What's On Newsletter July 2024

Summer Season what’s on

It’s behind you!

Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Co-Creative Director and director of Cinderella, Kate Lovell gives us the low down on what happens behind the scenes to bring you our award-winning pantomimes.

Spring is beginning to emerge, the sun is finally showing up, and here I am, sitting at my computer scrolling through images of glittering snow on fir trees and getting excited about the magic of Christmas… in May. Oh no you aren’t! Oh yes, I am! I’m working away at a mood board of different images to share my vision of how this year’s QTH panto will look and feel.

So, just what does it take to put together the panto? You may think May is an early start, but creating panto is a round-the-year consideration for our team at QTH. Before the doors open to welcome the first audiences this year for Cinderella, we’ll have decided on next year’s panto title and have posters rolling through the printing press.

The QTH Marketing team will have worked with designers to create an image for foyers and our website, so everyone knows the how, what, when, and where for next year’s festive treat.

Box Office and Front of House will have spent a busy panto season welcoming excited audiences through the doors, and it’s barely the blink of an eye before they’ll be picking up the phones and talking to people at the desk to book in their tickets for next year’s Christmas outing.

In early March, I ran a script and songs workshop day with Cinderella writer Andrew Pollard, and composer Tom Self. We talked about how we bring the classic story of Cinderella to life here in Havering, and alongside the traditions we know and love, what exciting surprises we can offer our audiences for 2024. Andrew went away and wrote up a scene-by-scene synopsis and some scenes, known as sides, for the actors to read in auditions.

To make a panto we need a big team of people and I’m currently having a wonderful time meeting super-talented actor-musicians in the first rounds of auditions. Across three days of meeting people, we will have seen nearly sixty people act, sing and play instruments. We’ll see a mix of familiar QTH panto family faces and new talent, and as well as looking for our principal performers who play the named characters, we’re on the lookout for two chorus members.

Each chorus member will understudy for three roles, shadowing three performers who play an array of different instruments. These two team members must learn three sets of lines, all of the songs for each character, all their moves and the music they’ll be playing onstage. Not only that, but they need to be ready to change costume and play a different role at the drop of a glass slipper! If the Dame trips in her high heels dashing to the loo in the interval or Cinderella comes down with a sudden stomach flu, the chorus members will be stepping into ball gowns and wigs to ensure that the show can go on. So, no underestimating the mighty mice you’ll see onstage this year, they are a heroic pair who make sure we can keep the panto going through winter bugs or unexpected events.

As well as our beloved onstage folk, many more people are beavering away backstage. The scenic painters will begin creating the set in the QTH Workshop as early as June, hand-painting tall

“Across three days of meeting people, we will have seen nearly sixty people act, sing and play instruments.”

flats and cloths that will come together in jigsaw puzzle pieces to form the fairytale worlds we know and love. Our workshop has a paint bridge that means people can paint a cloth while it hangs rather than having to work on the floor. Design assistants will come in to make props and costume specialists will create the fabulous array of colourful costumes, including the Dame’s ordinarily extensive wardrobe!

When you see the Dame walk offstage in one frock and emerge moments later in another beautiful number, that’s thanks to our Backstage Dresser who spends the run of panto helping actors into and out of costumes for those quick changes. And, when the cast are wowing you with their dance routines, that’s thanks to the choreographer’s creations and the dance captain’s pre-show warm-ups.

Our Lighting and Sound departments will have been working throughout the year to maintain and upgrade our technical equipment, and we’ll have a dedicated Lighting Designer and Sound Designer who will work on making sure the show looks and sounds superb.

It wouldn’t be right to go without mentioning the Producer and our Finance team who work feverishly hard to ensure that the budget balances and the Dame doesn’t spend all the dosh on her hair and make-up entourage!

There isn’t space in this short article to mention the myriad of people who work so hard to make the magic of panto, but I hope this has given you an intriguing peek into some of the backstage alchemy that cooks up the panto you know and love. We can’t wait to welcome you to Cinderella from November 2024!

Kate Lovell, Co-Creative Director

1 - 3 Aug 2024

A JOYOUS MODERN MUSICAL

QYouth production

The SpongeBob Musical

Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg

Book by Kyle Jarrow

QYouth present an irresistible all-singing, all-dancing, under-sea adventure!

When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world!

This joyous modern musical performed by over 180 youth theatre members aged 6–18 is sure to make a splash with audiences young and young at heart! This amateur production of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk ©2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Created by Stephen Hillenburg.

The SpongeBob Musical is based on the children’s animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg

Written by Kyle Jarrow

Conceived by Tina Landau

Original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I.

Songs David Bowie, Tom Kenny, Andy Paley Additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton Additional music by Tom Kitt

Directors Lauren Bracewell, Yiga Gaolou, Tom Mangan, Macey Rhianne, Jules Tipton, James Watson

Musical Director Andrew Linham

Choreographer Shanise Garner

Designer James Watson

Lighting Designer Harry Carnaby

Sound Designer Ryan Jones

Dates: 1 - 3 Aug 2024

Tickets: £16 * | Under 18s £9.50*

For the best experience booking an access performance, call 01708 443333 or email boxoffice@queens-theatre.co.uk *+70p QNext fee

AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON

Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw Bedroom Farce A Comedy

By Alan Ayckbourn

You mean to tell me while I’m – giving you my all – you’re lying there thinking about floorboards?

Set over the course of one evening, through a series of misunderstandings and dysfunction we witness four married couples play out their day-to-day relationships across three very busy bedrooms.

In a world where we view relationships through reality TV, dating apps and magazine shows, Alan Ayckbourn’s 1977, Olivier Award-winning Comedy, asks the question, what happens when the honeymoon period is over? What really happens behind closed bedroom doors?

Alex Thorpe (The Comedy of Errors, RSC) directs his inaugural production as QTH’s Co-Creative Director.

Writer Alan Ayckbourn

Director Alex Thorpe

Designer Alys

Adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz

'You believe me, don’t you?’

Bly, Essex. Angelic 9 year-old Flora and precocious 12 yearold Miles are the picture of innocence, rescuing injured birds and playing make-believe by the shady lake. But, as a new governess arrives at the manor to take care of them, disturbing secrets emerge from beneath the undulating waters. Questioning the truth behind the children’s stories, the governess finds it increasingly hard to tell reality from her nightmares – until she is forced to take action.

The inspiration for the West End classic, The Woman in Black and Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor, Henry James’ classic ghost story, chillingly reimagined by playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Her Naked Skin), is an enthralling mix of Halloween thriller and psychological mystery.

Producer Anita Singh-Creed

Dates: 3 - 26 Oct 2024

A Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch production

A Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch production

Writer Henry James Adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Director Anna Marsland

Whitehead

AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON

A Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Havering Changing co-production

A Place For Me?

By Anne Odeke

It's 1950. Did you know that there is an Essex in Jamaica? (Yes, really!) and...did you know that 10 year old, Jamaican native Phyllis loves nothing more than Essex? It's her favourite thing in the entire world!

So imagine how Phyllis feels when she discovers that her Uncle Edmund (her second most favourite thing in the world) boarded a ship called HMT Empire Windrush in 1948 and now lives in a place called Essex in England! (What are the chances?!) And so Phyllis, along with her best friend Mony (he's a mongoose - FYI) jump aboard a ship to discover the sights, sounds, and tastes of glorious Tilbury.

A Place for Me? is a family play that tells the story of the Windrush community through the eyes of a child. It's a tribute to all that the community brought and continues to bring to Essex.

Touring to community venues in Harold Hill, Orchard Village, Rainham, and Romford with Havering Changing.

Writer Anne Odeke

Dates: 30 Oct - 3 Nov 2024

A Theatre Nation Partnerships production, produced by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch

Handbagged

By Moira Buffini

11 years of weekly, behind-closed-doors meetings, where the destiny of a nation is shaped.

Moira Buffini’s clever, funny and charming political comedy unlocks the palace door, imagining the untold conversations of two of history’s most powerful women, Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II.

Ronald Reagan, Denis Thatcher and an ensemble of familiar faces add to the biting satire and sharp humour as the gloves come off and personalities clash.

25 years later, with both women now gone, their shadows still loom large, as this Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Theatre Nation Partnerships production explores the legacy of this divisive premiership, leaving audiences to question what they truly know about those who decide our nation’s destiny.

Producer Francesca Clark Dates: 6 – 22 Feb 2025

Writer Moira Buffini

Director Alex Thorpe

THE CLASSIC PANTO FAMILY FAVOURITE

Cinderella

Written by Andrew Pollard

Original music and lyrics by

Tom Self

You shall go to the ball, as the classic panto family favourite Cinderella makes a grand entrance!

Bursting with all the glitz and glamour that you’ve come to expect from a Hornchurch panto – it’ll be the most magical event of the year!

Cinderella dreams of a glamorous life far removed from the everyday grind of primping and preening her vain stepsisters, and an invitation to the Prince’s royal ball is just the ticket! But the Wicked Stepmother has other plans for Cinders, confiscating her ticket to the party of the decade… Fear not, for her Fairy Godmother arrives in the nick of time, ready to weave her magic and transform Cinderella’s fortunes! But can she sashay away from the sensational soirée before the clock strikes midnight and her riches turn back to rags once more…?

Join us for a toe-tapping Christmas ball filled with oodles of silliness and unforgettable moments that will leave you smiling long after the curtain falls.

A Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch pantomime

GUEST SHOWS

Mon 17 Jun 7.30pm

19 – 21 Jun 1pm | 7pm

The Simon & Garfunkel Story

Auditorium

A critically acclaimed concert-style theatre show about two young boys from Queens, New York who went on to become the world’s most successful music duo of all time. Featuring all the hits such as Mrs Robinson, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Scarborough Fair, The Boxer, The Sound Of Silence and many more.

Sun 23 Jun 3pm

Tickets:

£22*

£24*

£28*

Showtime at the Copacabana

Auditorium

Students from Lorraine’s School of Dancing proudly present their annual show under the Direction of Principal Miss Lorraine Hornsey.

Tickets:

£25*

Havering School's Music Festival

Auditorium

Havering Music School and Havering School’s Music Association are proud to present the Summer Singing Festival. Come and be entertained by the wonderful talent of Havering’s younger population. Songs from stage and screen performed by massed singing with live bands for you to relax, unwind and tap your feet along to.

25 – 27 Jun Varied times

Dance Projection

Tuesday – the annual Summer show. Wednesday – a showcase of some of the pieces the group will be showing at the Dance World Cup in Prague. Thursday – solve the thrilling murder case of Lady Wright in the brand new Cluedo The Musical Auditorium

Wed 26 Jun | Wed 24 Jul 2.30pm

30 Jun – 1 Jul 3pm | 7pm

Down Memory Lane June

The Other Stage

A show for people with Dementia & their Carers. Join Kay Carman and friends for a happy, nostalgic afternoon full of all your favourite melodies.

Tickets: £10* inc tea/ coffee & biscuits, carer free

Movie Night

Auditorium

Presented by Beverly Marks Stage School

Join the Beverly Marks Stage School for a Movie Night, flicking through ‘Bevflix’ to view an exciting variety of Movies and the best TV shows. Performed by the Lower and Upper school talented students a night to remember.

Sat 6 Jul 2.30pm | 7pm

GUEST SHOWS

DSE presents 'Toybox'

Dance Space Essex's bi-annual dance extravaganza. This year’s theme embraces the boundless wonder of childhood. Remember the joy of discovering a new toy, the thrill of letting your imagination run wild, and the pure fun of playtime?

£16.35*

£22.50* Under 18s £12*

Gotta Start Somewhere

Presented by Chameleon Theatre Arts.

A journey of regeneration and growth through dance! A display of the student's work in all genres (Ballet, Tap, Modern, Street and Musical Theatre). A fun-packed show with a variety of ages from 2 years to 80! Auditorium

Sat 20 Jul 2pm | 6.30pm Thu 25 Jul 7.30pm Sun 21 Jul 12.30pm Thu 18 Jul 7.30pm

Tickets: £24*

£20* conc.

Buddy Holly and the Cricketers

Whatever the season, whatever the excuse to party, make your Heartbeat a little faster with the show that has thousands of fans the world over saying: “I can’t believe it’s not Buddy!” The hits just keep on coming –That’ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Heartbeat, and more.

Comedy Club July 2024

See the stars of tomorrow, right now on your doorstep! The biggest stars of stand-up came here on their way to stratospheric fame.

Acts contain strong language. Off the Kerb reserves the right to alter line-ups.

Science Museum Live

Join London’s world-renowned Science Museum as they bring you this brand-new production to ignite your curiosity, fuel your imagination, and inspire you in new and exciting ways. It’s an unmissable family show that will capture the whole family.

Communities

Summer School – Play In A Week

Mon 12 – Fri 16 Aug, 10am-3.30pm £125 per person

Looking for something to keep you busy during the summer holidays? Join us for a fun week of drama, games and acting where you will create your own ‘Play in a Week’ to perform to family and friends. Perfect for ages 7 – 13 years.

Create and Play

Looking for something to keep the little ones occupied during half term? Why not leave them with us for two jam-packed hours of creative fun involving drama games, storytelling and craft activities?

Our ‘Create and Play’ sessions are ideal for ages 4 – 6 year olds. £10 per session. Each session is themed around a popular children’s story and includes a craft activity to take home.

Mon 5 Aug - Under the Sea | 10am - 12pm Tue 6 Aug - Daring Dragons | 10am - 12pm Wed 7 Aug - Alien Adventures | 10am - 12pm

UDC - Dementia Choir

Are you living with Dementia? Do you care for somebody living with Dementia? Do you both enjoy music and singing? Upminster Dementia Choir meets every other Thursday in the Learning Space, 10am - 11.30am, with tea and coffee provided. Only £2 per person.

Email upminsterdementiachoir@gmail.com or call Gillian on 01708 641317 for more information.

Memory Café

Did you know we host a memory café here at the theatre every other Thursday? If you, or someone you know is living with Dementia, or is a carer to someone who is, why not drop by for a slice of cake? Supported by Charles S French Charitable Trust, the café is a relaxed, informal and free drop-in, providing support for people with Dementia and their carers. There's no need to book, just turn up. Our next two cafes are 20 Jun and 4 Jul, both 10.30am - 12 noon, in the Foyer.

Our vibrant Communities programme offers opportunities for all ages all year round both at the theatre and across the community, enabling people to express themselves and their stories through the arts. Read on for a taste of what we're currently up to…

Baby Sensory

We host 8 very popular Baby Sensory sessions every week on Tuesday and Friday mornings. These award-winning development classes are designed for babies and their parents. Explore stimulation techniques, sensory experiences to encourage learning, and activities for language development that can be easily repeated at home.

To book email brentwood@babysensory.co.uk or call Shelley on 07930 877009

Music Bugs

Join us on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday for awardwinning infant development sessions where parents are welcome to join. Join us for noisy nursery rhyme fun with percussion, puppets, hobby horses, floaty scarves, pom-poms, parachutes, bubble machines and lots more fun!

To book email romford@musicbugs.co.uk or call Sarah on 07517 199869

Contact Us

We’d love to hear from you! For more information on any of our Communities activities please contact us by calling 01708 462373, emailing communities@queens-theatre. co.uk, or visiting queens-theatre.co.uk

Communities is supported by

Spotlight on... A Day in the Life of Bikini Bottom

It’s 9am on a Sunday. The Communities team have arrived at the theatre for a day exploring Bikini Bottom, home to our upcoming Youth Theatre production The SpongeBob Musical. As we enter stage door, we say hello to Keith, one of our cleaners, who has made the building ready for the arrival of over 150 young people.

After some bleary-eyed scrabbling for keys, the shutters are up, doors unlocked and lights turned on. We move tables and keyboards and speakers into position, scripts are laid out, and breakfast treats for the tutors are shared around (this week it’s homemade courgette cake and cranberry & white chocolate cookies – yum).

By 10am, around 150 young people (ages 6-18) have arrived, seated in the auditorium excitably chatting away. A few of our younger members are nervous about the number of new faces and the size of the stage, so it takes a little while to make sure everyone is comfortable and settled.

After a brief hello from James (Director of Communities) it’s straight over to Andrew (Musical Director) for the vocal warmup. We start with ‘red lorry, yellow lorry’ and a song about Robin Hood before moving on to everyone’s favourite - the Octopus Song (singing about 3 syllable objects you mustn’t eat, like an octopus, or a microwave, or even a bicycle –it’s very silly and very fun!).

Then it’s time to get up onto the stage. This is where Shanise (Choreographer) takes over, reminding everyone of the dance moves. Tom (Tutor) is desperately filling his notebook with where everyone is entering and exiting from – a seemingly impossible task! There’s a really special moment when the power of 150 young people, united on stage, full of energy and confidence gives the team tingles. We know this is going to be a really special show.

Then disaster hits, that wobbly tooth has decided to fall out mid-routine. It’s Jules (Tutor) to the rescue, fashioning an envelope out of the craft supplies to keep said tooth safe for the tooth fairy – that was close!

Whilst everyone is singing and dancing on stage, Christina (chaperone) is ferrying individuals upstairs to our wardrobe department for costume fittings. There are bright colours, sequins and sparkles everywhere. SpongeBob’s yellow shirt needs a dart, Plankton’s trousers need shortening, and Squidward’s sequin tailcoat has heads turning…. but enough of that, we don’t want to give away all of the surprises!

Back in rehearsals and the opening number is in great shape, so time to learn something new. Today that’s the final song of the show! By lunchtime, the young people are more excited than when they arrived and it’s time to go home.

Some of the featured characters, however, stay on for the afternoon, so it’s lunchtime for them down in the Learning Space.

And breathe. Until… James bites into the wrong end of a doughnut and jam launches everywhere. A quick clean-up and we’re ready to start back again.

The afternoon is a jigsaw of small group rehearsals. James is directing scenes on stage, supported by Lizzie (Stage Manager), meanwhile, Shanise works on some of the dance breaks in the Rehearsal Space – everything from country and western to hip hop to musical theatre chorus lines. Downstairs in the Learning Space, Andrew is doing vocal work, supported by Jules who is giving a masterclass in acting through song.

By five o’clock it’s time to lock up and go home. Until next week….!

Don’t miss out - this joyous modern musical is sure to make a splash! Check out page 4 for full details!

James Watson (Director of Communities)

Visiting Us

How To Book

Tickets can be purchased 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through queens-theatre.co.uk. You can also purchase tickets from the Box Office in person or by phone on 01708 443333

Payments can be made by Debit and Credit Cards or by Society of London Theatre Tokens. Please note that we are cash free

Concessions are available for those aged over 60 and under 26, customers with access requirements or on income support (for select shows). Companion tickets are also available. We also offer group discounts and school discounts (for select shows).

Please visit queens-theatre.co.uk/your-theatre/ planning-your-visit for further details.

Access

Access tickets if you identify as disabled and Companion tickets for additional support during your visit are available. (Some exceptions or limitations may apply).

• The main auditorium entrance is on ground level. There are four wheelchair spaces and 20 seats with level access.

• Accessible toilets & baby changing facilities on the ground level and a lift down to the Learning Space and toilets.

• Audio Described performances and Touch Tours to assist visually impaired customers.

• British Sign Language Interpreted to assist D/deaf customers.

• Hearing system to assist hard-of-hearing customers.

• Relaxed Performances and Dementia Friendly Performances.

Support Us

Support our work through regular donations helping us to invest in our community, nurture artistic talent and make theatre accessible by becoming a Queen’s Angel. Queen’s Angels donate from £60 annually or £5 a month and receive benefits that include a monthly newsletter and priority booking.

You can also help to support us and raise vital funds by becoming a member of the Queen’s Theatre Club. Queen’s Theatre Club members pay an annual fee of £20 and receive benefits that include a monthly newsletter and coffee mornings.

For a full list of benefits, or other ways to support us please visit: queens-theatre.co.uk/support-us

QCafé & QBar

QCafé: Fancy a bite to eat? Choose from a selection of light lunches, snacks, sweet treats, hot and cold drinks.

QBar: Relax in our Bar area and treat yourself to a pre-show or interval drink. You’ll find a great selection of drinks, including flavoured gins, and local wines and beers.

For more information and our opening times, please visit queens-theatre.co.uk/about-us/food_drink