Brookside Theatre

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





Celebrity appearances
The following celebrities and bands have performed at the theatre:


 * Derek Acorah
 * Patti Boulaye
 * Steve Brookstein
 * Cannon & Ball
 * John Challis
 * Beverley Craven
 * Richard Digance
 * Dominic Kirwan
 * Anita Harris
 * Chas Hodges
 * Jeffrey Holland
 * Jimmy Jones
 * Joe Longthorne
 * Hazel O'Connor
 * Tony Stockwell
 * T'Pau
 * The Honeycombs

Romford War Memorial
The building which now houses Brookside Theatre was officially opened on 11 October 1953, by Lt.-Col Sir Francis Whitmore the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, to commemorate residents, civilians and service personnel of the Borough of Romford, who lost their lives during the Second World War.

The community hall and memorial houses commemorative oak panels engraved with the names of the fallen, donated by the United States Air Force in recognition of the hospitality they received whilst stationed at the nearby RAF Hornchurch. Following the construction of a ring road around the town in the early 1970s, several office buildings were built, while the community hall fell into disrepair.

Part of the Theatre's revenue goes towards the continued restoration of the war memorial.

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