A Hundred Shining Hearts
The Palace Theatre, Southend
Switchback Productions with The Heritage Lottery Foundation
A celebratory community play written for the cast of 100 local actors, to mark the 100th Birthday of the Palace Theatre.
Switchback was commissioned to create a large scale community play to celebrate the centenary of the Southend Palace Theatre. After workshops with hundreds of school children and local community members, we produced an all-singing all-dancing show, with a cast of 53 aged 5-75.
Built as an opera house, opened as a music hall, the Palace had been a part-time cinema, a temple to farce and a thriving rep, whose loyal audience have saved it from closure more than once. It’s now home to one of the most vibrant amateur scenes in the country.
'A Hundred Shining Hearts isn’t so much a play as a life force'
(Southend Echo)