Queen's Now

Viewing archives for Old Members & Friends

Following the widely acclaimed productions of Fiddler on the Roof (2025) and Into the Woods (2024), Eglesfield Musical Society return this summer with the high-class entertainment of Guys & Dolls!

Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys & Dolls follows the story of gambler Nathan Detroit who tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town. With the authorities breathing down his neck, his girlfriend and nightclub performer Adelaide laments that they’ve been engaged (yet unmarried!) for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler Sky Masterson for the dough, but Sky is already preoccupied, chasing the straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown.

This Guys and Dolls is fast, playful, and a little bit different. The audience isn’t just watching the action; they’re right there with it – surrounded by swirling dance numbers, overheard schemes, and love stories that sneak up on you. Placed in circular seating in the Queen’s gardens, the garden becomes our Havana, our Times Square, our secret sewer hideout, and the perfect place for romance to bloom. Fast paced and filled with unique characters, this garden production will be unlike any other theatre experience in Oxford.

Please note that this is an outdoor event, so do bring weather-appropriate clothing. The Queen’s College is wheelchair accessible, although it is an historic site with uneven surfaces. If you have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch with us at contact@eglesfieldmusic.org and thomas.constantinou@queens.ox.ac.uk. 

Following the widely acclaimed productions of Fiddler on the Roof (2025) and Into the Woods (2024), Eglesfield Musical Society return this summer with the high-class entertainment of Guys & Dolls!

Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys & Dolls follows the story of gambler Nathan Detroit who tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town. With the authorities breathing down his neck, his girlfriend and nightclub performer Adelaide laments that they’ve been engaged (yet unmarried!) for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler Sky Masterson for the dough, but Sky is already preoccupied, chasing the straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown.

This Guys and Dolls is fast, playful, and a little bit different. The audience isn’t just watching the action; they’re right there with it – surrounded by swirling dance numbers, overheard schemes, and love stories that sneak up on you. Placed in circular seating in the Queen’s gardens, the garden becomes our Havana, our Times Square, our secret sewer hideout, and the perfect place for romance to bloom. Fast paced and filled with unique characters, this garden production will be unlike any other theatre experience in Oxford.

Please note that this is an outdoor event, so do bring weather-appropriate clothing. The Queen’s College is wheelchair accessible, although it is an historic site with uneven surfaces. If you have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch with us at contact@eglesfieldmusic.org and thomas.constantinou@queens.ox.ac.uk. 

Following the widely acclaimed productions of Fiddler on the Roof (2025) and Into the Woods (2024), Eglesfield Musical Society return this summer with the high-class entertainment of Guys & Dolls!

Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys & Dolls follows the story of gambler Nathan Detroit who tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town. With the authorities breathing down his neck, his girlfriend and nightclub performer Adelaide laments that they’ve been engaged (yet unmarried!) for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler Sky Masterson for the dough, but Sky is already preoccupied, chasing the straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown.

This Guys and Dolls is fast, playful, and a little bit different. The audience isn’t just watching the action; they’re right there with it – surrounded by swirling dance numbers, overheard schemes, and love stories that sneak up on you. Placed in circular seating in the Queen’s gardens, the garden becomes our Havana, our Times Square, our secret sewer hideout, and the perfect place for romance to bloom. Fast paced and filled with unique characters, this garden production will be unlike any other theatre experience in Oxford.

Please note that this is an outdoor event, so do bring weather-appropriate clothing. The Queen’s College is wheelchair accessible, although it is an historic site with uneven surfaces. If you have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch with us at contact@eglesfieldmusic.org and thomas.constantinou@queens.ox.ac.uk. 



Following the widely acclaimed productions of Fiddler on the Roof (2025) and Into the Woods (2024), Eglesfield Musical Society returns this summer with the high-class entertainment of Guys & Dolls!

Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys & Dolls follows the story of gambler Nathan Detroit who tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town. With the authorities breathing down his neck, his girlfriend and nightclub performer Adelaide laments that they’ve been engaged (yet unmarried!) for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler Sky Masterson for the dough, but Sky is already preoccupied, chasing the straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown.

This Guys and Dolls is fast, playful, and a little bit different. The audience isn’t just watching the action; they’re right there with it – surrounded by swirling dance numbers, overheard schemes, and love stories that sneak up on you. Placed in circular seating in the Queen’s gardens, the garden becomes our Havana, our Times Square, our secret sewer hideout, and the perfect place for romance to bloom. Fast paced and filled with unique characters, this garden production will be unlike any other theatre experience in Oxford.

Please note that this is an outdoor event, so do bring weather-appropriate clothing. The Queen’s College is wheelchair accessible, although it is an historic site with uneven surfaces. If you have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch with us at contact@eglesfieldmusic.org and thomas.constantinou@queens.ox.ac.uk. 

Runs from 20th – 23rd May

The annual Benefactors’ Dinner is held to recognise and thank those Old Members and Friends who have made significant contributions to the welfare of Queen’s in recent years.

Our 2026 Benefactors’ Dinner event will be held on Saturday 20 June.
Invitations have now been sent, including booking instructions. Any queries, please contact the Old Members’ Office.

Join Provost Paul Johnson for the afternoon and hear directly from some of the College’s Fellows and senior staff about the College’s academic programme, its finances and endowment as well as its Old Member and fundraising activities. They will provide some insights into their specific areas and highlight what they see as some of the College’s recent successes, current challenges and future opportunities across these key areas. There will also be plenty of opportunity for questions and answers.

If you would like to know more about making a significant gift to Queen’s, please contact the Old Members’ Office.

We will be holding the family-friendly Old Members’ Garden Party in the College grounds on Saturday 4 July from 2 till 5pm.

Tickets will go on sale on at 12pm (noon) on Monday 18 May for Queen’s Society members before general release at 12pm (noon) on Wednesday 20 May.

You can look forward to…

Bouncy Castle – Face Painting – Circus Skills – Afternoon Tea – Live Music – Garden Games – Glitter Tattoos – Croquet – Pimm’s – Choir – Garden Tours – Queen’s Society Reception – Scavenger Hunt – Teddy Bear Zipline – Football World Cup

In case of bad weather, the Hall, Cloisters, Shulman Auditorium and some gazebos will be available for shelter.

There is no strict dress code: we suggest smart casual but being comfortable at this outdoor event is most important!

The annual Taberdars’ Society Luncheon will take place on Saturday 16 May 2026.

Invitations by email and letter will be sent out to members of the Society shortly. Members are very welcome to bring a guest.

The Taberdars’ Society

The Taberdars’ Society recognises the enormous contribution that legacy gifts have made to The Queen’s College, building academic excellence and nurturing generations of students. We are always pleased to welcome new members and anyone who lets us know that they have included a gift to Queen’s in their will is invited to join the Society.

Event programme

11:00           Tea and coffee in the Shulman Auditorium
11:45           Welcome from the Provost 
12:30           Drinks reception in the Provost’s Garden
13:00           Lunch in Hall

Afternoon programme (optional)

14:30           Musical recital (TBC)
15:15           End of event

Dress code: Smart casual or lounge suits

Contact

If you would like to know more about the Taberdars’ Society and leaving a gift to Queen’s in your will, please contact the Old Members’ Office. You can also find more information at: Your Queen’s legacy – supporting the future in memory of the past.

We will celebrate the Ten Years Later-ish Lunch on Saturday 21 November 2026 for Old Members who matriculated in the 2015 and 2016.

Please save the date. Booking will open in autumn.

The lunch marks the passing of ten years (ish!) since matriculation and is an excellent opportunity for Old Members to return to College and meet up with friends. 

If you have any further questions, please contact the Old Members’ Office.

SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER
12.30pm  Drinks in the Upper Library
1.00pm   Lunch (Dress code: Business casual)
2.30pm Beer Cellar open until 4.30pm

We will celebrate our traditional Needle and Thread Gaudy on Saturday 9 January 2027 for Old Members who matriculated in the years 1980 or 1981.

Please save the date. Booking will open in autumn.

Traditionally held at the beginning of the New Year, this dinner involves the College’s Bursar threading a needle into each guest’s jacket and advising them to be thrifty in the coming year. Needles were historically popular as Christmas gifts but it is thought that this Gaudy’s customs are a pun on the College founder’s name, Eglesfield – the French words ‘aiguilles et fils’ meaning needles and threads.

The Gaudy dinner is free of charge. B&B is available for Saturday 9 January at £60pppn.

Please note that due to space restrictions in Hall, this is an Old Member only event (for matriculation years 1980 and 1981).

SATURDAY 9 JANUARY

  4.00pm   Tea & cake in the Shulman Auditorium
  4.30pm   Welcome
  6.30pm   Drinks in the Upper Library
  7.00pm   Dinner (Black Tie)

SUNDAY 10 JANUARY

  8.15–9.45am   Breakfast in Hall
  8.45am    Holy Communion

We will celebrate our traditional Boar’s Head Gaudy on Saturday 19 December 2026 for Old Members who matriculated in the years 1990 or 1991.

Invitations to join the ballot for places will be sent in September.

The programme will begin with tea and Christmas cake in the Shulman Auditorium, followed by a recital of seasonal music in Chapel with the College Choir.

The Gaudy is combined with the Boar’s Head Ceremony, which takes place before dinner. Guests are asked to assemble in Hall by 6.25pm when the Boar’s Head will make its ceremonial entrance.

After the Ceremony, champagne will be served in the Upper Library, followed by dinner at 7.15pm. Holy Communion will be celebrated in Chapel on Sunday morning.

The Gaudy dinner is free of charge. B&B is available for Saturday 19 December at £60pppn.

Please note that due to space restrictions in Hall, this is an Old Member only event (for matriculation years 1990 and 1991).

Programme

SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER

  3.30pm   Tea & cake in the Shulman Auditorium
  4.00pm   Welcome
  5.45pm   Recital of Seasonal Music in Chapel
  6.30pm   Boar’s Head Ceremony
  6.45pm   Drinks in the Upper Library
  7.15pm   Dinner (Black Tie)

SUNDAY 20 DECEMBER

  8.15 – 9.45am   Breakfast in the Hall
  8.45am    Holy Communion

We will celebrate the Jubilee Matriculation Lunch on Saturday 17 October 2026 for Old Members who matriculated in the years 1956, 1966, 1976.

Please save the date. Booking will open in August.

SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER

The event commences at 12noon for the commemorative photograph, but refreshments will be available from 11.30am for guests arriving early.

12:00 Commemorative photograph
12:30  Drinks in the Upper Library
13:00  Lunch (Dress code: Lounge suits)

Lunch is free of charge for Old Members.
If you would like to bring a guest, please register their details when booking. Tickets for guests are £30.