History of Musical Theatre at Stratford East

Fri 31st Oct

A pre-show event focusing on the rich history of Musical Theatre at Stratford East, which spans decades from seminal shows such as Joan Littlewood's groundbreaking OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR, Lionel Bart’s FINGS AIN’T WOT THEY USED T’BE, and THE BIG LIFE, which became the first Black British musical in the West End, to recent revivals of THE BIG LIFE and THE HARDER THEY COME and brand new musical LOVESTUCK.

Panellists:
Tim Sutton
Rob Hyman
Kate Golledge

Performers not confirmed.

If you require any help with your booking then please contact our Box Office by emailing tickets@stratfordeast.com or calling 020 8534 0310.

Kate Golledge:

Kate Golledge is a director and dramaturg specialising in new musicals and large-scale entertainment.
As director, she most recently developed and directed DISNEY: THE CASTLE - an ambitious $32 million entertainment format combining immersive musical worlds, live performance, interactive installations and magical concerts, staged around a full-scale Disney Castle.
As dramaturg, Kate is currently working on the stage adaptation of ARTEMIS FOWL, and recently contributed to UNFORTUNATE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF URSULA THE SEA WITCH, and LOVESTUCK for Theatre Royal Stratford East. She is also collaborating with CIRQUE DU SOLEIL on new productions in development for Las Vegas and New York.
Kate’s work has been seen at the Almeida, The Lowry, New Wolsey, The Other Palace, Leicester Curve, Royal & Derngate Northampton, Oxford Playhouse and Goodspeed Musicals. Previous directing projects include: CLAUS (The Lowry); THE KEYWORKERS CYCLE (Almeida); MICHAEL MORPURGO’S MUDPUDDLE FARM (UK Tour); JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, ALADDIN (New Wolsey); ERROL’S GARDEN (UK Tour); MIDNIGHT (Union Theatre & Korea); JERRY’S GIRLS (Other Palace/Jermyn Street); STROKE OF LUCK (Park Theatre); DON’T TELL ME NOT TO FLY (Underbelly); PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (SouthWestFest); MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS (UK Tour); CEILIDH (Goodspeed Festival); BE THE STAR YOU ARE (Young Vic, 2 Boroughs Project); and the short film BORN YESTERDAY.
She is currently Head of New Work at NATIONAL YOUTH MUSIC THEATRE, where she leads the development of all new musicals and oversees the organisation’s dramaturgical strategy. For NYMT, directing credits include HENRIETTA, LEGEND TRIPPERS, BILLY THE KID, SUPERHERO, THE BATTLE OF BOAT and PRODIGY.
As Associate Artist of SINGAPORE REPERTORY THEATRE, Kate developed and directed a full repertoire of family shows including PLAYMAKERS, THE GINGERBREAD MAN, NURSERY CRIMES, CHICKEN LITTLE, CHARLOTTE’S WEB, TREASURE ISLAND, NIGHTINGALE, RED RIDING HOOD and FANTASTIC MR FOX. She returns to SRT next summer to direct LEGALLY BLONDE at the Esplanade Theatre.
Earlier in her career, Kate was Associate or Resident Director on: IMPOSSIBLE (World Tour & Noël Coward); THE WIZARD OF OZ (London Palladium); SWEET CHARITY (Menier & Theatre Royal Haymarket); and EDUCATING RITA and SHIRLEY VALENTINE (Menier & Trafalgar Studios).

Rob Hyman

Born down the road in East Ham, Robert is a composer, lyricist, musical director and performer and is very proud to have been associated with the Stratford East pantomime for the last 27 years, sometimes as Composer/Lyricist, sometimes as Musical Director, and often as both, ever since being the Musical Director of Cinderella in 1998.
So far (including what you hear tonight) he's written an extraordinary 300 panto songs. Highlights include writing the music and lyrics for Cinderella (2008) which was the first pantomime ever to be nominated for an Olivier Award, and Rapunzel (2017) which won him a Great British Pantomime Award.
Earlier this year he was honoured to write and perform in Joan - The Musical here at Stratford East, specially commissioned by the theatre for the 140th anniversary celebrating the life of theatre pioneer and maverick, Joan Littlewood.
Robert has also been Musical Director for hit musicals The Big Life (Stratford East/West End), Reasons To Be Cheerful (Stratford East/UK Tour), Come Dancing with Ray Davies of The Kinks and the UK tour of Tommy produced by Ramps on the Moon.
Other projects include composing a new version of A Tale of Two Cities, which reached the finals of the Vivian Ellis Awards, conducting a choir of 4000 at the O2, and musical directing the inaugural performance of the World Children’s Ensemble at the Royal Albert Hall involving young people from 37 different countries.
He is Resident Composer for Image Musical Theatre Co. and works extensively in the training of young people as Musical Director of Theatretrain.

Tim Sutton

Tim has written music for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Globe and commercial
theatre, most recently The Merry Wives of Windsor (RSC) and a bilingual BSL/English
production of Antony and Cleopatra (Globe). Other RSC productions include As You Like
It, Titus Andronicus, The Two Noble Kinsmen and Women Beware Women. Productions
for the Globe include a one night only Twelfth Night, a one night only Midsummer Night’s
Dream, and Measure for Measure at the Sam Wanamaker.
Other theatre music includes The Lavender Hill Mob (Cheltenham), Dreamfighter (Lichfield
Festival), The Bacchae (National Theatre of Scotland), As You Like It (Wyndham's) and As
You Desire Me (Playhouse). His opera Cycle Song (lyrics by Ian McMillan) won the Royal
Philharmonic Society Learning & Participation Award 2012. He is twice recipient of the
Stiles and Drewe Best Song Award, and won the Vivian Ellis Prize for Beauty and the
Beast.
Other musicals include To the Streets! (Book by Roy Williams), The Secret Garden (West
Yorkshire Playhouse), Restless Natives (Perth and Touring).The Boy Who Harnessed the
Wind (with Richy Hughes, Kenny Wax Productions) which premieres at RSC, February
2026. Tim writes songs and music for radio, including Mother Courage, The Now Show,
Paul Sinha’s Perfect Pub Quiz and Alexei Sayle’s Imaginary Sandwich Bar (Series 1-5).
Tim is committed to the development of musical theatre writing. He has been a facilitator
for the Book, Music and Lyrics workshop (BML) since its inception in 2011. He tutored on
the Writers’ Lab at Birmingham Hippodrome Department of New Musical Theatre.
Tim’s first professional experience was shadowing MD Robert Hyman at Aladdin, Stratford
East Theatre Royal in 1992. He was part of the first Stratford East Musical Theatre
Workshop in 1998.

History of Musical Theatre at Stratford East

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