Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch

Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch
Theatre exterior
Location Hornchurch, Greater London
England
Coordinates 51°33′57″N 0°13′07″E / 51.5658°N 0.2186°E / 51.5658; 0.2186Coordinates: 51°33′57″N 0°13′07″E / 51.5658°N 0.2186°E / 51.5658; 0.2186
Public transit London Overground Emerson Park
London Underground Hornchurch
Capacity 500
Opened 1953 (New Theatre Opened In 1975)
Website
www.queens-theatre.co.uk
The Queen's Theatre Main House

The Queen's Theatre is a 500-seat producing theatre located in Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering, east London.

History

Hornchurch Urban District Council purchased a derelict cinema on Station Lane (the site of the present Ripon House development) that had been used for storage during the Second World War. They converted this building into a theatre which opened in 1953, the coronation year of Queen Elizabeth II and its name reflects this. The opening production was See How They Run.

The building deteriorated and the London Borough of Havering built a new theatre on Billet Lane, designed by Hallam and Brooks. It was opened by Sir Peter Hall in April 1975, with a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

The theatre was honoured with a visit from the Queen in 2003, the theatre's fiftieth anniversary, and in 2013 the theatre celebrated its Diamond Jubilee.

The theatre won the UK Theatre Award for Most Welcoming Theatre (East region) in 2016 and 2017.

Productions

Home to notable productions of the award-winning Blood Brothers, Return to Forbidden Planet, a major revival of Made in Dagenham the Musical, performers such as Maggie Smith, Martin Shaw, Joan Plowright, Prunella Scales, Nigel Hawthorn, Lucy Benjamin, Gemma Salter, Bernard Cribbins, Conn O’Neill and theatre-makers and artists David Eldridge, Chris Bond, Dave Ross, Bob Eaton, Glen Walford, Nichola McAuliffe, Charlie Condou, James Sutton, Tim Firth, Dan Murphy and Richard O'Brien the Queen’s Theatre, over its 65 plus year history, has built a track record in creating the best in live entertainment.

The theatre's current artistic director is Douglas Rintoul who was appointed in 2015. The theatre's previous artistic directors include Bob Carlton, Marina Calderone and Bob Tomson.

The Queen's Theatre Hornchurch produces over eight shows a year and has a vibrant learning and participatory programme engaging over 11,000 participants annually, enabling people to express themselves and their stories through the arts.

The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch works with educational institutions, amateur theatre groups, professional arts groups and wellbeing organizations, but is also widely connected to the larger theatre landscape in the UK and abroad. Current partnerships include co-productions and projects with the National Theatre, the New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Salisbury Playhouse, Derby Theatre, Sell a Door and The Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg.

Funding

The Queen’s Theatre is a registered charity and receives regular funding from the London Borough of Havering and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

Queen's Green

Adjacent to the theatre is an open space called Queen's Green.


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