14 Chapel Street North, Colchester, CO2 7AT
Box Office: 01206 366000
Open Tuesday to Friday 1pm to 3.45pm. At other times we operate an actively managed telephone answering service.
Or book online 24/7 at www.headgatetheatre.co.uk (booking fee applies)
May at the Headgate Theatre With the opening of the theatre's new spaces just before Easter, and a visit from a theatre legend, the Headgate Theatre entered a new chapter in the history of the former chapel..
Details of our new season are available on the website but for now here's what happening in the next few weeks. This week The Reject Theatre Company are in with SHAKERS, with Carol, Mel, Adele and Nicky taking us on a night to remember. Protocol Theatre bring us Macbeth in a way we've not seen before and then Headgate Theatre Productions present The Browning Version, a compelling and moving drama and widely regarded as Terence Rattigan's finest play.
Award-winning writer and broadcaster Jan Etherington will be leading the first of our new workshops, this time in writing for comedy. Eclipse will perform a mix of jazz, soul, ballads and acoustic arrangements for a Sunday evening before the students at UCC Musical Theatre bring a combination of hilarious songs, baking disasters and audience participation in The Bakewell Bake Off.
Open auditions for our autumn production, Bug, are being held at the end of May, and in July we'll be on the lookout for pirates and the like for this year's Headgate Theatre pantomime, Treasure Island. Full details on our auditions pages.
In the Whitsun half term there's something for chidren and adults in The Land of Nod from Moon on a Stick. At the start of June Common Ground Theatre Company return to the theatre with The Hound Within The Heart, the Cameo Players present Shakespeare's Daughter and the Vicar and then it's our second workshop, Acting for Camera and Self-taping.
Scroll down for more details about what's coming up and click on an image or visit our website for more information and to book.
Wed 1st to Sat 4th May at 7.45pm SHAKERS by John Godber REJECT THEATRE COMPANY
The Reject Theatre Company welcome you to the trendiest bar in town for a wickedly funny look behind the Porn Star Martinis and plastic palms at SHAKERS Cocktail Bar. Meet Carol, Adele, Nicky and Mel on a night out to remember! Our four long-suffering waitresses take you on a hilarious, heart-warming journey through their lives and loves, from checkout girls on the town to drunken lads on the pull! Contains adult language. Tickets: £14.50, £13.50 (conc)
Mon 6th to Sat 11th Mar at 7.30pm. Sat Mat. at 2pm MACBETH by William Shakespeare PROTOCOL THEATRE
Protocol Theatre (Professionals Together in Colchester) bring the bard’s dark classic play, Macbeth, to the stage in a way you’ve not seen before. Ambition, power, betrayal - a show you’ll be talking about for days ... just don’t say it’s name! Protocol are proud to both present this at the Headgate Theatre, and to facilitate and celebrate the local professionals of Colchester for audiences local and further afield. Thursday evening's performance has sold out! Tickets: £12, £10 (conc)
Weds 15th to Sat 18th May at 7.45pm. Sat Mat at 2.30pm THE BROWNING VERSION by Terence Rattigan HEADGATE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS
Widely regarded as Terence Rattigan’s finest play, ‘The Browning Version’ is a compelling and moving drama about an unpopular schoolmaster whose marriage and career are unravelling. However when he receives an unexpected gift from a pupil, he has the chance to change his life for ever... Directed by Andrew Hodgson and featuring an acclaimed cast, this is not to be missed! Tickets: £13, £12 (conc)
Sat 18th May from 10am to 4pm COMEDY WRITING WORKSHOP with Jan Etherington HEADGATE THEATRE WORKSHOPS
Jan is an award winning comedy writer, broadcaster and journalist and a regular workshop presenter for INK, a Suffolk based theatre company. Her most recent radio play 'Conversations from a Long Marriage' was aired on New Year's Day 2018 with Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam and has been subsequently commissioned as a BBC television series. For this workshop, Jan will tackle the eternal triangle of character, dialogue and plot and explain how to avoid stereotypes. There will be a chance to flex your comedy muscles with scenarios, exercises and collaborations. There will be some listening, lots of talking and hopefully lots of fun! Workshop fee: £30
WE'RE BIGGER! We had quite a week recently when we formally opened our new spaces - a new rehearsal space, meeting room, office and workshop spaces, as well as accessible toilets and a new foyer area. And then a couple of days later, Sir Ian McKellen visited us during his national tour. (Seen here with former chair of the Theatre Arts Action Trust, Eddie McKay and her husband Peter). The theatre will be one of the arts organisations to benefit from the proceeds of the tour. Anyone interested in hiring the new spaces can call the Box Office on 01206 366000 or email hiring@headgatetheatre.co.uk
Sun 19th May at 7.05pm SUNDAY AT FIVE PAST SEVEN ECLIPSE
At the end of a busy weekend, what could be a better way to wind down and chill out than listen to some great live music? Come and enjoy a sophisticated mix of jazz, soul, ballads and acoustic chill-out arrangements with five piece band, Eclipse. Tickets: £10
Weds 22nd May at 7.30pm THE BAKEWELL BAKE OFF UCC MUSICAL THEATRE
An eclectic mix of contestants compete to have the ‘ultimate’ and ‘exclusive’ recipe for the ‘Bakewell’. The combination of hilarious songs, baking disasters and even a little audience participation guaranteed to put a smile on your face in this glorious musical! Tickets: £12, £10 (conc)
Sun 26th May at 2.45pm OPEN AUDITIONS: BUG by Tracy Letts HEADGATE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS
Set in 1996, Oklahoma City, the whole play takes place in one seedy motel room. The story revolves around the meeting of Agnes, a divorced, out-of-luck waitress and Peter, a Gulf War veteran turned drifter with a questionable past who is more than likely AWOL. For further details visit the Auditions page on our website or email the Director, Will Parrick: parrico@outlook.com
Tues 28th May at 2pm and 3.30pm THE LAND OF NOD MOON ON A STICK
Where do we really go when we fall asleep? A story of tiredness, over-tiredness, wonder and waking up exploring the struggle of bed time and the bliss of finally falling into slumber. Blending puppetry, storytelling and an enchanting musical score, this star-lit adventure is designed for children aged 3 and over. Tickets: £9, £7 (under 16's)
Wed 5th and Thur 6th June at 7.30pm THE HOUND WITHIN THE HEART by Pat Whymark COMMON GROUND THEATRE COMPANY
Emily Dickinson, one of the greatest & most loved of American poets, the reclusive "Belle of Amherst", continues to be an elusive figure. In The Hound Within The Heart, we shatter the myth of Emily as a virginal neurotic, and present her as a fierce, brilliant and sexually charged writer in charge of her own destiny. Was there a secret love in her life? What was the explosive event in her past that "stopped... existence"? Tickets: £12, £7 (under 21's/unwaged)
Fri 7th to Sat 8th June at 7.45pm SHAKESPEARE'S DAUGHTER AND THE VICAR by Marion Wells CAMEO PLAYERS
It is January 1662. William Shakespeare has been dead for more than 45 years. Many of the secrets about how he wrote his plays have been buried along with his bones in the church at Stratford-upon-Avon. A new vicar, curious about Shakespeare’s plays, is sent to the town. He seeks out the person who still has first-hand knowledge of the Bard, Shakespeare’s daughter Judith Quiney. Tickets: £12
Sat 8th and Sun 9th June from 10am to 4pm ACTING FOR CAMERA + SELF-TAPING TWO-DAY WORKSHOP HEADGATE THEATRE WORKSHOPS
Run by Amy Cudden (Professional Actor and Lecturer at LAMDA), this workshop will introduce participants to the basics of acting in front of a camera. We will explore techniques and work with material in order to become confident on screen. Participants will be working with scripts, either their own (3-4 minutes) or one supplied, which can be sent out beforehand. There will also be a session on 'self-taping' and why is it so important for auditions today. Workshop fee: £60 for both days (£35 self-taping workshop only - Sunday 2.00-4.00pm)
We often add new events to the programme. 'Like' the Headgate Theatre on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or visit our website for more information on these and all upcoming events.
WE'RE BIGGER!
