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KHT Skillshares

Every other Thursday at 1pm, the KHT team and artists gather on Zoom to share skills and chat about what we can learn from each other as theatre makers.

We've begun inviting along guest speakers - including Emma Rice, Kate Wasserberg, Pravesh Kumar and more - to share what they know with our staff and we’ve decided to open them up to our artist community.

Find out more here

Trainee Resident Directors

Established by founding artistic director Dan Crawford in 1994, King's Head Theatre ran this training programme which won the Queen’s Jubilee Award in 2002.

The programme consisted of 12-month placements for emerging theatre directors to have the opportunity to work on productions in our theatre, gaining skills as an assistant director. They also took part in weekly training sessions and was designed for early-career theatre-makers who may have had some small scale experience but wished to increase their skills.

The programme was an educational training programme and was undertaken on an unpaid and voluntary basis. It is currently under review, and we are working towards creating a more sustainable and meaningful programme long term. We are currently not taking on new trainees.

Previous Trainee Resident Directors have included: Katie Mitchell, Michael Longhurst, Tania Azevedo, Aran Cherkez, Amber Sinclair Case, Jamie Armitage, Ben Anderson, James Callas Ball, Alex Jackson, Jenn Davis, Helena Jackson, Jennifer Davis.

Programming & Award opportunities:

Stella Wilkie Award

East 15 Acting School students studying on the 3-year Contemporary Theatre course present two seasons of new plays each year, called the Debut Festival. Debut Spring is text based and Debut Summer is devised work. King's Head Theatre Producers and Associates attend all plays and choose a winner, who is awarded the King's Head Theatre & East 15 Stella Wilkie Debut Award.

• 2024 - Prenzlauer Berg Players Presents: "Romeo & Juliet" by William Shakespeare by Lily Aylward
• 2023 - Adrift by Hagstone Theatre
• 2022 - The Benefits of Disabled Sex by Sonny Howes and Under The Rug Theatre
• 2020 - Blue Beneath My Skin
• 2019 - I Lost My Virginity to Chopin's Nocturne in B-Flat Minor
• 2018 - Splinter by Molly Byrne
• 2017 - Yvette by Urielle Klein-Mekongo, directed by Meriel Hinsching
• 2016 - Buzz by Fat Rascal Theatre
• 2015 - SN1 Wilts by Neo Mothola, directed by Gabrielle Ciambrone 
• 2014 - A* by Luke Taylor
• 2013 - Sandpits Avenue

Adrian Pagan Award

Adrian Pagan was a Stage Manager for 10 years before his first play, The Backroom, won the Verity Bargate Award in 1996. The Award was established after his tragic death at the age of 39 to recognise unconventional routes into writing for the stage.

The award ran from 2014 to 2020 and included the following productions:

• 2014 - Dead Party Animals by Thomas Pickles
• 2016 - Russian Dolls by Kate Lock
• 2018 - Sex with Robots and Other Devices by Nessah Muthy
• 2020 - No Strings Attached by Charles Entsie