The KHT Artists Club introduces a new writing development programme, including scratch nights, rehearsed readings, and programming opportunities, alongside a lottery for affordable rehearsal space.
King’s Head Theatre in Islington is launching new artist development programmes as part of the KHT Artists Club—a free membership programme that began earlier this year. The club offers subsidised tickets to all productions at King’s Head Theatre, free access to learning and producer hubs with KHT Skillshares, the ability to book affordable rehearsal space with a new space lottery, and a new writing development programme. The first productions in the programme have been announced today.
The KHT Artists Club is partnering with theatre company The Counterminers for a new writing development initiative called As Yet Unscene. This year-round programme supports new writers, directors, and performers on projects in the early stages of development. Writers can apply to be part of the programme, which provides feedback on scripts in scratch form before progressing to a workshop phase and rehearsed readings at King’s Head Theatre. This will culminate in a showcase every six months featuring a selection of the work performed for the public and industry. Participation in the programme costs only £5 for KHT Club Members, discounted by 50%.
The theatre will also offer up to 50% off its rehearsal space bookings to KHT Club Members through a rehearsal space lottery. The lottery will publish availability for hire in both its Main House and 4Below cabaret space up to two weeks prior. This new offer is designed for self-producing club members, emerging companies, and ensembles to use the theatre at more affordable rates.
Additionally, the Artists Club provides members access to £10 preview tickets and £15 off-peak tickets to all productions at King’s Head Theatre, replacing the Equity Card concession. This allows all theatrical artists, regardless of discipline or union representation, to access the benefits of the membership.
The Artists Club also offers fortnightly Skillshare Sessions aimed at making the industry more accessible and providing career development opportunities. Topics include Theatre Tax Relief, sustainable theatre practice, touring, bookkeeping for productions, and developing new musicals. Recent speakers have included Emma Rice, writer Jonathan Maitland, PR leader Chloe Nelkin, I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical writer Alexander S Bermange, Pravesh Kumar MBE, and SIX director Jamie Armitage.
As part of the theatre’s commitment to supporting self-producing artists and new work, they have announced a new season of short runs to sit alongside their Spring season.
Kicking off this series of productions is SNAP! A New Musical (3-25 May) by David O’Brien. Presented by Alistair Lindsay Entertainment, the show follows a gay man in the cutthroat world of photography, exploring themes of desire and deception alongside an electrifying original score and razor-sharp storytelling.
Remythed (9 May), from Bet’n Lev Theatre Company, reimagines a series of myths and legends from a joyful queer perspective. Having won Show of the Week at the VAULT Festival in 2023 and receiving 4* from The Guardian, the show toured in 2024 and had a sell-out run at Omnibus Theatre, as well as a two-week sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This run at King’s Head Theatre is part of their 2025 UK-wide tour.
Grafters (16 May) is the most recent recipient of the Stella Wilkie Award for East 15 Acting School students studying on the 3-year Contemporary Theatre Course. The Stella Wilkie Award has been given by King’s Head Theatre since 2013, with previous recipients including Fat Rascal Theatre Company (Unfortunate) and Paper Mug Theatre. Grafters is written by James Goodall and explores the harsh realities of the drug trade and its devastating effects on three young men.
The second of two new musicals, Have You Met Stan? (27-29 May) by Bart Thiede, comes to KHT before heading to Edinburgh Fringe. With a fusion of Irish trad-folk and a pumping pop score, this musical tells the story of two young immigrants—Séan from Ireland and Stan from Poland—who fall in love despite an early 2010s backdrop of “job stealing” anti-immigration campaigns and changing attitudes to homosexuality.
Rounding up this mini season is Earworm (29-30 May) by Gur Arie Piepskovitz, an anti-love story exploring queer relationships and unfulfilled desires. This new play follows the arc of a breakup between a cabaret artist and a man doing his PhD in gay relationships.
Sofi Berenger, Executive Producer (Acting CEO) of King’s Head Theatre, said:
“This is a really exciting time for the King’s Head Theatre when it comes to our artist development programme and this is only the tip of the iceberg. The pub theatre developed a reputation for platforming the most exciting emerging artists, through its programming and the Trainee Resident Director programme which won a Queen’s Jubilee Award so it’s wonderful to be able to re-launch our artist development arm at such a crucial time for young artists.
Our new space is full of opportunities. We’re re-looking at the working models in our 4Below space so we can re-launch the space with an artist-focussed approach and many more opportunities to come.”
More information can be found here.
