Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch today announces its programme for autumn 2026 featuring the launch of a new touring play with live magic, a comedy twist on Greek mythology and the theatre’s flagship annual pantomime.
From local Essex playwright Kenny Emson, featuring live magic, The Disappearing Man (15 – 31 Oct) is a new drama about legacy and second chances following a washed-up magician. Returning to the once-glittering Clacton-on-Sea, Bazza Cadabra is ready for a final comeback, determined to reclaim the spotlight and prove he’s still got what it takes 20 years since his prime, but at the heart of his ambition is something far more fragile, his re-kindled relationship with his son. As Bazza faces a flashy new young magician, a no-nonsense new manager and the family he left behind, their reunion sparks hope, rivalry, and the possibility of something extraordinary. Produced in collaboration with HighTide and directed by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Co-Creative Director Alex Thorpe, The Disappearing Man will open at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch before touring to Blackpool Grand Theatre, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guilford and Key Theatre Peterborough throughout November.
A haunted house story for a new era from ThickSkin supported by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, It Walks Around the House at Night (24 – 27 Sept) is a chilling new play by former Bruntwood Prize-winner Tim Foley, following an out-of-work actor who takes a job playing a ghost at an old countryside manor. As night after night unfolds, the role begins to blur with reality, and something far more sinister starts to emerge.
Le Navet Bete’s Oh Zeus! (7 – 10 Oct) is a riotous, all-out hilarious ride through Greek mythology. When the stability of Olympus is threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter Hebe to a mere mortal, the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding. Three actors play 40 characters in this mythical farce through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back with physical comedy, outrageous jokes, and more togas than you can smash a plate at.
As part of the theatre’s family programme, the iconic tea-guzzling tiger will visit Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch in a stage adaptation of the classic tale of teatime mayhem, The Tiger Who Came to Tea (25 – 27 Aug) packed with magic and sing-along songs.
For the 2026 festive season, the theatre’s previously announced flagship pantomime Robin Hood (18 Nov – 2 Jan) continues the tradition of telling locally resonant stories made for and about the young people and families of Havering. In the Forest of Havering, Robin Hood with his Merry Band beside him and the brilliant, brave Maid Marian leading the charge, is ready to outwit the greedy Sheriff.
Co-Creative Director Alex Thorpe said, “Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, and our autumn season is a celebration of that. We are delighted to welcome Kenny Emson back to Essex, staging his play about magic, ambition, hope and rivalry on our main stage before touring nationally. Bringing this production to life alongside our partners at HighTide and an exceptional team of creatives is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when we work together.
“We are passionate about sharing the most exciting touring theatre from across the UK with audiences throughout the borough. Having been captivated by La Navet Bete nearly 20 years ago and long-time admirers of ThickSkin since their inception, we are thrilled to present Oh Zeus! and It Walks Around the House at Night, two bold and imaginative stories that are sure to inspire our adventurous audiences.”
The Disappearing Man playwright Kenny Emson said, “I couldn’t be more excited to bring The Disappearing Man to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. As an Essex writer, it means everything to share a piece that reflects where I’m from but also challenges expectations. This isn’t just another working-class sad play— it’s a story of magic, wonder, and the unseen lives that exist just beneath the surface. It’s Essex as I know it: complex, surprising, and always full of humour.”
Hightide Artistic Director and CEO Titiola Dawudu said “It has been such a great experience working with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch on Kenny Emson’s new play The Disappearing Man. It feels like a genuinely values-led collaboration, where everyone is aligned in wanting to make the best work possible. HighTide worked with Kenny on Rust in 2019, so it’s a wonderful moment for us to be working with him again.”
Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is a vibrant producing theatre serving Outer East London and South Essex. With a catchment of over one million people, QTH is a vital cultural hub producing and presenting bold, engaging and entertaining work on stage and within local communities, alongside a year-round creative participation programme for people of all ages. Audiences are guaranteed a warm welcome from this three-year winner of UK Theatre’s Most Welcoming Theatre, London Theatre of the Year 2020 (The Stage Awards) and 2023 finalist in eight Off West End Award categories for the public’s favourite venue. QTH welcomes over 95,000 audience members each year, with a further 35,000 taking part in our community participation activities.
Opening in May as part of the new East Anglian Touring Consortium, Caroline: A New Musical (6 – 16 May) is inspired by the story of pirate radio station Radio Caroline, the station that broadcast pop and rock music from a ship off the Essex coast during the 1960s.
