‘Canvey will smile again’-Queen’s Theatre world premiere community play.

The Queen’s Theatre’s latest world premier is a very emotive play entitled ‘The Flood’. As we expect a week of rain, the appropriately named play is based on the 1953 Canvey Island floods that resulted in the deaths of 58 people, the destruction of several hundred homes and communities left heart broken.

The play written by Vickie Donoghue and commissioned by the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch began last Saturday 4 March and left the audience very moved by what they had witnessed.

The play begins in the community hall in 1953 with a group of friends who are the last to leave and left to lock up the hall after a good night, when they realise that something untoward is happening. The group begin hearing noises, only to discover that the sea had breached the defences and water was everywhere in the town.

One member of the group leaves to see what is going on, only he never returns. The others are eventually rescued.

The play then moves to a hundred years later where the relatives of those in the hall on that infamous night, return to the hall to see the plaque dedicated to their family members and all those in the community who lost their life in this terrible disaster.

The play moves between 1953, 2013, and 2053 and shows the lives of those impacted by those in the flood and the incredible community spirit. It highlights the amazing strength the community demonstrated and their courage in coming together during this tragic event. This is exemplified by the key words ‘Canvey will smile again.’

This is a community play featuring local people and skillfully directed by Stef O’ Driscoll who is one of the Queen’s Theatre’s creative leadership team members. She has brought together local amateur actors and combined them with professionals to make this a very moving tribute to all those who perished.

The set for this play is amazing, as are the costumes which are by Khadija Razar and the sound by Domenic Kennedy enhances the whole play.

This is a play that captures local history and highlights the struggles the Canvey Island community faced. There are many that still remember this tragic period.

It is a great community performance that incorporates our local history and community spirit.

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