Coronavirus: Mark Gatiss backs campaign to save King’s Head from closure

Mark Gatiss has thrown his support behind a campaign to save north London pub theatre the King’s Head from closure, warning it would be a tragedy if the venue were to close.

Gatiss lives in Islington, where the venue is based, and has spoken out in support of the theatre, alongside his husband, actor Ian Hallard.

As reported by The Stage last month, the venue has launched a £100,000 fundraising campaign to ensure it can survive the pandemic.

Gatiss and Hallard said: ”These are difficult times for everybody, and so many very worthy causes are asking for help and support. It looks as if theatres will suffer particularly badly, as they’re likely to be in the last wave of reopenings when things eventually return to ‘normal’.”

They added: “The King’s Head is a wonderful institution and it would be such a tragedy if we were to lose it just as it is on the verge of moving to a new, exciting chapter. For the sake of its illustrious past, the high-quality, groundbreaking work it does in the present, and its future, we hope desperately that the theatre can both survive and - eventually - thrive.”

King’s Head executive director Fiona English said the theatres’s position had “never been more precarious”.

“We operate without any regular funding, with 80% of our income coming from box office sales. Despite taking advantage of the government’s furlough schemes, there are many more costs in running a company and a venue. We have crunched the numbers and penny-pinched but we still need to raise £100,000,” she said.

The theatre has recently received funding to support its move to new premises.

However, this has been postponed due to current circumstances, with the theatre warning “all hopes of a new purpose-built home in the area will be dashed” unless it meets its fundraising target.

English also warned that smaller venues closing would leave the sector without “key links in the chain”.

“While a lot of large art organisations are producing incredible content right now, if we don’t pay attention to our small arts organisations struggling for survival, they will quietly slip away. If we lose small theatres like the King’s Head, key links in the chain that make up the stepping stone of most artists’ and creatives’ careers could be lost forever,” she said.