P - The Queen's Theatre

sponsored by
23 May - 14 June

Simon Jessop and Georgina Field in Twelfth Night Photographer: Nobby Clark
AUTUMN SEASON 2008
3 shows - only £37 .50 !
september in the rain
22 Aug - 13 Sep
by John Godber
Heart-warming comedy from the author of Bouncers, April in Paris and Perfect Pitch
Come rain or shine Jack and Liz have been going to Blackpool on their holidays for as long
as they can remember. Same old B&B, same old donkey, same old British weather - and
they love it!
Join them for a nostalgic week of fun beside the seaside, as they share the laughter,
tears, sentiment and songs from their happy life together.
Grab your bucket and spade, roll up your trousers and dip your toes in the water for
a joyous trip back to the golden days of the British seaside holiday.
hay fever
26 Sep - 18 Oct
by Noël Coward
Classic comedy of British bad manners
It’s June, the sun is shining, and the ever-so-eccentric Bliss family are looking forward
to a glorious weekend in the country. The problem is, all four of them have had
exactly the same idea and invited a wholly unsuitable guest to stay. With sleeping
arrangements sorted, the stage is set for a jolly party… mostly at their visitors’ expense.
This is Noël Coward at his very best. Sharp, fast and very funny. Don’t miss one of the
greatest British stage comedies ever, a light-hearted, timeless romp.
the mummy’s tomb
Mad-cap musical adventure that will leave you screaming… “I want my Mummy!”
1920s Britain. Professor Niven thinks he’s cracked the ancient world’s best kept secret.
With an unlikely bunch of bumbling British explorers by his side, they embark on an
action-packed journey to Egypt where they hope to find the mysterious Mummy’s Tomb.
Up the Nile, past the pyramids and deep into the desert - with plenty of laughs and a good old
sing-song on the way. But watch out Professor. Just when you think you’ve got The Mummy’s
Tomb all wrapped up, there’s another spooky surprise lurking round the corner!
box office 01708 443333
31 Oct - 22 Nov
by Ken Hill
songs by Alan Klein and Ken Hill
Book a jump the Q season ticket and you can see all the three shows for just £37.50
jump the Q is open to all and is the cheapest and easiest way to enjoy professional
theatre at the Queens.

welcome
hello and welcome to
the queen’s theatre
What a colourful Spring Season it has been at the Queen’s as we
celebrate the 10th anniversary of our professional resident ensemble of
actor musicians cut to the chase…. We’ve followed Dick Barton’s
heroic adventures, laughed at confused couples in Relatively Speaking
and set sail on a riotous romantic cruiseliner in Twelfth Night. And what
better way to round off the season than with the London Premiere of
Tim Firth’s new comedy Absolutely Frank!
The season may be drawing to a close, but our Autumn line-up is
bursting with splendid entertainment. cut to the chase… continues
its 10th birthday year with John Godber’s heartwarming comedy
September in the Rain between 22 August – 13 September,
Noël Coward’s classic comedy Hay Fever between 26 September –
18 October and Ken Hill’s musical comedy thriller The Mummy’s Tomb
between 31 October – 22 November.
You can book all three shows for the brilliant price of just £37.50 – that’s just £12.50 each – if you
join our jump the Q scheme.
And there is plenty more song, dance and theatre to keep you entertained throughout the summer
months. On July 20, we mark 10 years of cut to the chase… with a glorious musical celebration
of our biggest and most popular show Return to the Forbidden Planet, when a massive cast of
company members old and new perform a one-off Charity Gala Concert of the musical. This
special night will have audiences shakin’, rattlin’ and rollin’ and will also raise money for all the
valuable work the Queen’s Theatre does throughout the region.
The best of local talent will be in the limelight in the Community Play, Harry from the Hill by
Queen’s Theatre New Writing Award winner Kath Sayer, playing between July 30 - August 2.
Tickets are on sale now so come along and support our Community Players and have a great
night out!
Other entertainment to note in your diaries includes the skirt-swirling Flamenco Express on
23 June, Garden Opera performing a fun-filled Don Pasquale by Donizetti on 24 June and
Zimbabwean stars Black Umfolosi presenting traditional African dance and gospel melodies on
25 June. Children will also love Fifi and the Flowertots from 13 - 16 August.
Tickets for our new season are now on sale and don’t forget, the cheapest and easiest way to
watch all next season’s cut to the chase… shows is by booking through jump the Q!
But for the minute, watch your step and don’t look down… it’s a long a way to fall in Absolutely
Frank! Have a great summer and see you back here again soon.
Bob Carlton
Artistic Director

guest shows – coming soon to the queen’s
Sat 31 May | 2.30pm | £10
you must remember this
A nostalgic trip down memory lane. Includes
all the great songs from the 30s, 40s, 50s
and 60s and the musical memories of Judy
Garland, Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Irving
Berlin, Ivor Novello and Cole Porter.
Sun 22 Jun | 7.30pm | £16
manhattan swing band
Freddy Staff, Lee Gibson and the
Manhattan Swing Band bring you an evening
of romantic ballads and great swing hits
from the golden era of big band music.
Mon 23 Jun | 8pm | £17 | £15 conc
flamenco express
Sizzling hot dance, music and guitar direct
from Spain. Flamenco Express set free the
flamboyant energy of this most passionate
form of entertainment. Flamenco has it all -
adventure, extreme dance, searing vocal
artistry and exhilarating guitar.
“This feisty flamenco company deliver
the finest” Time Out
Tue 24 Jun | 8pm | £17.50 | £13.50 under 18s
garden opera company
don pasquale by donizetti
Don Pasquale has a freshness which never
falters - a deliciously funny and
compassionate comic masterpiece.
Sung in English, the opera sparkles with wit
and Donizetti’s enchanting music. Whether
an opera-lover or a complete newcomer,
you’ll love Garden Opera’s entertaining,
intimate and approachable style.
“Bags of spirit” The Times
“It is impossible not to be drawn into
a Garden Opera performance”
Opera Magazine
Wed 25 Jun | 8pm | £15 | £12.50 under 16s
black umfolosi
Zimbabwe’s internationally acclaimed
dance and singing sensation have been
wowing audiences around the world for 25
years. Compared to the likes of Ladysmith
Black Mambazo, they bring you the sweet
sounds of a cappella and gospel, mixed
with the spectacular energy of traditional
African dance. Infectious rhythm, beautiful
melodies and glorious harmonies performed
with a humour and joyful enthusiasm that
never fails to inspire.
Thurs 26 Jun | 7.30pm | £16.50 | £15 conc
voice of the heart –
a tribute to karen carpenter
All the unforgettable Carpenters hits with
vocals from Carole Gordon such as
Yesterday Once More, Goodbye to Love,
Close to You, Only Yesterday, alongside a
Beatles tribute that links Mr Postman, Ticket
to Ride and Help; and a Burt Bacharach
medley featuring Do You Know the Way to
San Jose and Always Something There to
Remind Me.
Tue 22 July | 2.30pm | £10
music hall
A top cast fill the Queen’s Theatre stage for a
good old-fashioned, fun-packed afternoon of
music, comedy and your favourite songs from
way back when. Featuring song and dance
couple Ian Adams and Tiffany Todd,
soprano Katie Milton, comic Bryan Burdon,
songstress Jan Hunt, musical marimba
delights from Guy Holloway and the
renowned Howard Layton as your chairman.
Tue 22 Jul | 8pm | £17.50
the drifters in concert
The only legitimate Drifters line-up in the
world return to the UK with a spectacular new
concert backed by a full band of world class
musicians. Includes all the classic Drifters hits
such as Saturday Night at the Movies,
Come on over to My Place, Under the
Boardwalk and Kissing in the Back Row of
the Movies.
Mon 25 August | 3.30pm | £18 | £16.50 conc
7.30pm | £18
syd lawrence orchestra
From the music of Miller and Basie to the
songs of Sinatra and Fitzgerald, the Syd
Lawrence Orchestra keep the big band
sounds swinging with an energy that is
guaranteed to lift your spirit.
Mon 1 Sep | 7.30pm | £17.50 | £15 under 16s
the west enders
more of the best musicals ever
A journey through your favourite shows in an
evening packed with songs from the world’s
greatest musicals. Featuring a great cast of
performers who have appeared in more than
20 of the most famous musicals to hit London
including Beauty and the Beast, Les
Misérables, Miss Saigon, Aspects Of
Love, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oliver!,
Crazy For You and many more, backed by
a superb live band. This is a non-stop
musical extravaganza that will leave you
cheering for more.

Mon 8 Sep | 7.30pm | £17 | £15 groups 10+
my brilliant divorce
This achingly funny and poignant play will
touch the heart of anyone who has ever
been loved. It was nominated for ‘Best
Entertainment’ at the Olivier Awards in
2004, after playing a sell-out season in the
West End. Award winning comedienne
Dillie Keane stars as Angela. Best known
as a founding member of comedy cabaret
trio Fascinating Aida, Dillie’s many theatre
credits include Me and My Girl, The Vagina
Monologues and Grumpy Old Women.
“As irresistible as a chocolate truffle…
a sweet surprise”
The Mail on Sunday
“ …great jokes but there are also sudden
shafts of piercing emotional truth…
a small masterpiece”
The Daily Telegraph
Sun 14 Sep | 7.30pm | £20
elkie brooks
With numerous hit singles, million selling albums
and awards, Elkie Brooks is one of the most
popular singers the UK has ever produced and is
still proving to be one of the most powerful and
versatile vocal talents of our generation.
Performing some of her classic hits, blues, jazz
and perhaps a song or two from her forthcoming
album, an electric evening with Elkie is
guaranteed to leave you begging for more.
“Still One of the Great British Voices”
The Guardian
www.elkiebrooks.com
especially for children
in the foyer
Sun 29 Jun | 7.30pm | £7.50
bridget metcalfe’s
soul band
Enjoy a soulful summer’s evening of music
from Essex-based singer, songwriter and
all-round soul diva, Bridget Metcalfe, who
makes a welcome return to the Queen’s.
Bridget is currently riding high in the Sweet
Rhythms Chart with her recent single On
the Beach.
Listen to Bridget at: www.bridgetmetcalfe.com
“A fine, clear style”
The Observer
Sun 27 Jul | 7.30pm | £7.50
pete corrigan and
friends swing night
Don’t miss Pete take to the Foyer stage
with a new line-up and a great new
swinging sound.
Fri 30 May | 2pm | £8 | £7 child | £6 groups 15+
rainbow bigbottom and mr panda
Enter the glorious world of Rainbow BigBottom in a fast and colourful
new show packed full of music, magic, singing and audience
participation. Meet cuddly Mr Panda, Rainbow BigBottom’s forgetful
and naughty bear, as they take you on a journey full of fun and games.
A magical family experience – great for kids aged 3–8 years old.
Wed 13 Aug | 4.30pm
Thurs 14 Aug | 10.30am | 1.30pm
Fri 15 Aug | 10.30am | 1.30pm | 4.30pm
Sat 16 Aug | 10.30am | 1.30pm | 4.30pm
£11 | £10 child | £9 groups 15+
fifi and the flowertots
Everyone’s favourite Flowertot, Fifi Forget-Me-Not, and friends appear
live on stage in this brand new production as they help a magical fairy
blown into Flowertot Garden one stormy day. The Flowertots set off on
an exciting adventure to find the fairy’s wand swept away in the wind.
A marvellous, magical, musical journey, featuring these much-loved
characters.
For kids aged 3-7 years old.
coming soon box office 01708 443333

REGISTERED
CHARITY NO
248680
www.queens-theatre.co.uk

Return to the Forbidden Planet
Charity Gala Concert Performance
Fredrick Ruth and Diana Croft in Return to the Forbidden Planet
in 2001.
The Queen’s Theatre will celebrate 10 years of cut to
the chase…, the theatre’s professional resident
company of actor-musicians, with a special one-off
Charity Gala Concert Performance of Return to the
Forbidden Planet on Sunday July 20 at 8pm.
Everyone’s favourite intergalactic rock ‘n’ roll musical is
hurtling back to Hornchurch for one night only and will
star a massive cut to the chase… cast in this unique
reunion of past and present members, including some of
the show’s original West End line-up.
Sarah Beaumont, James Earl Adair and Ian Conningham
in the 2002 show.
Return to the Forbidden Planet was created by Bob
Carlton 25 years ago when he was Artistic Director at
the London Bubble Theatre. Set in outer-space, it is
loosely based on William Shakespeare’s The Tempest
and the 1950s film Forbidden Planet.
It has played to sell-out audiences throughout the world,
from the West End to Australia and Japan and of course
here at the Queen’s in 2001 and 2002.
Bob said: “This will be a truly exceptional gathering of
old and new cut to the chase… members and an
unmissable chance for Planet fans to watch their
favourite musical again.
“Proceeds from the event will help to ensure we can
continue delivering first-class entertainment as well as
our invaluable education and community work.”
Fredrick Ruth in 2001.
Not only will we be toasting 10 years of success for cut
to the chase… it is also 25 years since Return to the
Forbidden Planet was first created. This glittering event
is held in aid of the Queen’s Theatre Development
Fund to raise funds for the valuable work the Queen’s
Theatre does throughout the region. The Queen’s is a
registered charity reliant on extra support to fund a
wide-ranging programme – from producing great
entertainment to the Theatre’s extensive education and
community work.
This Olivier Award-Winning Best Musical will explode
onto stage in a red-hot meteor shower of sizzling hits,
including Great Balls of Fire, Good Vibrations,
Teenager in Love, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,
All Shook Up and She’s Not There, with music by The
Animals, The Byrds, The Beach Boys and many more.
The show is directed by Queen’s Artistic Director Bob
Carlton and musical direction is by Julian Littman.
Photos by Nobby Clark
The Return to the Forbidden Planet Charity Gala
Concert Performance will be held on Sunday July 20
at 8pm. Tickets, which are selling very fast, cost £40 and
include a Champagne Reception at 7pm, Post-Show
Buffet and Souvenir Programme.
To book, call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or for
more details visit www.queens-theatre.co.uk.
The cast of Return to the Forbidden Planet in 2002.

‘Engaging and
versatile cast’
The Daily Mail
Twelfth Night
April 2008
‘Real panache and
winning charm’
The Guardian
cut to
the chase…
Relatively
Speaking
March 2008
Dick Barton -
Special Agent
February 2008
the queen’s theatre’s professional resident company
The Queen’s Theatre resident company of actor-musicians
cut to the chase… celebrates its 10th birthday this year. And
to mark this special anniversary, we bring you a season of fun,
laughter and music.
cut to the chase… is the only ensemble of its kind in the UK.
As well as acting, singing and dancing, every member plays at
least two musical instruments each.
In the Spring Season 2008, company members have appeared in
Twelfth Night, Relatively Speaking and Dick Barton – Special
Agent as well as theatre-in-education tours Of Mice and Men
and Olivia Twist.
And the forthcoming Autumn Season will see cut to the chase…
members in September in the Rain, Hay Fever, The Mummy’s
Tomb and the Christmas pantomime Dick Whittington.
cut to the chase… is based on the traditional repertory system.
During the run of each production, the company is also busy
rehearsing the forthcoming play.
From musicals to dramas, comedytoShakespeare, it’s beena
greatdecade of affordable, West End-calibre live entertainment.
So raise your glasses to this multi-talentedtroupeandtoast its
10 yearsofsuccess!
PHOTOGRAPHS: NOBBY CLARK

The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch in association
with PW Productions Ltd presents
sponsored by
Director Matthew Lloyd
Designer Rodney Ford
Lighting Matthew Eagland
Sound Steve Mayo
23 May - 14 June 2008

Tim Firth
Tim Firth
Tim Firth was born in Chester, grew up in Warrington
and began writing when he was eighteen on an
Arvon Foundation course in Yorkshire run by Willy
Russell and Danny Hiller. After studying at Cambridge
for three years, his professional commissions were
Heartlands for Chichester, directed by Sam Mendes,
and a one-act play A Man of Letters for the Stephen
Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.
This began an association with Alan Ayckbourn and
the Stephen Joseph Theatre for whom Tim wrote
Neville’s Island (1993), The End of the Food Chain
(1994), The Safari Party (2002), and Absolutely
Frank (2006), which was adapted from the earlier A
Man of Letters.
The Nottingham Playhouse production of Neville’s
Island went on to the Apollo Theatre in London’s
West End where it was nominated for an Evening
Standard Award and four Olivier Awards. It has since
been produced regularly in the UK and all over the
world, translated into several languages and filmed
with Timothy Spall and Martin Clunes. Tim’s musical
Our House, which he co-wrote with the band
Madness, won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best
New Musical in 2002 and is due to tour the UK this
year. His stage adaptation of his screenplay for
Calendar Girls will also open at the Chichester
Festival Theatre in September.
Tim’s first play for television was the BBC film Money
for Nothing, which was shot in New York and in Tim’s
hometown of Frodsham and in 1994 won the Writer’s
Guild Award for best film. His first series, Preston
Front, ran for three series between 1994 and 1997,
winning the British Comedy Awards, the Royal
Television Society Awards, the San Francisco
Television Festival, the Writer’s Guild Awards and
gaining a BAFTA nomination. More recently, he wrote
The Flint Street Nativity, a Christmas comedy voted
one of the top Christmas shows of all time on
Channel 4 and Cruise of the Gods, about a fan club
cruise starring Steve Coogan, David Walliams and
Rob Brydon.
His first series for children, The Rottentrolls, ran for
four series, winning a BAFTA. It spawned a preschool
series called Ripley and Scuff, which also won
a BAFTA.
His first feature films, Calendar Girls starring Helen
Mirren and Julie Walters and Blackball starring Paul
Kay, James Cromwell and Vince Vaughn, were
released in 2003. Calendar Girls went on to become
one of the top ten grossing British films of all time in
the UK, winning awards at home and abroad. Kinky
Boots, starring Chiwetel Edjiofer and Joel Edgerton,
was released in 2005.
Tim also writes and performs his own music,
making regular appearances on The Mike Harding
Show on Radio 2 and touring with his long-time
mentor and friend Willy Russell with their show The
Singing Playwrights.
Tim lives and works in North Cheshire with his wife
Katy and children Jack, Joe and Georgia.
The full website on Tim and his work can be found at
www.timfirth.com.

Absolutely Frank
Tim Firth’s work is back in
Hornchurch after Neville’s
Island was a huge success at
the Queen’s last Spring. Here,
we catch up with Tim and find
out all about his new comedy.
What inspired you to write Absolutely Frank
Seeing two guys battling to put up a huge T of
TESCO on top of a building in the middle of a dull
train journey one time. I remember thinking it was a
bizarre thing to be doing in the howling rain, and then
started to wonder what those guys might have
thought they would end up doing for a career when
they were at school. Plays always tend to start from
some kind of mindless rumination.
Alan Ayckbourn commissioned you to write
the play as a one-act piece for Scarborough’s
Stephen Joseph theatre in 1991. How did that
come about
Alan had read a play I wrote in the course of one
afternoon while I was at university - about two people
and two yucca plants - it was shown to him by his
assistant director at the time, Connal Orton, who had
known me at university. He said it wasn’t right for the
Firth's The Flint Street Nativity began life as a festive
star-studded TV play and was subsequently adapted for
the stage
theatre but liked the writing and showed me into a
café at the theatre where they did lunchtime plays,
one–acters. It was full of pensioners eating soup. So
I decided to write a play where the characters
legitimately would have to shout so that they could be
heard over the clatter of the cutlery - hence having
two workmen on a building ledge above a busy road.
Thanks to the success of the show, which was
originally called A Man of Letters, I have worked with
Alan on various projects. He commissioned me to
write Neville’s Island and directed my play The Safari
Party, among other things.
Your collaboration with Alan over the years
has led some people to think there are
similarities between your writing - would
you agree
Sure, you might say there are similarities between our
work. But then from far enough away two large red
letters will look identical. It’s only on getting closer
you realise one is a distinct A and one a T.
What made you return to A Man of Letters
and extend it into a full-length play Was
that difficult
I returned to the ledge because I loved the one-act
play and after all this time wanted to know what
happened to Frank after the play ended. It took me
fifteen years to decide.
Tim Firth’s award winning TV series Preston Front focused on the
relationships of a team of Territorial Army volunteers
The original hadn’t dated because it was about
ambition and the pursuit of happiness, and the gap
between the two - and that still exists.

Neil Boorman, Richard Brightiff, Paul Leonard in the Queen’s Theatre production of Neville’s Island, 2007
I think plays should be driven by characters rather
than themes. This enables you to create a situation
you like, put the characters into the mix and the story
then generates the scene.
The new full-length version was staged at the
Stephen Joseph Theatre in July 2006 and has been
further developed for the Queen’s Theatre.
Is it based on any kind of personal
experience Had you done a similar
apprenticeship as a teenager, or played
mentor to a young person
I once spent a year writing commercials for a radio
station. That’s the only proper job I’ve ever had and I
learned nothing except how to beat the lunch queue
at Gregg’s Bakers. I’ve had loads of mentors, but
none who ever knew it at the time. And yes, I have
played mentor, but only to younger writers, and that’s
not the same as teaching someone how to illuminate
an FD299 internally-illuminated module. With
engineering you can be sure that the advice you’re
giving is definitely going to make something work.
Absolutely Frank, and some of your previous
work such as Neville’s Island, is based on
the world of work, relationships between
colleagues and people being removed from
their comfort zone. What appeal does this
sort of setting hold for you
Any alien environment is of interest. I’ve never
worked in an office. I mean, there was the radio
commercial office but to be honest that was more like
a sixth form common room. A real proper grown-up
office environment is a dark macabre jungle to me. I
suppose in my line of work people have largely
chosen to be where they are. This doesn’t
necessarily apply to offices and the resulting
tensions, subterfuges and back-stabbings of people
forced into the same cage are fascinating.

Absolutely Frank
Onlookers show their encouragement as the Calendar Girls bare
all in the 2003 film
Tim Firth and Willy Russell worked and
performed together on The Singing Playwrights.
Do you identify with either Frank or Alan
Part of me identifies with both. You have to, to be
able to care. I particularly identify with the hidden
sense of failure in Frank. That’s a ghost that stalks us
all. Or maybe it’s just me and Frank.
The dialogue between Frank and Alan is very
realistic. How do you achieve this Do you
ever eavesdrop on other people’s
conversations for example
I spend my life eavesdropping but again, never
consciously. A writer should be a sponge rather than
a spy.
You once said your writing had a more
populist ambition, compared to playwrights
who wanted to explore serious social issues.
Are the everyday lives of ordinary people
important and interesting enough to write
plays about
The truth is that the mundane is rarely universal.
The putting up of giant letters on a windswept
Tesco was probably mundane to the two guys doing
it. The tragedy is we rarely get to find out how
intriguing our lives are to other people. That’s one
job of a dramatist.
What other things, ideas, people or
places inspire your writing
I’ve never met or visited anything that couldn’t inspire
a play, looked at from the right angle. Everything
has the potential to be a gateway into the dramatic
or comedic. Even the taxi cab booth outside
Hornchurch Tube station. I mean what is that building
next to it What’s going on Is there a secret top
floor Discuss.
You attended a writing course at the Arvon
Foundation because it was taught by Willy
Russell, the writer of the hit musical Blood
Brothers. You have since toured the country
together in The Singing Playwrights, where
you both sang and played music on stage.
What was that like
A nightmare. When we went on tour together he used
to set brutal traps for me in the dressing room. He’s
had nothing to do with me since I admitted to liking
couscous. He is bitterly anti-couscous.
As you are also passionate about music,
which do you prefer - writing songs or plays
Songs which ARE plays.
You are perhaps currently best-known for
your screen hit Calendar Girls. How do you
think it became such a huge success
Someone once wrote that it’s the only time they have
laughed and cried at the same time and I think
somewhere in there lies the answer to that question.
What projects are you currently working
on and what have you got planned for
the future
I have written a stage comedy based on the film of
Calendar Girls, which will begin in the autumn. The
musical Our House starts going on tour round the
country this spring.
What do you hope audiences will take away
from Absolutely Frank
The play comes down on the line that ambition can
ruin your life as much as make it. Happiness is
something you may have already without realising it.

Post-it note
politics
and other
workplace
dramas
Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda as the three office workers who
try to outwit their chauvinist boss in Nine to Five, 1980
Let’s face it, most of us spend more time at work than
we do almost anywhere else - apart from our beds.
Studies show that for many workers, the workplace is
one of the most important and influential factors in
their lives. It’s where friendships and relationships are
conducted, marriages forged and enemies made. It’s
where bosses and subordinates clash, where water
coolers become impromptu sites of cultural exchange
and where protocol, pressure and politics are the
parameters that define happiness (or otherwise). It’s a
hotbed of gossip and intrigue, grand larceny (well,
nicking stuff from the stationery cupboard) and even
murder (“Did you forget to water that plant again”).
So is it any wonder, then, that so many of our finest
films, plays and TV shows are set within the working
environment and focus on politics and relationships
Perhaps more telling, however, is the fact that so
many shows set in places of work are comedies! Are
they trying to tell us something
Workplace relationships provide natural subject matter
for writers and filmmakers and over the years virtually
every kind of relationship and point of view has been
explored. There are secretaries and disillusioned
workers wanting to hit back at their egotistical boss in
films like Nine to Five (1980) or Mike Judge’s 1999
comedy Office Space; there’s the small-time girl who
tries to change her appearance and behaviour to
impress a cruel and exacting superior in The Devil
Wears Prada (2006); there’s even a boss who so
desperately wants to be liked by his workers that he
invents an imaginary superior to blame things on in
Lars von Trier’s The Boss of It All (2008). And then
there’s Disclosure (1994), based on the novel by
Michael Crichton in which everybody seems to be
harassing - and suing - everyone else, or Working Girl
(1988) in which Melanie Griffith plays a secretary who
takes on the big bosses at their own game and wins,
no doubt to huge hurrahs from anyone who has ever
been stuck before a typewriter/word processor and felt
there must be more to life.
And before we move on, those bosses reading this
and thinking that office-based movies all seem to be
about nasty or problematic superiors should give
Jonathan Parker’s excellent Bartleby (2002) a try.
Inspired by Herman Melville’s short story and updated
to modern times, it tackles the issue of what exactly a
boss can do with a worker who simply doesn’t listen to
him - in this case a strange young man who sits
staring at an air conditioning unit and refuses to leave
even when fired.
On the small screen, office and workplace-based
situation comedies and comedy dramas have almost
matched the domestic sitcom for popularity - after all
you can choose your friends, but you can’t (usually)
choose your work colleagues. And most of us spend
more time with them than we do with our own family!
The Rag Trade, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin,
Are You Being Served, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Yes,
Minister, Open All Hours, The Brittas Empire, Drop
the Dead Donkey, The IT Crowd and many more have
used the personalities, pressures and pitfalls of
people forced together by chance to earn their living
as the basis for comedy.
When it comes to portrayals of office life on TV,
however, no show can escape from the shadow of the
big one: The Office. Filmed in a documentary style
with lots of realtime pauses and empty silences, The

The cringe-inducing management style of The Office’s David Brent
proved the office environment’s potential to produce comedy gold
Office contains just about everything: a workplace
romance, co-workers not getting on, a ludicrous boss
trying to be ‘in’ with his subordinates, a sensible boss
just trying to keep the company running, office parties,
quiz nights, mergers, redundancies, unwelcome
charity days and every form of embarrassment and
faux pas ever experienced in a real office setting…A
bit too much like real life for many office workers!
Auf Wiedersehen Pet portrayed a group of British builders
bonding on a site in Germany
Post-it note politics and other workplace dramas
Some of Britain’s finest modern playwrights have used
the office environment to explore their ideas, good
examples being Alan Bennett’s Office Suite and
Michael Frayn’s Alphabetical Order. In Neville’s Island,
meanwhile, Tim Firth removed his characters from the
comfort of their office and placed them on an
outward-bound corporate training course. John
Godber’s The Office Party is set, as you might expect,
during one company’s end-of-year bash complete with
all the frustrations and drunken pitfalls that inevitably
arise (not to mention judicious use of the
photocopier). Those inclined towards the grand British
tradition of farce can find several office-based
examples, including John Chapman’s Close Your Eyes
and Think of England (1977), while many will tell you
that everything there is to know about the corporate
world and office politics can be seen on stage - set to
music - in the Tony Award-winning musical How to
Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967).
Sadly it doesn’t feature any songs about the really
important things in an office worker’s life: like post-it
notes, whose turn it is to make the coffee and where
to go for a fag break!
Nick Hobbes
© John Good
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: co-workers
like these can be the downfall of a man with his mind on a
higher position!

Cast
Frank Tollit
Barry McCarthy
Alan
Rowan Schlosberg
Artistic
Credits
Director
Matthew Lloyd
Designer
Rodney Ford
Lighting
Matthew Eagland
Sound
Steve Mayo
There will be one inter
The first performance of this play wa
Scarborough
The first performance
Absolutely Frank was a
Hornchurch on Fr
Thanks to
Concept Windows for the windows
Stephen Foster of Fibresports for the letters
Terry Abbott
EServe IT Ltd for donation of flat screen
computer monitor
Essex Roof and Window Store 01708 558899
ABSOLUTELY FRAN
Copyrigh
Alan Brodie Representat
78 New Oxford Street
info@alanb

Production
Credits
Production Manager
Dave Godin
Technical Manager
Ken Telford
Stage Manager
Laura Collins
Deputy Stage Manager on
the Book
Evie Deighton
Assistant Stage Manager
Ian Grigson
Lighting Operator
Paul Stone
Sound Operator
Chris Howcroft
Costumes by
Queen’s Theatre Wardrobe
Department
Wardrobe Supervisor
Aimee Easter
val of twenty minutes
s given at Stephen Joseph Theatre,
in July 2006
of this production of
t the Queen’s Theatre,
day 23 May 2008
K © 2006 Tim Firth
t agent:
ion Ltd, Fairgate House,
, London WC1A 1HB;
rodie.com
Set Constructed by
Queen’s Theatre Workshop
Workshop Supervisor
John Ayers
Head of Scenic Art
Christine Bradnum
Cover Design
End Associates
Programme Design
John Good
Production Photography
Nobby Clark

Barry McCarthy
Frank Tollit
At the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch: One of Barry’s first
jobs was in What the Butler Saw at the old Queen’s
Theatre in Station Lane, Hornchurch.
West End: Barry’s recent credits include Kean (Apollo
Theatre); The Canterbury Tales, Gilbert Fleet in Things We
Do for Love (Gielgud Theatre); Conrad/Barnabas in Back to
Methuselah, Corin in As You Like It, Cyprian in The Park,
Stanley in Wildest Dreams (RSC).
Theatre: Recent credits include Pandolfini in The Giant
(Hampstead Theatre); Brackett in Scarlett Letter, Charity
Commissioner in The Government Inspector, the Doctor/
Curan in King Lear, Rimsky in Master and Margarita,
Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pandolfo in
Coffee House, Tubal in The Merchant of Venice
(Chichester Festival Theatre); Mr Franklyn in Children of a
Lesser God (Salisbury Theatre); 3x Lunch Time Plays,
Jimmy in Happy Birthday Dear Alice, Giles in House and
Garden, Graham in Knights in Plastic Armour, Mal in Body
Language, Gilbert Fleet in Things We Do for Love (Stephen
Joseph Theatre, Scarborough); Hugh in Perfect Strangers,
Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Jack in A Small Family
Business (Bristol); Wildest Dreams (Stratford).
Rowan Schlosberg
Alan
At the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch: Absolutely Frank is
Rowan’s debut appearance at the Queen’s.
Film: Stealth starring Jamie Foxx; Boston Kickout.
TV and radio: Headland (Seven Network, Australia,
Channel 4, UK); e=mc 2 : A Biography of the World’s Most
Famous Equation (Darlow Smithsons); Smallpox (Fox).
Training: Rowan trained at NIDA (Sydney). His productions
there included Stags and Hens, The Duchess of Malfi, The
Accrington Pals, Man With Bags, The Plough and the
Stars, Antigone, Counsellor at Law, Ice Cream.
Film: Recent credits include Notes on a Scandal starring
Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett; Kinky Boots by
Tim Firth.
TV and radio: Holby City; Peak Practice; Judge John
Deed; Food of Love; Insiders; The Bill; Scott of the Arms
Antics; Crime Monthly; Strange But True; The Final Cut;
Casualty. Radio credits include New Garden City; Front
Page; Snap; Liselle.
Absolutely Frank... In Rehearsal
Barry McCarthy and Rowan Schlosberg Evie Deighton and Matthew Lloyd Barry McCarthy and Rowan Schlosberg Ba

Matthew Lloyd
Director
At the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch:
This is Matthew’s directorial debut at
the Queen’s.
Theatre: Matthew is the Artistic Director
of the Actors Centre and the Tristan
Bates Theatre. He was formerly Artistic
Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre,
Manchester, where his credits include
the award-winning An Experiment with
an Air-Pump, Dreaming (West End
transfer), Present Laughter, Waiting for
Godot, The Way of the World, The
Critic, The Dispute, An Experienced
Woman Gives Advice, Two Clouds over
Eden, All’s Well that Ends Well, The Fall
Guy and So Special.
He was also Associate Director of
Hampstead Theatre, where his credits
include the multi-award-winning The
Fastest Clock in the Universe, Slavs!,
The Maiden Stone, Vincent River,
Apocalyptica, Ghost from a Perfect
Place, A Going Concern, Lion in the
Streets, The Eleventh Commandment,
An Experiment with an Air-Pump
(London transfer) and the award-winning
The Lucky Ones.
Rodney Ford
Designer
Rodney Ford has worked with the cut to
the chase…company since it was
formed 10 years ago.
He had previously been a freelance
designer working for theatres throughout
Britain and in many countries around the
world. He has held Head of Design
positions at the Citizens Theatre,
Glasgow, The Crucible Theatre,
Sheffield, the South Australian Theatre,
Adelaide, and here at the Queen’s
Theatre.
He wrote the lyrics for the wonderfully
eccentric musical comedy A Night on
the Tiles that has just completed its third
tour and illustrated a book of the songs
from the show.
He is also a portrait painter who
occasionally exhibits in Sheffield, where
he lives on a smallholding with several
aged sheep.
Matthew Eagland
Lighting
Theatre); Grind (Generating Company);
Darwin in Malibu (Birmingham Rep);
Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (Nottingham
Playhouse); One Under, John Bull’s
Other Island, Crossing Jerusalem, Ten
Rounds, The Promise, A Night in
November and The Wexford Trilogy
(Tricycle); Little Women (Duchess
Theatre); Murderous Instincts (Savoy
Theatre); Anne of Green Gables (Lilian
Baylis Theatre); Dancing at Lughnasa
(Northcott Theatre); Femme Fatale
(Warehouse Theatre); My Boy Jack
(national tour); The Lieutenant of
Inishmore (national tour); Much Ado
About Nothing (Bremer Shakespeare
Company); Christmas (the Bush); Hay
Fever (Oxford Stage Company); The
Winter’s Tale (AandBC); The Arbitrary
Adventures of an Accidental Terrorist,
Kes (NYT); Tape (NVT Brighton); The
Changeling, The Winter’s Tale
(Southwark Playhouse); Cinderella,
Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, Confusions,
Ghetto and The Pool of Bethseda
(Guildhall School); The Age of
Consent (Pleasance, Edinburgh);
Moving On (Bridewell), Joking Apart
(Northcott Theatre, Exeter); A Tale of
Two Cities (GSMD); The Scarlet
Pimpernel (London Children’s Ballet)
and Twelfth Night (Central School of
Speech and Drama).
who’s who
Freelance credits include the awardwinning
The Pitchfork Disney (Bush
Theatre); The LA Plays (Almeida); 2
Samuel 11 Etc (Royal Court Theatre
Upstairs); Cloud 9 (Parco Theatre,
Tokyo); The Home Show Pieces and
La Ronde (Glasgow Citizens); Hedda
Gabler, A Doll’s House and Dead
Funny (West Yorkshire Playhouse);
The Odd Couple (Liverpool Playhouse);
Fly (Liverpool Everyman); Copenhagen
and Blithe Spirit (Watford Palace);
Tall Phoenix (Coventry Belgrade);
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Leicester
Haymarket); Democracy (Gate Theatre);
Deathwatch, Measure for Measure
(Off Broadway). He last worked with Tim
Firth on The Flint Street Nativity, which
broke box office records at Liverpool
Playhouse and was revived for a second
production last Christmas.
Opera: Credits include The Barber of
Seville (Scottish Opera).
At the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch:
Mother Goose, The Servant of Two
Masters, Around the World in Eighty
Days, The Tempest, It’s a Fine Life!,
Room at the Top, Macbeth, Cinderella,
A Taste of Honey, The Ghost Train,
Brief Encounter, Sleuth, The Good
Intent, Educating Rita and A View From
the Bridge.
Opera: Credits include La traviata,
L’Elisir d’amore (English Touring Opera,
Education); La Finta Semplice, Jacko’s
Hour (Guildhall School).
Theatre: Credits include Copenhagen
(Watford Palace Theatre); The Secret
Garden (London Children’s Ballet); An
Hour and a Half Late (Theatre Royal
Bath Productions); Angel House
(Eclipse Theatre); The Notebook of
Trigorin (Northcott Theatre, Exeter), One
Last Card Trick (Watford Palace
Theatre); Private Lives (Theatre Royal
Bath Productions); Alfie (Watford Palace
Tim Firth
Playwright
Theatre: Tim’s theatre credits include A
Man of Letters; Neville’s Island; A
Bigger Slice of Pie; The End of the
Food Chain; Love Songs for
Shopkeepers; The Safari Party; Flint
Street Nativity.
Film: Tim’s film credits include
Blackball; Kinky Boots; the hugely
successful Calendar Girls, starring
Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.
Television: His television credits include
All Quiet on the Preston Front; Oger and
the Rottentrolls; Neville’s Island; Border
Café; The Flint Street Nativity; The
Cruise of the Gods; King of Fridges.
This year, in addition to the Our House
UK tour, Tim’s play Absolutely Frank
rry McCarthy and Rowan Schlosberg Barry McCarthy and Rowan Schlosberg Rowan Schlosberg

will open at Queens Theatre,
Hornchurch, in May before embarking
on a UK tour. Tim’s adaptation of his
screenplay for Calendar Girls will also
open in September at the Chichester
Festival Theatre.
For more information, please see
www.timfirth.com.
Steve Mayo
Sound Designer
At the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch:
This is the first time Steve has worked at
the Queen’s.
Theatre: Steve’s sound designs include
Stovepipe, I Caught Crabs in
Walberswick (High Tide Festival 08);
Snowbound (Trafalgar Studios); Jack
and the Beanstalk (Barbican Theatre);
Romeo & Juliet (BAC); Future/Perfect,
(Soho Theatre); Eden’s Empire
(Finborough Theatre); Weightless, You
Were After Poetry, Lyre, Ned and
Sharon (High Tide 07); Young Vic
Shorts (Young Vic); Miniaturists (Arcola
Theatre); Tale of Two Cities, Cinderella
(GSMD); Silence (RSC Fringe and
Arcola); Dr Foster, (RSC Fringe and
Menier Chocolate Factory); Dracula,
Small Change (Basingstoke Haymarket);
Communicating Doors, Taking Sides
(Library Theatre Manchester); The Sea
(Arden School of Theatre).
Associate Sound Designs include
Angels in America (Headlong Theatre);
King of Hearts (Out of Joint).
Steve is currently head of sound for
Barbican International Theatre Events.
PW Productions
Producers
PW Productions are the West End
producers of the Royal National
Theatre’s multi-award-winning
production of JB Priestley’s An Inspector
Calls, directed by Stephen Daldry, and
Stephen Mallatratt’s The Woman in
Black, which has been running at the
Fortune Theatre for sixteen years.
Founded in 1983 by Peter Wilson, PW
Productions have produced or coproduced
(amongst others) Edmund
Kean with Ben Kingsley; Showpeople;
Rowan Atkinson at the Atkinson and
Jerome Kern goes to Hollywood, both
on Broadway; Julian Glover’s Beowulf in
New York and on tour in the UK; Ben
Kingsley and Geraldine James in A
Betrothal; Miriam Margoyles in Dickens’
Women; Alan Howard in Kings; Dylan
Thomas: Return Journey, directed by
Anthony Hopkins and co-produced with
Eric Clapton; The Glory of the Garden;
Garrison Keillor and the Hopeful Gospel
Quartet; An Evening with Gary Lineker;
the RNT’s British première of Arthur
Miller’s Broken Glass; extensive tours of
The Woman in Black; Martin Shaw and
Diana Quick in Rough Justice; Gary
Olsen and Maria Friedman in April in
Paris; Edward Fox and Stephanie
Beacham in The Father; Make Way for
Lucia; An Evening with Michael
Feinstein; The Wind in the Willows from
the RNT; Bob Hoskins in Old Wicked
Songs, and Birdy. As producers of the
RNT’s Oh, What a Lovely War!, PW
Productions re-opened London’s historic
Roundhouse and subsequently
managed seasons with Michael Clarke,
Stomp and the spectacular De La
Guarda. The 2001 national tour of Neil
Simon’s The Sunshine Boys starring
Ron Moody and Brian Murphy marked
the end of a sixteen-year association
between ExxonMobil and PW
Productions, during which they enjoyed
a very happy relationship. Mobil Touring
Theatre started in 1986 with The
Philanthropist, followed by Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead (1987),
Habeas Corpus (1988), The Woman in
Black (1991), Charley’s Aunt (1992),
The Crucifer of Blood (1993), Absurd
Person Singular (1994), Noises Off
(1995), Dial M for Murder (1996), Forty
Years On with Tony Britton and Tony
Robinson (1997), Tartuffe with Stephen
Tomkinson (1998), Sleuth with Peter
Bowles and Michael Maloney (1999),
Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons
Dangereuses (2000) and the tour of Ira
Levin’s Deathtrap starring David Soul
(2001). PW Productions has also
produced the RSC’s production of
Krapp’s Last Tape starring Edward
Petherbridge, Boyband at the Gielgud,
Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at the Old Vic
and on Broadway starring David Suchet
and Lenny, starring Eddie Izzard at the
Queen’s, both directed by Sir Peter Hall.
PW Productions were co-producers on
the hugely successful Nutcracker!,
choreographed by Matthew Bourne, and
were General Managers of the Play
Without Words UK tour, Tokyo and
Moscow seasons and US tour. They
have presented the West End transfers
of The Madness of George Dubya, and
Bombshells starring Caroline O’Connor,
both at the Arts Theatre.
Most recently they have produced the
Hampstead’s production of Joe Orton’s
What the Butler Saw, which transferred
to the Criterion Theatre, an Australian
tour of An Inspector Calls, Joanna
Murray Smith’s Honour starring Diana
Rigg at the Wyndham’s Theatre and a
very successful UK tour of The Woman
In Black.
Currently they are producing Andrew
Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love on tour,
starring David Essex.Visit our websites
at www.pwprods.co.uk and
www.thewomaninblack.com
For PW Productions Ltd
Chief Executive Peter Wilson
General Manager Oliver Royds
Production Coordinator Tim Wilson
Production Assistant Claudine
Matthews
Financial Controller RC Thomas
Assistant Accountant Daksha Vithlani
Production Intern Aaron Levene
Barry McCarthy Evie Deighton and Matthew Lloyd Barry McCarthy and Rowan Schlosberg

news
queen’s
theatre
Pam Shrimpton, Barry Kirk and Vernon
Keeble-Watson in Off to Oz in 2006
Harry from the Hill
Queen’s Theatre Community Play 2008
Local talent will take to the Queen’s Theatre stage in
2008’s all-singing all-dancing Community Play, Harry
from the Hill, between 30 July and 2 August.
Harry from the Hill, written by Queen’s Theatre New
Writing Award winner Kath Sayer and sponsored by
shopping centre The Brewery, Romford and Arts and
Business, celebrates the 60th anniversary of the
establishment of the Harold Hill estate. The town’s
history over the decades is fascinatingly told through the
eyes of a young boy, who sets out on an exciting journey
in search of his family roots. It will also include songs
and music written by Carol Sloman, the Queen’s
Theatre’s Musical Director.
Record numbers flocked to auditions held at the theatre
on Sunday 20 April. Ranging from five-year-olds to one
sprightly 85-year-old, some 100 hopefuls packed out the
foyer and auditorium. All tried their utmost to impress the
panel – consisting of Kath Sayer, Carol Sloman and
director Marcia Carr - with songs, dances and readings
from poems and plays. And after much deliberation, an
80-strong cast was finally selected to perform in the
production.
Performer for Pigtales by the Manchester Evening
Standard, said: “I was overwhelmed by the response the
open auditions received. The standard was very high and
I am looking forward to putting on a great show.”
The Community Play gives theatre-loving residents the
opportunity to perform on their local stage and to work
alongside the Queen’s professional team of directors,
designers and choreographers.
The show follows past fun-filled Community Plays - Off
to Oz in 2006, The Path of the Brave in 2004, Frank
Sinatra, Tom Jones and Me in 2003 and Bubbles in the
Air in 2002.
Tickets are on sale now, so come along and support
your local community actors. Harry from the Hill will be
performed between 30 July and 2 August at 8pm, with a
2.30pm matinee on Saturday 2 August. Tickets cost £10
(£7 concessions) and are available from the Box Office
on 01708 443333.
Director Marcia Carr, who was awarded Best Actor for
her performance in The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of
Matches at the Buxton Fringe Festival and Best Fringe

news
queen’s
theatre
Hanna Zapala in Oliver Twist
Photos: Martin Lubich
A busy spring for the Education and Outreach Department
From broccoli to budding actors and poetry to plays, it has
been a vibrant Spring Season for the Queen’s Theatre
Education and Outreach Department.
The Theatre foyer came alive with song, theatre and storytelling
throughout April, thanks to a whole host of
performance showcases from the Community Company,
Junior and Senior Youth Theatre Groups, and participants
of the Easter Holiday Workshops, involving youngsters
aged between 7 and 14.
Five aspiring playwrights also had the chance to display
their talent in a series of readings in writenight! at the
Theatre in March. The plays written by members of the
local community were shortlisted by the Queen’s and
performed by members of cut to the chase…
The Queen’s Theatre’s Artistic Director Bob Carlton said:
“It was a chance to enjoy fresh work whilst supporting
up-and-coming writing talent, and a brilliant opportunity for
new writers to see their play performed by professionals
before an audience.”
Don’t worry if you missed the chance to submit your work
for consideration last time – there will be a second
writenight! on 16 July and the submission deadline is
2 June.
Members of cut to the chase… also toured secondary
schools in East London and Essex with John Steinbeck’s
moving drama Of Mice and Men, over January and
February. Directed by Bob Carlton, the play, set during
America’s Great Depression, tells the story of two poor
farmhands who dream of having a place of their own.
cut to the chase… also took in local primary schools
in March with a touring production of Olivia Twist, a
play encouraging children to eat nutritious meals, written
by company member Jim Bywater. The action centres
on young orphan Olivia and her efforts to make her
classmates eat more fresh fruit and vegetables.
Teacher Chris Harris, of Nelmes Primary School,
Hornchurch, commented: “The children really enjoyed
the production and it complemented our work on
healthy eating.”
For more information on all Education and Outreach work
at the Queen’s, visit www.queens-theatre.co.uk/education

Queen’s actors land a plethora of plum roles
Richard Brightiff in The
Servant of Two Masters
Rebecca Reaney as Jack
in Queen’s panto Jack and
the Beanstalk
Photos: Nobby Clark
The Spring Season at the Queen’s Theatre may be
drawing to a close, but far from putting their feet up,
members of cut to the chase… will be busy throughout
the summer in a variety of theatre roles up and down
the country.
Richard Brightiff and Rebecca Reaney are set to become
theatrical big cheeses when they appear in The
Mousetrap, the longest-running show in the world.
Richard will take on the part of Sergeant Trotter (a role
previously played by the revered Richard Attenborough)
while Rebecca has landed the part of Miss Casewell. The
old-school murder mystery by Agatha Christie, showing at
St Martin’s Theatre in the West End has been playing to
audiences for an astounding 56 years.
Rebecca, who was Jack in Queen’s panto Jack and the
Beanstalk, and Richard, a Queen’s stalwart last seen as
cheeky Truffaldino in The Servant of Two Masters, are
following in the footsteps of two other members of cut to
the chase… - Loveday Smith and Kevin Pallister - who
have actually just left the cast of The Mousetrap. Loveday
played the part of Mollie Ralston and remarkably, Richard
directly replaces Kevin in the role of Sgt Trotter!
Richard says he was sought out by director Mark Piper,
with whom he had worked some years ago, and invited to
audition for the role. He beamed: “My success has been
down to both Mark remembering me and the excellent
grounding I have received during all my work at the
Queen’s Theatre.”
Meanwhile, cast members of the Queen’s last production
Twelfth Night will also be treading the boards in a wide
range of theatre over the next few months.
Stuart Organ and Oliver Beamish, who played Sir Toby
Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek respectively, will join the
cast of Richard III at the Ludlow Festival; Georgina Field,
who played Maria, is appearing at the New Vic in Don
Giovanni; Nick Lashbrook (Sebastian) is off to the
Watermill Theatre, Newbury, for a run of Sunset
Boulevard; while Steve Simmonds (Antonio) and Rowan
Talbot (Valentine) appear in the Rude Mechanical’s Noah
Babel’s Ark.
Stuart Organ and Georgina
Field in Twelfth Night
Rowan Talbot, Matt Devereaux, Steve Simmonds
and Nick Lashbrook in Twelfth Night

Now on sale
Pantomime 2008-2009
Dick Whittington
29 November 2008 – 10 January 2009
“Traditional family entertainment at its best”
Romford Recorder on Mother Goose
It’s never too early to get your panto tickets, so book now to beat the
Christmas rush, save money and get the best seats.
“Appealing, home-grown charm that few venues
can match” Evening Standard on Mother Goose
Join our brave hero Dick and his loveable Cat on an adventure of a
lifetime, as they follow their dreams to seek fame and fortune in
London town.
“Perfect” Daily Mail on Mother Goose
The Queen’s Theatre panto is always an action-packed
extravaganza, exploding with glitter and magic, song and dance,
fun and laughter, spectacular sets, colourful costumes and of
course LOTS of audience participation.
If you want quality panto for your family at Christmas - then
the Queen’s is the place to be! The recent hit Mother Goose,
received glowing praise from audiences and press, proving
that once again, the Queen’s pantomime is one of the
BEST in LONDON.
Book now for the purrfect festive family treat - you’ll have one
less thing to worry about when Christmas comes round!
“The mother of ALL pantos” Daily Mail on Mother Goose
To book call the Box Office
on 01708 443333
For performance schedule and prices, visit:
www.queens-theatre.co.uk/dickwhittington
Photos: Nobby Clark, Mother Goose 2007

access
P
NEW
parking
There are three parking spaces reserved for blue
badge holders at the front of the building.
wheelchair users
The Queen’s Theatre is wheelchair accessible. Four
wheelchair positions are available for every performance,
so you are advised to book early. A ramp gives access to
the building from street level.
deaf & hearing-impaired patrons
box office – turn your hearing aid to the
“T” position to use the induction loop.
auditorium – there is an infra-red transmission system
which can help people with or without hearing aids. A
lightweight, discreet headset or necklace is needed and
is available from the Box Office.
sign language interpreted performances
Absolutely Frank
Wed 11 Jun | 8pm
captioned performances
Subtitles of all dialogue and song lyrics are shown
on screens either side of the stage to assist people
with any degree of hearing loss. For further information
visit www.queens-theatre.co.uk/access or call the box
office on 01708 443333. Captioning is a free service to
all ticket holders at that performance.
You do not have to sit in specific seats to use this
service, or inform Box Office that you intend to use the
service. Please ask if you want advice on the best view
of the captioning screens.
Absolutely Frank
Wed 4 Jun | 8pm
blind & visually-impaired patrons
Guide and assistance dogs are welcome throughout
the building.
Audio Description uses an infra-red transmission system
and discreet headset, which should be booked in
advance at the Box Office.
audio described performances
Absolutely Frank
Sat 14 Jun | 2.30pm
Large print and audio copies of the season
brochure are available from the box office
For Information contact James McCully,
Access and Marketing Officer
Tel: 01708 462376
Fax: 01708 462363
E-mail: james@queens-theatre.co.uk
Post: Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1QT
or visit: www.queens-theatre.co.uk/access
join the
queen’s
theatre club
support your local theatre
and enjoy many benefits…
P Half price tickets on Club Nights with a
buffet party and the chance to meet the
cast
P Monthly newsletters
P Monthly meetings with guest speakers
P Social activities including coach outings,
regional theatre visits, the annual dinner
dance, quiz nights, barn dance and the
Queen’s Anniversary Night Party.
Membership:
1 January – 31 December
Chairman:
Mrs Angela Warmsley, 47 Elm Avenue,
Upminster RM14 2AZ.
Tel: 01708 225232
Membership Secretary:
Mr Alan Garrood, 8 Nyth Close,
Upminster RM14 1RB. Tel: 01708 225978
Join our
free e-mail
or mailing list
Be the first to receive
news and special offers
for forthcoming
Queen’s Theatre productions.
Contact the Box Office on
01708 443333 or e-mail
ebulletin@queens-theatre.co.uk
access www.queens-theatre.co.uk

Inner Circle
Members
Utilize plc, Scottish Mutual House, 27-29 North Street
Hornchurch, Essex RM11 1RS
t: 0845 366 6079 f: 0845 366 6067
info@utilize.co.uk www.utilize.co.uk
Romford Greyhound Stadium
Coral Romford Greyhound Stadium, London Road
Romford, Essex RM7 9DU
t: 01708 762345 f: 01708 436529
romford.stadium@coral.co.uk
www.romfordgreyhoundstadium.co.uk
Havering Chamber of Commerce & Industry
HCCI Suite 2, 3rd Floor, Rainham House
Manor Way, Rainham RM13 8RH
t: 0845 270 3332 f: 0845 273 2229
hcci@haveringbep.co.uk www.hcci.org.uk
Havering Homes
2nd Floor Stirling House, 21-25 Station Lane
Hornchurch, Essex RM12 6JL
t: 0800 2300042
www.haveringhomes.co.uk
The Mall, Romford
Mall Management, Mercury Gardens,
RomfordRM1 3EE
t: 01708 733 620 f: 01708 737 823
www.themall.co.uk
Molly’s Florist
15 Billet Lane, Hornchurch, Essex RM11 1TS
t: 01708 456006/445635 f: 01708 437987
info@mollysflorist.co.uk
www.mollysflorist.co.uk
Business
Circle Members
Balloons by Wonderland
Concept Windows and Conservatories
Havering College of Further and Higher Education
Motivation Clinics
The Cranleigh Restaurant
The Liberty
Venture Photographic
To find out how your company can benefit from the Business Circle call 01708 462349.

e a supporting act!
The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch is a registered
charity that is only able to enjoy success as an
inspirational and renowned arts venue due to the
loyal generosity of individuals, funding
organisations and local businesses.
Our ticket prices are consistently among the lowest
in London and Essex, and the Queen’s subsidises
the cost of workshop places for children and adults
to participate in learning through the arts.
In order for the Queen’s to continue its vision of
affordable, high quality theatre and entertainment
for everyone, we constantly need to raise funds.
The Queen’s fundraising activities are focused on
providing opportunities for the development of
theatre practitioners, audiences and staff.
The Queen’s is currently
fundraising for:
• Keeping our ticket prices amongst the lowest in London and
Essex and continuing to offer subsidised ticket schemes
such as Jump the Q and Quids In.
• Launching education programmes for children and adults in
schools and community centres to encourage learning
through the arts.
• Commissioning more productions and festivals that support
new writing with a particular focus on writing for actormusicians
and encouraging diverse audiences to
experience the Queen’s.
• Ensuring the Queen’s building can continue to host exciting,
popular theatre and welcome visitors with special access
requirements.
• Professional development for actor-musicians.
THE
ANTI-GRAFFITI
CO. LTD
Specialists in Prevention
and Removal of Graffiti
and Mould Problems
The Anti-Graffiti Company are delighted to continue
sponsoring the Queen’s. We hope everyone will enjoy
the theatre even more as the Anti-Graffiti Company
return the outer stonework and surfaces to their original
state and protect them from further damage.
Tel: 01708 225432
Fax: 01708 229214
e-mail: anti-graffiticoltd@tesco.net
www.theantigraffiticompany.co.uk
a few ways you can help…
make a donation
If you like what you see at the Queen’s, why not make a
donation to help us to continue and develop our work. Further
more, if you are a UK taxpayer and Gift Aid your donation, we
can claim back from the Treasury 28 pence for every £1 that
you donate!
Call 01708 462349 to make a donation.
help fundraise for the queen’s for free just
by searching the Internet
everyclick.com is an internet search engine with a big
difference - it donates half its revenue to charity. If you use
everyclick.com as your search engine every search you do
will raise money for the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.
Please go to everyclick.com/uk/haveringtheatretrust to do all
your searching. Don’t forget to add it to your favourites so you
can find it again easily. You can make it your home page by
clicking on the link in the top right hand corner of the site. It
does not cost us, or you, a penny - so please use it - and
pass the message on!
See our website for new ways to help fundraise for the
Queen’s Theatre - www.queens-theatre.co.uk/supportus
leave a lasting legacy
Remembering your Queen’s Theatre in your will or by making
a memorial donation, means that your name and generosity
will continue to go on, giving future generations the chance
to experience, benefit and enjoy our work for many years
to come.
For more information on how you can leave your legacy, call
01708 462349.
Funding
The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch receives
statutory funding from the London Borough of
Havering, Arts Council England, London and
London Councils.
The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch is also supported by the
following Trusts and Foundations: The Jack Petchey
Foundation, The Peggy Ramsay Foundation, The Strauss
Charitable Trust, The Ronald Duncan Literary Foundation,
The Garfield Weston Foundation.
be a supporting act www.queens-theatre.co.uk

“A spectacular success”
The Guardian
the queen’s theatre hornchurch
The original Queen’s Theatre, in Station Lane, Hornchurch, was opened by Sir Ralph Richardson in
1953. From the beginning, the theatre ran a repertory company called the Queen’s Players. In 1975 the
Queen’s Theatre moved into a purpose built venue in Billet Lane which was opened by Sir Peter Hall.
The Queen’s Theatre is a vibrant producing theatre
serving the London Borough of Havering, outer East
London and Essex. Each year the Queen’s Theatre
welcomes over 250,000 people.
The Servant of Two Masters
In 1998 Artistic Director Bob Carlton formed cut to the
chase…, the country’s only resident company of actormusicians.
Working with the repertory company and a core
creative team of designers and directors, the Queen’s Theatre
produces eight main house productions a year, offering a
diverse programme of popular, innovative and quality theatre
at affordable prices.
Around the World in Eighty Days
This is complemented by over 40 guest concerts, five dance
performances, 30 children’s shows, weekly Sunday
Lunchtime Jazz, a monthly Comedy Club, Unplugged – a
monthly showcase for young musicians and Art Exhibitions.
PHOTOGRAPHY: NOBBY CLARK
It’s a Fine LIfe!
The Tempest
The Queen’s delivers a thriving Education and Outreach
programme for schools, young people, community groups and
individuals of all ages. Each year the Queen’s Theatre
produces four Theatre-in-Education tours to schools
throughout East London and Essex, as well as leading
the Community Company, two Writers’ Groups, six Youth
Theatre and Dance Groups and over 100 workshops and
backstage tours.
Registered Charity No. 248680

Contact Information
The Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane,
Hornchurch RM11 1QT
Box Office: 01708 443333
Administration: 01708 462362
Fax: 01708 462363
e-mail: info@queens-theatre.co.uk
Artistic Director: Bob Carlton
Administrative Director: Thom Stanbury
Finance Director: Margaret Smith
Administration
Administrative Director: Thom Stanbury
Administrator: Katie Milton
Administrative Assistants: Irene Chapman, Cathy Treweek,
Sue Welch
Artistic
Artistic Director: Bob Carlton
Associate Director: Matt Devitt
Head of Design: Mark Walters
Associate Designer: Rodney Ford
Head of Music: Carol Sloman
Music Consultant: Julian Littman
Lighting Consultant: Chris Jaeger
Sound Consultant: Whizz
Literary Associate: David Eldridge, Paul Miller
Box Office 01708 443333
Box Office Manager: Jan Sullivan
Deputy Box Office Manager: Pauline Kliber
Box Office Assistants: Elizabeth Keeble Watson, Jenefer
Boddington, June Hutley, Julia Jones, Frances Wright.
Development 01708 462349
Development Manager: Daryl Smith
queen’s theatre staff
Education and Outreach 01708 462373
Education and Outreach Manager: Beth Flatley
Education and Outreach Officer: Claire Bailey
Education and Outreach Assistant: Sheena Nolan
Finance
Finance Director: Margaret Smith
Finance Officer: Elaine Darran
Assistant Finance Officer: Marina Austin
Front of House
House Managers: John Kliber, Dave Ross
Assistant House Manager: Lee Collins
Bar and Catering Manager: Maureen Raddon
Assistant Bar & Catering Manager: Karl Dyer
Senior Steward: Pat Branch
Front of House Assistants: Georgina Cook, Grace Coppin,
Dean Coulson, Vicki Flack, Christine Foster, Pat Harper,
Sarah Hawes, Larna Jayes, Paul Lewin, Kim Martin, Amy
McCabe, Carolyn McCabe, Ellie McCabe, Anne Miller, Dinah
Nunn, Gillian Rider, Gill Rothon, Ben Russell, Angela Short,
Marion Thornett, Maureen Wilson
Cleaners: Linda Smith, Elaine Boore, Barbra Cole,
Cheryll Morris
Fire Officers: John Allen, Christopher Cook, Mark Lawrence
Marketing
Marketing Manager: Chris O’Kelly
Access & Marketing Officer: James McCully
Press Officer: Nadiah Scammell 01708 462395
Marketing Officer: Sarah Lubbock
Marketing Assistant: Sheena Nolan
Production
Production Manager: Dave Godin
Scenic Art
Head of Scenic Art: Christine Bradnum
Scenic Artist: Rory Davis
Stage Management
Stage Manager: Laura Collins
Assistant Stage Managers: Evie Deighton, Ian Grigson
Technical
Technical Manager: Ken Telford
Senior Technician: Paul Stone
Technicians: Alex Broad, Jo Golding, Christopher Howcroft,
Andrew Lewis, James Morgan
Casual Technicians: Michael Hopkins, Michael Holden,
Richard Williams
Wardrobe
Wardrobe Supervisor: Aimee Easter
Wardrobe Assistant: Vicki Smith
Workshop
Workshop Supervisor: John Ayers
Carpenters: Marc Lawrence, Chris Young
Volunteers
Volunteer Co-ordinator: Anne Balaam
Archivists: John Jones, Sandra Murry, Ann Chan-Pensley
Marketing: With thanks to volunteers from the Queen’s
Theatre Club
Council of Management for Havering Theatre Trust
Cllr Jean Alexander, Cllr Wendy Brice-Thompson,
David Burn (Vice Chair), Cllr Andrew Curtin, Cllr Gillian Ford,
Cllr Linda Hawthorn, Vernon Keeble-Watson, David Lel,
Angela Marshall, Michael Quine, Cllr Roger Ramsey,
Cllr Paul Rochford, Dennis Roycroft (Chair), Louise Sinclair,
Cllr Geoff Starns, David Thorpe, Pamela Wilkes
First Aid
First Aid volunteers and facilities are provided by the
St John Ambulance Brigade
The management reserves the right to refuse admission, and to make any alterations in the cast which may be rendered necessary by illness or other unavoidable causes.
In accordance with the requirement of the London Borough of Havering: The public may leave at the end of the performance or entertainment by all exit doors and
such doors must at that time be kept entirely free from obstruction, whether permanent or temporary. Persons shall not be permitted to stand or sit in any of the gangways
within the auditorium.
PATRONS ARE RESPECTFULLY REMINDED THE QUEEN’S THEATRE, HORNCHURCH IS A NO SMOKING BUILDING AND THAT THE USE OF CAMERAS AND
RECORDING EQUIPMENT IS NOT PERMITTED DURING PERFORMANCES. Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance.
staff www.queens-theatre.co.uk