The Cock Tavern Theatre was a pub theatre located in Kilburn in the north-west of London. The venue specialised in new works and critical revivals. Resident companies

Good Night Out Presents Good Night Out Presents is one of the resident theatre companies at The Cock Tavern Theatre in London. History Good Night Out Presents was formed in August 2008 and moved to The Cock Tavern Theatre following a residency at The White Bear Theatr ...

and

OperaUpClose OperaUpClose is a national touring opera company, led by Artistic Director Flora McIntosh, The company was founded in 2009 to produce its début production, Robin Norton-Hale's Olivier Award-winning adaptation of Puccini's ''La bohème'' at T ...

were also based at the venue. It shut in 2011, due to

health and safety Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at wor ...

problems regarding the Victorian staircases that serviced the theatre.

History

The Cock Tavern Theatre was founded in January 2009 in the former first floor function room of The Cock Tavern by

Adam Spreadbury-Maher Adam Spreadbury-Maher is an Australian/Irish theatre artistic director, producer and writer. He is the founding artistic director of the Cock Tavern Theatre, OperaUpClose and The Hope Theatre, and is the current artistic director of the King's ...

, who is currently the theatre's artistic director. Its first production,

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' The Tempest'', premiered on 4 February 2009 directed by Simon Beyer. The theatre was frequently noted for the intimate and authentic experience provided by the backdrop of the upstairs room at the Cock Tavern.Gardner, Lyn
Review: ''The Backroom''
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 27 March 2009 Productions were also staged in the bar itself as well as on the first-floor outside terrace. The Cock Tavern Theatre won the ''Peter Brook... Empty Space – Dan Crawford Pub Theatre Award'' in November 2009, just 10 months after opening, where it was praised by theatre critic

Mark Shenton Mark Shenton (born 12 September 1962 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a London-based British arts journalist and theatre critic. Between April 2002 and December 2013 he was chief Theatre Critic for the '' Sunday Express''. He formerly wrote a da ...

"The Cock Tavern, with its tiny auditorium of around 40 seats squeezed into three rows, is a quintessentially cramped upstairs pub theatre. But it is also, thanks to the boldness of its producing team, a newly-essential one, both for restoring some past fringe glories and also moving it boldly forward with new work."

Although the Cock Tavern Theatre originally operated as a receiving house alongside its own productions, it developed into a full-fledged production house. Following a health and safety review of the theatre's access and escape stairs, the theatre closed permanently on 8 April 2011. Productions transferred to other theatres.

Artistic policy and resident companies

The Cock Tavern Theatre had a commitment to hosting world premieres and revivals from playwrights whose work is considered by the artistic director to be relatively unrepresented within British Theatre.The Cock Tavern Theatre (official website)
/ref> From 2008, the theatre developed a reputation for imaginative programming and quality productions,Myers, Keith
Review: ''Make Mine a Double''
, ''What's On Stage'', 3 July 2009 and will be presenting premieres by playwrights

Edward Bond Edward Bond (born 18 July 1934) is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them '' Saved'' (1965), the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of the ...

, Charlotte Eilenberg,

Jack Hibberd John Charles Hibberd (born 12 April 1940 in Warracknabeal, Victoria) is an Australian playwright and physician. Biography Hibberd studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and resided in Newman College. He worked as a registrar in th ...

and Nick Ward. All programming at the theatre is provided by its two resident companies.

Good Night Out Presents

was formed in August 2008 and moved to The Cock Tavern Theatre following a residency at

The White Bear Theatre The White Bear Theatre is a fringe theatre founded in 1988 at the White Bear pub in Kennington, London, and run by Artistic Director and founder Michael Kingsbury. It is one of London's leading pub theatres, as well as one of the longest establis ...

. The company has developed a relationship with Nick Ward as the theatre's playwright in residence. His play, ''The Present'', was revived at The Cock Tavern Theatre under the guidance of the playwright in 2009.

OperaUpClose

, a company aiming to make opera more accessible and to provide young singers with the chance to make their professional debuts, had its debut production, Puccini's ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...

'', at The Cock Tavern Theatre. The production ran from 8 December 2009 to 15 May 2010 and had set Act II in the pub area of The Cock Tavern below the theatre, as an alternative to the Café Momus scene in traditional productions.Shore, Robert
"OperaUpClose takes Puccini to a pub. Now that really is bohemian"
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 27 December 2009

Theatre staff

– Artistic Director. Spreadbury-Maher is a trained opera singer. An Australian by birth, he came to London in 2005 and made his directing debut at

producing three shows as the theatre's Associate Director. In 2008 he founded

and in January 2009 secured the premises that make up The Cock Tavern Theatre. In January 2010 he was awarded the Fringe Report award for 'Best Artistic Director', and in March 2010 he was appointed artistic director of

The King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...

in addition to his role at The Cock Tavern Theatre. * Ben Cooper – Group Commercial Director. Cooper received his degree in

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

from

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

in 2008, and has had experience in both UK and international touring companies.

Productions

Past productions:

Season 2010

* ''A Stretch Of The Imagination'' by

, directed by and starring Mark Little, 16 June-17 July 2010, * ''Shrunk'' by Charlotte Eilenberg, directed by

Julian Birkett Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (giv ...

, May 18–12 June 2010 * ''La Bohème'' by

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long li ...

, translated and directed by Robin Norton-Hale, 10 December 2009 – 15 May 2010 * ''A Model For Mankind'' by

James Sheldon Leonard James Schleifer (November 12, 1920 – March 12, 2016) was an American television director. Sheldon directed for television programs including ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Twilight Zone'', ''The Fugitive (1963 TV series), T ...

, directed by Blanche McIntyre, 27 March - 17 April 2010 * ''Much'' by Hannah Patterson, directed by Hannah Eidinow, 23 February - 20 March 2010 * ''Nightsongs'' by

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist. Biography Jon Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway. A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; the experience significantly influenced his adulthood wr ...

, directed by Hamish MacDougall, 30 January - 20 February 2010

Season 2009

* ''Secrets'', a devised piece directed by Danielle Coleman, 17 November – 5 December 2009 * ''Three Minute Hero'' by Phil Setren, 28 October – 14 November 2009 * ''Together We're Heavy'' by Chris Purnell, 29 September – 24 October 2009 * ''Brooklyn'' by Rose Martula, directed by Russ Hope, 8–25 September 2009 * ''The Present'' by Nick Ward, directed by

, 20 August – 5 September 2009 * ''Product Medea 4.0'' by Saša Rakef, directed by Maja Milatović-Ovadia, 2–20 June 2009 * ''Make Mine A Double'': ''Latin! Or Tobacco And Boys'' by

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

and ''Last Drink'' by

Duncan Ley Duncan Ley is an Australian playwright, actor, theatrical producer and director who has also written for Sydney's Motion Picture Company. His play ''In Cold Light'' is currently in the production phase as it is turned into a feature film by Pete ...

, directed by Nathan Godkin * ''Invisible Storms'', a devised piece directed by Jamie Harper, 5–30 May 2009 * ''The Backroom'' by

Adrian Pagan Adrian Rodney Pagan (born 12 January 1947 in Mungindi, Queensland) is an Australian economist and Professor of Economics in the School of Economics at the University of Sydney. From 1995 to 2000, he was a member of the board of the Reserve Ban ...

, starring

David Paisley David Paisley (born 2 February 1979) is a Scottish actor, domestic violence and LGBTQIA+ rights campaigner, known for roles as midwife Ben Saunders in '' Holby City'', Ryan Taylor in '' Tinsel Town'' and Rory Murdoch in ''River City''. Some of ...

12 March – 11 April 2009. * ''The Tempest'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, directed by Simon Beyer, 4 February – 7 March 2009Bennett. Natalie
Theatre Review: ''The Tempest'' (a gender-reversed version) at the Cock Tavern Theatre
''My London Your London'', 7 February 2009

References

External links

Cock Tavern Theatre official website
{{Authority control Performing groups established in 2009 Arts organizations disestablished in 2011 Former pubs in London Former theatres in London Pub theatres in London Pubs in the London Borough of Brent Theatre companies in London Theatres in the London Borough of Brent Theatre company production histories