Provision: Queen's Theatre Trip

Last week, our provision children were treated to a backstage tour of the Queen’s Theatre. Ready and raring to go, excitedly the children set off early so as to take in the sites of Hornchurch. En route to the theatre, we stopped at the station, the pharmacy, the police station and the fire station to highlight to the children the services that are available to the residents of our local town. Before heading into the theatre itself, we also made a stop at Hornchurch Library so that the children could not only enjoy a story but also get to see the wide range of reading materials that our local library has to offer.

After lunch in the theatre foyer, the children were ready for their tour which linked to their literacy topics. First, they entered the auditorium learning that this theatre seats 501 people. It wasn’t long before the children were on stage admiring the set and being taught how the props are arranged and used. Next, they went off to the workshop where the backdrops for the sets are prepared. Did you know that the Queen’s Theatre is one of the few theatres that still has its own workshop? This was followed by ducking our heads and climbing down even more stairs to where the orchestra sits and then into the wardrobe stores. Wow! The children had never seen such a vast and amazing array of clothes and furniture. Our tour was topped off with a visit to the rehearsal studio where they met the director of this year’s pantomime and then to the offices to see the costumes and props being made. What a treat!