Centre Stage is back at the Queen’s Theatre showcasing our top deaf, disabled, and neuro-divergent talent.

By Ruth Kettle-Frisby – Guest Writer and Community Activist

Ruth is passionate about fostering positive change within the local community and regularly contributes insights and stories to The Havering Daily.

The magnificent Centre Stage is back and it’s this Friday 24 April at 7:30pm at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.

Centre Stage is a hugely successful scratch night, showcasing local disabled and neurodivergent talent – it’s completely free and it’s open to everyone!

Organised by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Centre Stage promises to be “a vibrant showcase of top Essex/East London deaf, disabled, and neuro-divergent talent!”.

It will be a relaxed evening of fresh ideas, short works-in-progress, music, performances, and community fun.

The evening will be headlined by the fabulous Deaf Rave and the stand-up comedian and drag king extraordinaire, Jodie Mitchell aka John Travulva.

Deaf Rave was founded by Troi Lee, who began with a vision to give Deaf, Hearing and Disabled Artists and performers a platform to display their love for music. Deaf Rave provides entertainment with music, sign song and visual performances to an all-inclusive audience, globally and across the UK.

Jodie Mitchell – aka John Travulva – has performed, written and featured in numerous hit shows and publications including the BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, the New York Times, a sold our Edinburgh Fringe Festival show and more. As insightful and sharply intelligent as they are quick witted, this hilarious and captivating performance is not one to be missed. 

Jo-Anne Cox will dazzle with her multisensory purple sparkly electric cello! Jo-anne Cox is a creative composer and performer of seriously sensuous, disability inclusive, sensory electric cello music. Sit back, enjoy, and be drawn into Jo-anne’s alluring sonic worlds in this enchanting performance of her unique work – experience the cello like never before! 

Miss Jacqui is a dynamic artist, celebrated for her powerful poetry and soulful music. As a proud wheelchair user and talented spoken word artist and songwriter, Jacqui”s vision for change is a creative synthesis of her advocacy, activism and a wonderful amplification of disabled voices. Be inspired by Miss Jacqui to embrace our differences, and reimagine a world of self-expression without boundaries.

Centre Stage is set to be as welcoming and accessible as it is spectacular with free food and drink and a quiet space with cushions, sensory items and art and craft materials.

Where: Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1QT 

When: This Friday 24th April

Time: 7.30pm

Book your free ticket now!

Ruth Kettle-Frisby

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