The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an

off-West End Off West End refers to theatres in London which are not included as West End theatres. The term is a relatively recent one, coined after the similar American term " off-Broadway" (though without the same strict definition). It is usually used synon ...

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+ work, work that is joyful, irreverent, colourful and queer.

Background

The small theatre is located in the back room behind the bar at the King's Head pub on

Upper Street Upper Street is the main street of the Islington district of inner north London, and carries the A1 road. It begins at the junction of the A1 and Liverpool Road, continuing on from Islington High Street which runs from the crossroads at Pentonv ...

, in the

London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough in Inner London. Whilst the majority of the district is located in north London, the borough also includes a significant area to the south which forms part of central London. Islington has ...

. The theatre is housed in a Victorian building, but a public house, originally known as ''The King's Head Tavern'', has been on the same site, opposite St Mary's Church, since 1543. The theatre was previously used as an old boxing ring and pool hall. 'Islington: Social and cultural activities', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 45–51
Retrieved 9 March 2007 The theatre's reconstruction in 2007–2008 increased both the stage size and seating capacity, with the addition of new seating. Dan Crawford ran the venue for 35 years until his death in 2005. His wife and long-serving associate artistic director

Stephanie Sinclaire Stephanie Sinclaire Lightsmith (February 28, 1954 – 14 April 2021), also known as Stephanie Crawford, was a painter and director in theatre and film, and a writer. She ran the King's Head Theatre in Islington with her husband Daniel Crawford. E ...

took over with help from those who had worked with Crawford. She mounted 20 galas in the first year at the theatre with the help of Caroline Smith and longtime supporters such as

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

Sir John Mortimer Sir John Clifford Mortimer (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for novels about a barrister named Horace Rumpole. Early life Mortimer was born in Hampstead, London, ...

Linda Marlowe Linda Virginia Marlowe (née Bathurst, born 26 July 1940) is an Australian-born British film, theatre, and television actress. She is noted for her association with Steven Berkoff, performing in many of his theatrical works, creating a one-woman ...

Sharon D Clarke Sharon Delores Clarke (born 12 August 1966) is an English actress and singer. She is a three-time Olivier award winner, and is best known to television audiences for her role as Lola Griffin in the medical drama ''Holby City'', and as Grace O'B ...

Clive Rowe Clive Mark Rowe (born 27 March 1964) is a British actor, best known for his role as Norman "Duke" Ellington in BBC Children's drama ''The Story of Tracy Beaker''. He also starred as Mayor Doyle in the Disney show '' The Evermoor Chronicles''. ...

Janie Dee Janie Dee (born 20 June 1962) is an English actress and singer. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress, Evening Standard Award and Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Play, and in New York the Obie and Theatre World Award fo ...

and others and pulled the theatre out of debt. In 2007, Sinclaire was joined by the Tony Award-winning New York producer, Steven M. Levy, who has been serving as the company's Executive Producer. Levy and Sinclaire got the theatre producing for a year and presented several musical and play premieres. The atmosphere Crawford created in 1970 was intended to be enjoyed by an interesting, cosmopolitan and cultural audience, but noise complaints have limited the music from its previous 7 nights a week. Crawford disagreed with the introduction of decimal currency; for over twenty years after

decimalisation Decimalisation or decimalization (see spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by powers of 10. Most countries have decimalised their currencies, converting them from non-decimal ...

of the pound (1971), the bar continued to show prices and charge for drinks in pre-decimal currency. However, the current management decided to introduce computerised tills, while keeping the antique till as the main focal point in the pub.

History 1970–2005

The King's Head has presented a wide array of productions: musicals, stand-up comedy, revues, contemporary forgotten classics, and new work by both new and established playwrights. Under the Crawfords' leadership The King's Head has won multiple awards and numerous productions have transferred to mainstream West End and Broadway theatres, including ''Mr Cinders, Wonderful Town'' starring Maureen Lipman and Tom Stoppard's ''Artist Descending a Staircase''. In the five years after his death, productions have included the world stage premiere of

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

's '' Peter Pan'', directed by Stephanie Sinclaire, which transferred to the Lobero Theatre in California. ''

Fucking Men ''Fucking Men'' is a play by Joe DiPietro. It premiered at the King's Head Theatre in the London Borough of Islington, directed by Phil Willmott. It opened on 9 January 2009 and was extended three times due to strong sales, and later ran in reper ...

'' also ran at the theatre for nine months in the late night slot as well as the main time slot before Steven Levy transferred it to The Arts Theatre. A documentary about the theatre, ''The King's Head: A Maverick in London'' (2006) was produced by Dragonfly Films and Xi Pictures and co-directed by Stephanie Sinclaire and Jason Figgis. It ran on SkyARTS World for three years. In 2002, Dan & Stephanie won the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for their contribution to the Arts and the Trainee Resident Director Scheme they started won the Royal Anniversary Trust Award.

2010 - 2020

In March 2010, Opera Up Close founded by Adam Spreadbury-Maher and Robin Norton-Hale became resident company of the theatre. Spreadbury-Maher was also appointed Artistic Director in the same year. In October 2010, it was announced that the theatre would become "London's Little Opera House", the first new opera house in London for over 40 years. The first opera performed was an adaption of

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

's ''

Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

(or Salisbury)'' set in the times of

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

. Also in October 2010, Mark Ravenhill became associate director, and Jonathan Miller joined existing patrons Joanna Lumley,

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

and Alan Parker. The theatre continued to have multiple transfers and awards. In 2011 the theatre wins an Olivier Award for Best New Opera Performance for Opera Up Close's ''La Bohemè,'' and the following year ''Vieux Carre'' by Tennessee Williams receives its UK premiere before transferring to the West End''.'' Other notable productions which premiered at Kings Head Theatre include ''Shock Treatment'', the sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show and ''Trainspotting'', the Edinburgh Festival and touring hit which has had over 900 performances. In the period before the Covid-19 pandemic, the theatre started to build its reputation for producing LGBTQ+ work, with notable titles including ''5 Guys Chillin'' and Kevin Elyot's ''Coming Clean''. Adam Spreadbury-Maher stepped down in 2020.

2021 Onwards

In 2021, Mark Ravenhill was appointed Artistic Director of the theatre. The theatre celebrated its 50th anniversary with ''KHT50: Barstools to Broadway'' - a week of work bringing together highlights from the past 50 years and featuring work from Timberlake Wartenbaker, Audrey Sheffield, Dame Harriet Walter, Gemma Whelan, Tom Stoppard, Stephen Jeffreys, Annabel Arden, Tim Luscombe, Bryony Lavery, Abigail Anderson, Victoria Wood, Annabel Leventon, Bill Russel & Janet Hood. The theatre renews its focus on showcasing LGBTQ+ work, work that is joyful, irreverent, colourful and queer. In an interview Ravenhill stated “''I’m excited to move forward the LGBTQ+ work of the King’s Head Theatre. Historically, the stories of gay men have tended to dominate and while we will continue to tell some of those stories, I’m looking forward to exploring the full spectrum of experiences symbolised by the rainbow flag. We want to be the home for a new wave of diverse queer theatre makers''.”

References

External links

The King's Head Theatre site

''Guardian'' article
Review of the King's Head Theatre Pub

Betwixt – The Musical
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings Head, The Pub theatres in London Theatres in the London Borough of Islington 1970 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Islington