Brookside Theatre

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.

Over the last 3 years, the popularity of the venue has continued to grow and, in 2014, welcomed over 7000 people.

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 and All the Fun of the Fair, the theatre now plays host to touring plays, top tribute acts, concerts, comedy evenings and celebrity guests appearances.

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:

Romford War Memorial

These historic buildings were 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 World War II.

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.