About Us
King’s Head Theatre present & produce quality work with a broad appeal that is culturally resonant, politically defiant, joyful, irreverent, colourful, camp and queer - work which shows our world in a different light and allows us all to imagine a better future.
King’s Head Theatre is a space for stories by and for our community, with the aim of fostering a home for the new wave of diverse theatre makers. We therefore welcome production proposals which embrace all LGBTQ+ stories and/or are led by majority LGBTQ+ teams, as well as proposals that are connected with our local community and/or are politically and culturally relevant.
Whilst we love to create work with by and for the LGBTQ+ community, we recognise the broad scope of what this means and love productions which challenge the notion of what LGBTQ+ theatre and stories can be. Above all, we are looking for work that tells high-quality, great stories.
We programme across a wide spectrum of performance styles : theatre, comedy, musicals, gig theatre, opera, cabaret, drag, burlesque, stand-up, clown & physical theatre.
Established in 1970 as London’s first pub theatre, our history is rich and embedded in the discovery of new talent and pushing the boundaries of what theatre could be. We’re proud of this history, and of our fringe roots, and champion this still today. Renowned actors like Maureen Lipman, Hugh Grant, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Alan Rickman & Richard E Grant have all performed here early in their careers alongside writers such as Steven Berkoff, Tom Stoppard, Bryony Lavery & Victoria Wood. Our commitment now is to continue discovering the next generation of the UK’s greatest talent.
In 2024, the new King’s Head Theatre opened directly behind the pub. The new theatre fosters the legacy and identity of our history on a new scale, working with artists such as Cormac Hyde-Corrin, Ella Vaday (Nick Collier), Victoria Scone, Abigail Thorn, Luke Bayer, Jo Foster, Neil Ashton, Harrison Osterfield and Rob Madge and creatives such as Rosie Day, Vikki Stone, Jonathan Maitland and Harry Shearer.
We’re committed to developing economically sustainable and innovative models of working with producers & theatre-making, with aims of removing barriers for producers to work with us and thrive. Our artist development programmes will have this at its heart - breaking down barriers to career development and demystifying producing models to ensure everyone has the opportunity of creative entrepreneurism.
Our History
King's Head Theatre has been operating since 1970, but has gone through many transformations over the years. Click on the options below to find out about each chapter of the venue's history.
1970-2000
1970 | Dan Crawford founds the first pub theatre in London since Shakespeare’s day and King’s Head Theatre is born; he goes on to serve as Artistic Director for 35 years.
1983 | A revival of Mr Cinders opens at King’s Head Theatre before transferring to the West End. It goes on to run for 527 performances.
1983 | Noel and Gertie, starring Joanna Lumley, premieres at King’s Head Theatre.
1985 | Hugh Grant makes his acting debut at King’s Head Theatre.
1986 | Maureen Lipman stars in Olivier Award-nominated Wonderful Town at King’s Head Theatre.
1988 | The premier of Tom Stoppard’s Artist Descending a Staircase opens at King’s Head Theatre before transferring to Broadway.
1991 | Steven Berkoff directs & stars in the UK premiere of Kvetch at the King’s Head Theatre.
2001-2019
2002 | Dan & Stephanie Crawford receive Her Majesty the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for Contribution to the Arts, & The Trainee Resident Directors Scheme wins the Royal Anniversary Trust Award.
2006 | The documentary King’s Head Theatre: A Maverick in London is made and airs on SkyARTS World for 3 years.
2010 | Opera Up Close, founded by Adam Spreadbury-Maher & Robin Norton-Hale become resident company for 4 years. Adam becomes Artistic Director of King’s Head Theatre.
2011 | La Boheme wins the Olivier Award for Best New Opera Performance.
2012 | Vieux Carre by Tennessee Williams receives its UK premiere before transferring to the West End.
2015 | King’s Head Theatre forms a new charity to secure the future of the theatre.
2015 | Shock Treatment, the sequel to The Rocky Horror Show Picture Show has its world premiere at King’s Head Theatre.
2015 | Trainspotting is first performed at King’s Head Theatre, hitting its 900th performance in August 2017.
2016 | 43,857 audience members see a show at our London home - our highest footfall ever to date at this point.
2017 | King’s Head Theatre announces the transfer of La Boheme & Strangers in Between to Trafalgar Studios 2 in London’s West End. La Boheme goes on to be nominated for Best New Opera Production at the Olivier Awards.
2019 | King’s Head Theatre’s production of Kevin Elyot’s Coming Clean transfers to Trafalgar Studios 2 in London’s West End.
2020-2025
2021 | Mark Ravenhill is appointed as Artistic Director.
2022 | King's Head Theatre finally has its 50th birthday celebration, delayed because of Covid-19.
KHT50 | Barstools to Broadway plays for one week, bringing together work which premiered at King’s Head Theatre in the 1970s & 1980s. These plays included Timberlake Wertenbaker’s The Third, performed at the V&A, read by Harriet Walter & Gemma Whelan, and directed by Audrey Sheffield.
Other plays read at KHT include:
- Tom Stoppard’s Artist Descending a Staircase, directed by original director Tim Luscombe.
- Stephen Jeffreys' Like Dolls or Angels, directed by his wife Annabel Arden and performed by Isobel Adomakoh Young & Joel Maccormack.
- Bryony Lavery’s Grandmother’s Steps, performed by Showstoppers! stars Ruth Bratt & Lucy Trodd, directed by Abigail Anderson.
- Victoria Wood’s musical Good Fun, directed by original cast member Annabel Leventon.
- Elegies for Angels, Punks & Raging Queens, directed by writer Bill Russell who is joined by 30 recent graduates.
2022 | King's Head Theatre produces the UK Premiere of Freud’s Last Session, which was developed into a major motion picture starring Anthony Hopkins.
2022/23 | The theatre co-produces Mediocre White Male starring Will Close (Olivier Award Winner 2024 for Best Supporting Actor), written by Will Close and Joe von Malachowski.
2023 | King's Head Pub Theatre closes its doors after 53 years on the 13th August 2023, with a special event starring Steven Berkoff, Mark Gatiss, Ian Hallard, Dame Janet Suzman, Linda Marlowe, Freddie Love, Saul Boyer and Bold Mellon.
2023 | The theatre hosts Guest Artistic Directors Isabel Adomakoh Young (Orlando, As You Like It, Globe Theatre), Tom Ratcliffe (Writer, Wreckage - UK Tour; Director, Breeding by Barry McStay), Tania Azevedo (Director, But I’m A Cheerleader: The Musical) and David Cumming (Writer & Performer, Operation Mincemeat, Olivier Award Winner 2024 for Best New Musical).
2024 | King's Head Theatre opens at its new building – 116p Upper St, Islington Square – on 5th January with Exhibitionists by Shaun McKenna and Andrew Van Sickle.
2024 | The theatre hosts its first family pantomime Cinderella, written and directed by Andy Pollard and starring Drag Race UK’s Ella Vaday (Nick Collier). The show also features the voices of Dame Judi Dench, Miriam Margolyes, and Su Pollard. It becomes the theatre’s best-selling show to date.
2025 | King’s Head Theatre celebrates one year in its new building: in its first year as an Off-West End venue, it hosts 110 shows, 900 individual performances, and nearly 50,000 visitors.