Dick Whittington - Civic Panto

Join Dick and his faithful feline friend on their magical adventure from the heart of Chelmsford, to the nation's capital where the streets are paved with gold and the evil King Rat dwells.

If Dick wants to be Lord Mayor he is going to need all the help he can get from Sarah the Cook, the magical fairy and a whole host of hilarious colourful characters.

Dick Whittington is staged by One From The Heart, who also produced the Civic Theatre's last five sell-out pantomimes, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk.

In association with the Civic Theatre, One From The Heart brings another action-packed family show to Chelmsford, featuring all the traditional pantomime ingredients; sparkling storybook sets, energetic song and dance routines, beautiful costumes, plenty of audience participation and the most important ingredient of all - a generous helping of pantomime magic!

Dick Whittington, the most adventurous pantomime of all, will be at the Civic Theatre fromWednesday 5 December 2012 to Sunday 6 January 2013.

And there's exciting news for Chelmsford panto fans, our favourite dame is back for the 3rd year running! So look forward to seeing Richard Earl in action as Sarah the Cook. 

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

5 performances, 5 actors, 1 totally unique show

It is often said of theatre that each performance is a unique event. Never will that have been more true than in the Mercury Studio Theatre from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 October at 7.45pm, where members of the Mercury Theatre Company will performWhite Rabbit Red Rabbit by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour.

Each performance will see a different Company actor do the bravest thing of their professional lives and step on to the stage to perform a script they have never seen before!

Tomos James, Emily Woodward, Tim Treslove, Tony Casement and Kelly Williams are the Company actors in question, each of whom knows nothing more about the play they are about to perform than the audience themselves.

Imagine being 29 and forbidden to leave your country. Nassim Soleimanpour dissects the experience of a whole generation in a wild, utterly original play from Iran . Forbidden to travel, he turns his isolation to his own advantage with a play that requires no director, no set and a different actor for every performance.

This is theatre at its most live, exciting and urgent and writer, Soleimanpour becomes a very real presence in the room, yet he’s miles away in Tehran …

In a change to usual Mercury Theatre policy audiences, will be invited to Facebook and Tweet about the show at designated points.

Tickets, priced £11 / £6.50 concessions, are available from the Mercury Theatre Box Office by calling 01206 573948 or online at www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles

A howling comedy take on Holmes classic

Seasonal scares and silliness abound in Steven Canny and John Nicholson's hilarious version of The Hound of the Baskervilles, at the Queen's Theatre,Hornchurch from 26 October – 17 November - just in time for Halloween!

Featuring the Queen's permanent company of actors cut to the chase..., this most famous of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries is revamped into a hysterical fast-paced romp!

On his lonely Dartmoor estate, Sir Charles is found dead with a look of terror on his face and gigantic paw prints next to his body. It looks like the legendary curse of Baskerville Hall has struck again! Can Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson solve the mystery of the demon hound before another Baskerville comes to a gruesome end?

Just three actors juggle an astounding 16 roles between them in this pacy celebration of slapstick and quickfire wit, a version of which was recorded by the BBC in March for the More than Words Festival. 

Steven Canny, who is a director, writer and radio producer, won the Sony Gold Drama Award in 2009 and 2010 for two comedy plays on Radio 3 and 4 - Mr Larkin's Awkward Day by Chris Harrald and People Snogging in Public Places by Jack Thorne. John Nicholson is one of the founding members of Peepolykus, one of the UK's most exciting touring theatre companies.

This production of The Hound of the Baskervilles stars members of the cut to the chase… company Jonathan Markwood, Simon Jessop and Greg Last withSteven Markwick on pianoforte. Direction is by the Queen's Artistic Director Bob Carlton, with design by Norman Coates and lighting design by Christopher Howcroft.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is performed at the Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch from 26 October – 17 November. Tickets are £16 - £24.50. To book, call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or book online at www.queens-theatre.co.uk

At the Civic this September

This September marks the 50^th anniversary of the Civic Theatre opening. What better way to celebrate such a wonderful accolade than an open day for public to enjoy all that the theatre has to offer. On Saturday 8 September there will be back stage tours, performances from local theatrical companies and musicians, activities for all the family to get involved in, theatrical workshops and an exhibition of the history of the theatre plus lots of other exclusive experiences for the day.

A very classic British sitcom makes its debut on the Civic stage on 5-6 September. Seagull Rep present a stage adaptation of three episodes of Fawlty Towers including the all time favourite episode The Germans. Seventies dress is actively encouraged with a prize for the best dressed on the night!

Direct from London West End, An Evening Of Burlesque (22 September) is the newest sizzling spectacular on tour. Full of elegance and beauty, with a twist of humour, tease and no sleaze the show features sultry vocals and talented musicianship and masterful choreography.

Youngsters can enjoy a funny, hearting tale when The Selfish Crocodile visits on 30 September and 1 October. Storytellers use song, music and a host of handcrafted puppets to bring this watery adventure to life! A must-see for 3-7 year olds, their grownup and anybody who has a pet crocodile!

For more information and to book tickets on these shows and more visit our new website at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres where seats can be selected on booking or call the Box Office on 01245 606505.

Return to the Forbidden Planet

Shakespeare’s forgotten rock ‘n’ roll musical

Return to the Forbidden Planet

Bob Carlton directs a revival of his Olivier Award-winning rock ‘n’ roll musicalReturn to the Forbidden Planet at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, playing from 25 August - 22 September.

Celebrating 30 years since its creation, this special anniversary production reunites some of the original West End cast, alongside cut to the chase…, the Queen’s permanent ensemble of actor-musicians. Rocky Horror Show legend Richard O’Brien also appears in a surprise cameo role!

Return to the Forbidden Planet is inspired by the 1956 sci-fi B-movie Forbidden Planet - itself based on The Tempest with a twist of Freudian psychoanalysis! Bob Carlton’s creation, written in blank verse, adds to the mix a delightfully unlikely blend of rock ‘n’ roll hits from the ‘50s and ‘60s and a comical take on Shakespeare’s greatest quotes!

As the first major musical to popularise the actor-musician ensemble, the show includes cosmic classics from The Animals, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry,Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and many more! All of which are played live on stage by cut to the chase…, swapping a multitude of instruments between each other in a glorious musical relay!

Since its humble beginnings at London’s Bubble Theatre, Return to the Forbidden Planet has been on an incredible journey, going on to beat Miss Saigon to win an Olivier Award for Musical of the Year in 1989/1990. It ran for four years in the West End, was nominated for two Outer Critics’ Circle Awards in New York and has delighted hundreds of thousands across the world, amassing a loyal cult following.

Dashing Captain Tempest and his flight officers take audiences on an exciting interplanetary adventure into hyperspace, where they meet mad scientist Prospero, his beautiful daughter Miranda and Ariel, the amazing rock ‘n’ roller-skating robot. Battling asteroid storms and faulty Photon Shields, does this motley crew ever discover Prospero’s mysterious X Factor formula? And can they escape the Monster from the Id?

The cast includes Richard O’Brien with cut to the chase… members James Earl Adair, Simon Jessop, Greg Last, Jane Milligan, Natasha Moore, Sean Needham, Mark Newnham and Fredrick “Frido” Ruth.

Return to the Forbidden Planet is directed by original creator and Queen’s Theatre Artistic Director Bob Carlton, with design by Rodney Ford, musical supervision and arrangements by Julian Littman, musical direction by Greg Last, lighting design by Mark Dymock, sound design by Rick Clarke, choreography byFredrick “Frido” Ruth and audiovisual design by Ken Telford.

Return to the Forbidden Planet is at the Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane,Hornchurch from 25 August - 22 September. Tickets are £17.50 - £25.50. To book, call the Box Office on

01708 443333 or book online at www.queens-theatre.co.uk

Anne Boleyn

To open their 2012/2013 season, Chelmsford Theatre Workshop have something of a coup - the East Anglian amateur première of Howard Brenton's Anne Boleyn.




Two successful seasons at Shakespeare's Globe, a sell-out National Tour, and now it comes to the Old Court, with a huge cast, aged from 16 to 80, superb costumes and wonderful music.


It's a story from history, but the language is modern, with plenty of humour, not least from the feisty Anne herself [Gillie Marshall].


Award-winning director Christine Davidson said: "Yes, it is a fun play as well as an amazing drama. We'll take you back in time to a world of sex, politics and religion - nothing changes !"

The dates are 26-29 September and 3-6 October, at 7.45, in the Old Court Theatre just opposite Chelmsford Prison.Tickets can be booked now, from the Civic Box Office, online or on Chelmsford [01245] 60650  

Mercury Autumn Season

The Mercury Theatre Company announces its Autumn Season

Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Monday 2 July

Exciting times lie ahead for the Mercury Theatre with a new leadership team of Daniel Buckroyd (Artistic Director) and Theresa Veith (Executive Director) set to start over the coming weeks and an outstanding autumn season announced, programmed by Mercury Theatre Associate Director, Tony Casement:

With a mix of classic comedy (Arsenic and Old Lace) and hard-hitting drama (Top Girls) in the main house, and two remarkable plays with a truly international element in the studio theatre; Hard Places by Mumbai-based Farhad Sorabjee and White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, the Mercury Theatre Company are set for an outstanding season. No autumn season would be complete without the Mercury’s annual yuletide treat; this year Jack and the Beanstalk.

The first Company production in the Main House is Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring from Thursday 4 to Saturday 20 October. Tony Casement directs this madcap comedy about two sweet elderly sisters with a unique way of ‘helping’ lonely gentlemen. Full of dark comedy and sinister twists, Arsenic and Old Lace transcends the traditional farce to provide hilarious entertainment, and the perfect vehicle for the hugely talented Company of actors.

Top Girls by Caryl Churchill will be performed from Thursday 1 to Saturday 17 November. Famous for its incredible fantasy dinner party scene, this provocative play about ambition, success and what happens to those who get left behind, is still strikingly relevant today. Gari Jones directs Mercury Theatre Company actors including Amanda Haberland, Clare Humphrey, Nadia Morgan and Shuna Snow in this powerful and sometimes absurdist drama set in Thatcher’s Britain.

No Christmas would be complete without the Mercury’s traditional, annual yuletide treat for the whole family! This year’s panto will be Jack and the Beanstalk performed from Friday 7 December to Saturday 12 January. Brimming with laughter, song, dance and adventure, this fantastic tale of giants, princesses, magic beans and ice cream will leave audiences feeling on top of the world! What separates the Mercury Theatre pantomimes from the rest is that many of the same fine actors you see performing on stage all year round come back to act their socks off in panto! With fantastic story-telling, written and directed by Janice Dunn, and an incredible production team the Mercury panto sells-out year on year. Early booking is advised.

The Mercury Studio Theatre will host two incredible international co-productions this autumn. The Mercury Theatre Company have teamed up with Tinderbox and Rage Productions, Mumbai to present Hard Places by Farhad Sorabjee from Wednesday 5 to Saturday 15 September. Originally developed as part of the Royal Court International Programme this will be its UK premiere. The play asks how families, lives and minds can be divided by the imposition of a border. Drawing on past and present conflicts, it explores how people behave when bonds are tested, secrets uncovered, and communities turned into contested territories that suddenly define who they are and what they live for. Hard Places also offers an opportunity to see new work by young writers from India and the UK which draws on the same themes. Alongside every performance will be a short piece inspired by the impact of physical, political and psychological borders upon the lives of individuals, families and communities.

The Mercury Theatre Company in association with Volcano, Necessary Angel and Wolfgang Hoffmann present Nassim Soleimanpour’s controversial play White Rabbit Red Rabbit from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 October. Forbidden to travel from his native Iran, Nassim Soleimanpour has created a play that requires no director, no set and a different actor for each performance, who knows nothing of the production prior to their arrival at the theatre to perform! This is theatre at its most live, exciting and urgent. White Rabbit Red Rabbit will be performed by Tomos James (Tue 23 Oct), Tony Casement (Wed 24 Oct), Tim Treslove (Thu 25 Oct), Emily Woodward (Fri 26 Oct) and Kelly Williams (Sat 27 Oct).

Farm Boy by Michael Morpurgo, the compelling sequel to the award-winning War Horse, takes us forward fifty years to offer a moving account of the changing face of the English countryside and a beautifully crafted reminder that stories really can reach out across the generations. Directed by new Mercury Theatre Artistic Director Daniel Buckroyd, this magical tale of the bonds linking grandfather to grandson, suitable for ages 7 and over, will be performed on Sunday 18 November 4.30pm.

Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Monday 2 July from the Box Office on 01206 573948 and online at www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

Tickets are on sale from Monday 18 June to Mercury Members - Priority Plus, Friends, Champions, Patrons and Corporates. To find out more about joining (from as little as £26 per year / 50p per week) please call 01206 573948 or visit www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

If you book for both Arsenic and Old Lace and Top Girls at the same time you can save 20% with the Mercury Theatre Company Season Ticket. This offer is subject to availability and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount.

Farm Boy production image by Robert Day