home for As You Like It. The project is transforming lives, communities and organisations (ours included) and we are immensely proud that Hornchurch will be at the heart of that this summer.’

Emily Lim, Director of Public Acts, said, ‘We have had a wonderful second year deepening our relationships with all our exceptional community partners and the brilliant Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. We can’t wait to bring everyone together to get started on rehearsals for our summer production. We are particularly excited to be working with a brand new creative team on this joyful, ambitious adaptation and to be welcoming lots of new community members to the company’.

Public Acts is inspired by Public Works, the Public Theater’s ground-breaking programme in New York and by the visionary participatory work of other theatres and artists across the UK.

Supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Hertz, Mr & Mrs A Mosawi, Simon & Sue Ruddick and Garfield Weston Foundation.

The National Theatre’s Partner for Learning is Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

For more information about As You Like It click here.