Brentwood – The Brentwood Buzz

S4Ep13 Local Vampire Returns to Brentwood Theatre

Internationally acclaimed actor, director and well-known vampire, Stephen Moyer, is returning to Brentwood – his home town – for a fundraising event for Brentwood Theatre.

Stephen, who is the theatre’s first patron, will be interviewed by friend of The Brentwood Buzz, Bill Wells, whose work with pretty much every theatre group in town makes him something of a local legend.

Bill will be talking to Stephen at Brentwood Theatre on Tuesday 21st April at 7.30pm (tickets are £25 and available from the theatre website) but The Brentwood Buzz managed to catch up with him, and Stephen’s mum, Jean Wilson, at the Marlborough Theatre Club this week for a bit of a preview.

https://brentwood-theatre.co.uk/event/an-evening-with-steven-moyer/

S4Ep12 The Lounge, Ingatestone – How to Succeed in Business On A Whim

In another of The Brentwood Buzz’s series of podcasts featuring businesses within the Brentwood Connected Business Improvement District, we’re back in Ingatestone to meet Julie Bell, one of the family directors of The Lounge in Ingatestone.

The Lounge has been offering tea, coffee, cake and wine to the good people of Ingatestone since 2023. It’s also a safe space for anyone dealing with domestic abuse, trauma or illness. Business is booming but it’s not been a smooth ride for Julie, as this week’s podcast tells.

https://theloungeingatestone.co.uk/

https://www.brentwoodconnected.co.uk/

S4Ep11 Create Yourself Calm Brings Art and Mindfulness to Brentwood

Having had an overview of the activities on offer at King George’s Playing Fields in the last episode of The Brentwood Buzz, this week we’ve returned to focus in on one of the groups which meets at the Pavilion.

Create Yourself Calm is a Community Interest Company which runs sessions in the Borough of Brentwood combining creativity with mindfulness. They are run by three Brentwood women with backgrounds in primary school teaching, HR and counselling who, like so many women we’ve heard from on The Brentwood Buzz, needed to find something to do which fitted in with their personal and caring responsibilities, so they set up their own company.

The Brentwood Buzz has been along to one of the sessions to meet the team and those taking part in the art.

http://www.createyourselfcalm.art

S4Ep10 Keeping Everyone Active at King George’s Playing Fields

King George’s Playing Fields, with its new pavilion, splash park, children’s playground, rugby and football facilities, skatepark and woods is a popular place for people of all ages to visit throughout the year.

The Brentwood Buzz has been to meet Keeley Heasman, who is the General Manager for King George’s Playing Fields for Everyone Active, to hear more about what’s on offer for outside fun and entertainment.

https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/king-georges-playing-fields/

S4Ep8 Backstage with Brentwood’s Oldest Theatre Club

The Marlborough Dramatic Club has been putting on plays for the people of Brentwood for one hundred and twenty five years, and members are currently rehearsing their latest production, ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ by Roy Horniman.

The Marlborough Dramatic Club meets at Brentwood School and performs in the school’s Memorial Hall. The Brentwood Buzz has been along to rehearsals to find out about the club’s history and to meet up with some of the cast – who, it turns out, are old friends of the podcast.

Kind Hearts and Coronets is on at the Memorial Hall, Brentwood School, on 9th, 10th and 11th April, and you can get tickets by calling 07746 915348 or online at http://www.marlboroughdramaticclub.uk

S4Ep7 Classy Bars and Grassy Cars

Come to Brentwood High Street and you will see the Sugar Hut – formerly the White Hart coaching inn, and then central nightclub venue for the antics of the The Only Way Is Essex cast – and, if you are lucky, a glimpse of a tiny Smart car covered in fake grass.

Strangely enough, both attractions were brought to the town by the same man, Fraser Donaldson, who’s now the Managing Director of Easigrass Essex and Herts, based at the Hunters Chase Garden Centre in Hutton.

Fraser has been telling The Brentwood Buzz how he came to be involved with classy bars and grassy cars.

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S4Ep6 Getting Businesses Connected in Ingatestone

The Brentwood Buzz celebrates all that’s good about the people and places of Brentwood, Essex – and that’s the whole Borough of Brentwood, not just the town.

There are so many amazing people living here, with great stories to tell, and so many businesses, voluntary groups, arts collectives and societies who do great work in the Borough.

Currently, the three main high streets of Brentwood, Ingatestone and Shenfield, are also being celebrated and highlighted by the Business Improvement District project, known as Brentwood Connected.

This week Brentwood Connected held a networking breakfast in Ingatestone for some of its members, so The Brentwood Buzz popped along for a (very) early morning coffee and chat.

https://theloungeingatestone.co.uk/

https://www.brentwoodconnected.co.uk/the-ginger-tree

https://www.pinneytalfourd.co.uk/

https://www.thestarinningatestone.co.uk/

https://www.brentwoodconnected.co.uk/

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S4Ep5 Managing Secrets at Brentwood Theatre

The Brentwood Buzz is a regular visitor to Brentwood Theatre, reporting on many of the shows put on by local theatre groups, including Shenfield Operatic Society, Brentwood Musical Theatre Society, 1:4:9 Productions and The College Players.

Last year a new manager arrived at the theatre, Jake Bedson, a professional actor, director and former Haven Holidays host. He’s helping shape the theatre’s future, and has an exciting secret project due to be revealed later this year.

The Brentwood Buzz has been to visit Jake to find out more about what is going on behind the scenes at our wonderful local theatre.

You can find out more about upcoming shows at the Brentwood Theatre here: http://www.brentwoodtheatre.co.uk

Photo: Jake Bedson at Brentwood Theatre

Photo Credit: The Brentwood Buzz

S4Ep4 Setting a Course for Success with Brentwood School

Photo Credit – Jeremy Blunden: Brentwood School

Brentwood School has navigated some choppy waters in the last decade, with the Covid pandemic sending lessons online, and changes to the VAT status for private schools forcing some parents to make difficult decisions about costs.

Add to this a couple of big building projects and the day to day running of the non-academic side of the school, and School Bursar Jeremy Blunden, is using the navigational skills he brings from 37 years in the Royal Navy to best advantage.

Oh, and Jeremy was the Royal Yacht Britannia’s Navigating Commander in the last couple of years of her sea-going life.

So batten down the hatches and pour yourself a tot of rum for the latest podcast from The Brentwood Buzz as we talk to Jeremy about why swapping the sea for school works well for him.

http://www.brentwoodschool.co.uk

Photo Credit – Jeremy Blunden: Brentwood School

Photo Credit: The Brentwood Buzz

S4Ep2 Shenfield Operatic Society Airs Its Dirty Laundry with The Witches of Eastwick

Shenfield Operatic Society is staging a production of The Witches of Eastwick at the Brentwood Theatre at the end of this month (27th to 31st January) so if you feel a bit of devilish raunchiness and a “Sex Choir” might brighten up your January, make sure you get tickets.

The Brentwood Buzz has been to rehearsals to meet the Witches and to find out some of the behind the scenes business and gossip from the Society’s Chairman, Jamie Fudge-Smith.

Tickets for The Witches of Eastwick are available from https://brentwood-theatre.co.uk/

You can find out more about the show and its cast on the Shenfield Operatic website here: https://www.shenfieldoperaticsociety.com/next-shows

And this podcast can also be found on Spotify and Amazon Music by searching for The Brentwood Buzz. Like, comment and share!