After a critically acclaimed sell-out run at the Finborough Theatre, Phil Willmott’s new production of Arthur Miller’s Incident at Vichy transfers to the King’s Head Theatre. In this forgotten masterpiece about Jewish registration in Nazi-occupied France, Miller’s play seems closer than ever to today’s world of “Extreme Vetting” and religious persecution. I asked Adam about the rise of pub theatre productions.
2017 seems to be the year for Pub Theatre with many productions transferring from small spaces above pubs to bigger spaces. Do you think audiences are seeing more pub theatre for a chance to see it first?
I think pub theatres and small studio spaces are staging more-and-more high-quality work, so audiences are cottoning onto the fact and are more willing to take a risk on things that are untested.
Both the Finborough and King’s Head are known for their ambitious and varied repertoire. How do you keep the programme fresh, relevant to the theatre’s aims and marketable?
I read lots, and I see even more. I think the most important thing is that you’ve got to know how to work in collaboration with others, to make the most of your existing relationships and to be open-minded and open-hearted to forming new ones. You’ve got to be passionate about developing talent and courageous in everything you do.
Can you see Finborough and King’s Head Theatre working together more in the future?
Absolutely! Wonderful work is staged at the Finborough Theatre, and the King’s Head Theatre seems like a natural place for productions to move into extended seasons should they do really well. By working together, we’re able to provide performers with extended employment and our audiences another chance to see high-quality work they may have missed the first time around.
