Brookside Theatre and 'Deathtrap'

Welcome back to Access London and Thank You once again for helping to support Access for All to the Arts. This post heads away from central London and towards the London/Essex border, to the Brookside Theatre and their current production, Deathtrap.

The theatre is based within the Romford War Memorial Social Club, a fitting tribute as today is Remembrance Day...."The Brookside Theatre is a voluntarily run organisation and the home of Stage One Theatre Company, an award-winning, Romford-based theatre group established in 1991. The theatre is based within the Romford War Memorial Social Club (RWMSC) on Eastern Road and the main purpose of all events held at the theatre is to raise money and awareness for the club which is a registered charity as well as a registered war memorial. The RWMSC was officially opened on the 11th October, 1953, by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Lt.-Col Sir Francis Whitmore, to commemorate the residents, civilians and service personnel of Romford who tragically lost their lives during WWII. The main purpose of the charity is to provide social activities to the senior citizens of Romford and Havering.

In 2012, Stage One Theatre Company performed the first fundraising event for the RWMSC at the Brookside Theatre. This event marked the first of many planned to help fund the renovations and support to the RWMSC, a worthwhile charity within the community. With its 60th anniversary in October 2013, further funds are needed to complete renovation works to both the main hall and also the front building, which houses the commemorative panels listing the names of the fallen which were donated by the US Air Force in recognition of the hospitability they received when stationed in Romford during WWII. Independent of any council or applied funding, The Brookside Theatre is entirely self sufficient, thanks to kind donations, ticket sales, membership subscriptions and the 'Friends’ of The Brookside Theatre. Any person over the age of 16 is welcome to join the volunteers working at the theatre and will be encouraged and taught to develop skills: whether that be acting, marketing, set building, sound or costume design etc. The Brookside Theatre is proud to survive through the dedication of its volunteers."

Brookside's current production is the comedy thriller, Deathtrap, which runs until Saturday 17th November (evening performances at 8.00pm and Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.00pm). "A play to kill for... Writer Sidney Bruhl's luck has run out. Once the toast of Broadway, he hasn't had a hit play in years... Young and aspiring playwright, Clifford Anderson, a student of one of Sidney's writing classes, just so happens to have written the perfect play - 'Deathtrap'. Desperate for success, Sidney would do anything to claim Clifford's play as his own. And then he comes up with a killer idea..." Written by Ira Levin and Directed by Neil Reynolds ( @neilreynolds ), Deathtrap's cast includes, CJ de Mooi (Sidney Bruhl) James Meunier (Clifford Anderson) Helen Jeckells (Myra Bruhl) Nicki French (Helga ten Dorp) Clifford Hume (Porter Milgrim).

Access Information: Parking spaces for those with Access needs can be pre-booked via the box office. The theatre is located behind another building and there isn't a great deal of street lighting around, so please be aware of this when arriving and leaving in the dark. From the car park, there is a gentle ramp up to the entrance, with handrails on either side. The building itself is all on one level, so there is no issue with stairs. The box office is lowered and there is plenty of room inside for wheelchair or scooter users. Although, there is level access to toilet facilities, at the present time, there is no adapted accessible toilet - an issue I am told is being looked at. The chairs in the theatre are not fixed and so seating can be arranged and adapted to suit the needs of those with disabilities - please notify box office at time of booking. There are ticket concessions available for disabled patrons and one companion. To book Access tickets, please call the box office on: 01708 755775. For all other tickets and to find out more about the theatre and its productions, please visit their website at www.brooksidetheatre.com