The Brookside Theatre is a 194-seat studio theatre situated in the centre of

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romfo ...

in the London Borough of Havering, Greater London. The theatre was established in 2012 and plays host to many full scale theatre productions; musicals and plays, tribute bands, live music, comedy and celebrity guests and has been heralded as "Romford's best kept secret".

History

The Theatre staged its first production in 2012; ''

Shout! The Mod Musical ''SHOUT! The Mod Musical'' is an Off-Broadway musical by Phillip George and David Lowenstein featuring songs from the swinging sixties. The musical features five female singers who are called, Orange, Blue, Green, Yellow and Red. The Storyline ...

'', to raise money for the much needed renovation of the neglected war memorial buildings. As well as producing in-house shows which have included '' Avenue Q'', '' The Woman in Black'', '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...

'', '' Little Shop of Horrors'', ''Peter Pan The Musical'', and '' Hi-De-Hi'', the theatre now plays host to touring plays, top tribute acts, concerts, comedy evenings and celebrity guests appearances. The theatre has also produced a number of UK / world premieres including '' Forever Dusty'', '' Life Could Be a Dream'', ''When Rock n Roll Dreams Come True'' and ''Goodnight Sweetheart The Musical''. The theatre and the war memorial renovation is a completely self-funded project that relies on the generosity and kindness of local companies and organisations and the support of the local community as well as the dedication of its volunteers. Brookside Theatre Auditorium

Celebrity appearances

The following celebrities and bands have performed at the theatre: *

Derek Acorah Derek Francis Johnson (27 January 1950 – 4 January 2020), known professionally as Derek Acorah, was a British spiritual medium. He was best known for his television work on ''Most Haunted'', broadcast on Living TV (2002–2010). His career ...

* Patti Boulaye *

Steve Brookstein Stephen Desmond "Steve" Brookstein''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 10 November 1968) is an English singer, who is best known for winning the first series of ''The X Factor'' in 2004.< ...

* Cannon & Ball *

John Challis John Spurley Challis (16 August 1942 – 19 September 2021) was an English actor. He had an extensive theatre and television career but is best known for portraying Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long-running BBC Television sitcom ''Only ...

Beverley Craven Beverley Craven (born 28 July 1963) is a British singer-songwriter best known for her 1991 UK hit single " Promise Me". Her album '' Change of Heart'' was released in 2014 and '' Mixed Emotions'' in 1999. Biography Early life Craven was born ...

* Richard Digance * Dominic Kirwan * Anita Harris *

Chas Hodges Charles Nicholas Hodges (28 December 1943 – 22 September 2018) was an English musician and singer who was the lead vocalist of musical duo Chas & Dave. Early life Hodges was born at the North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton on 2 ...

* Jeffrey Holland * Jimmy Jones *

Joe Longthorne Joseph Patrick Daniel Longthorne (31 May 1955 – 3 August 2019) was an English singer and Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist. He performed on stage and television, and released three music recording sales certification, platinum al ...

* Hazel O'Connor * Tony Stockwell * T'Pau *

The Honeycombs The Honeycombs were an English beat group, founded in 1963 in North London, best known for their chart-topping 1964 hit, the million selling "Have I the Right?" The band featured Honey Lantree on drums, one of the few female drummers in band ...

Romford War Memorial

These historic buildings were officially opened on 11 October 1953, by Lt.-Col Sir

Francis Whitmore Colonel Sir Francis Henry Douglas Charlton Whitmore, 1st Baronet (20 April 1872 – 12 June 1962) was a British military officer and landowner. Family home He was the son of Thomas Whitmore, an officer in the Royal Horse Guards. Thomas had inhe ...

the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, to commemorate residents, civilians and service personnel of the Borough of Romford, who lost their lives during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. This once popular community hall and memorial, fell into severe neglect with one of the buildings boarded up well over two decades ago – this building houses commemorative oak panels engraved with the names of the fallen; a donation from the USAF in recognition of the hospitality they received whilst stationed here during the war. Following the construction of a ring road around this historic market town, in the early 1970s, large office blocks were erected, engulfing the memorial which was soon, sadly forgotten.

Alleged paranormal activity

The feature reached the international media's attention in 2014 following CCTV footage that allegedly showed possible paranormal activity.

References

External links

Brookside Theatre websiteRomford War Memorial Social Club website
{{coord, 51.5761, 0.1853, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Theatres in the London Borough of Havering Romford Reportedly haunted locations in London