About:
Client: King's Head Theatre
Date: from December 2019 ‐ ongoing
The King's Head Theatre, London's first pub theatre, had planned to move to a new, purpose‐built space literally next door, moving from 115 to 116 Upper Street – on their 50th anniversary year (2020). When the Covid‐19 crisis struck, like thousands of theatres across the country, the King's Head Theatre went dark. Longing to connect with its community – near and far – on the first Monday of lockdown, they launched #KHTOnline – a weekly programme to connect artists with audiences. The theatre is a cultural hub, particularly important to the LGBTQI+ community, and has been supported by many, including actors Mark Gatiss and Ian Hallard during this difficult time.
Project:
tpr media was originally commissioned to create and implement a PR campaign highlighting the King Head Theatre’s 50-year history ahead of their move. Read Nick Curtis in the Standard to find out more. Our initial campaign was designed to support the fundraising drive to raise £3m required for the move which has now been temporarily postponed. Everyone was delighted when the theatre was awarded £800k from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's Good Growth Fund for the relocation in early March but when the first lockdown came, the PR focus was on promoting #KHTOnline, supporting the fundraising campaign to stay alive and ensuring engagement in national conversations about how small venues would best survive the crisis and emerge from the pandmeic. Interviews with Executive Director Fiona English and Mark Gatiss appeared in radio, print/online and TV, including the Standard, BBC London TV, The Robert Elms Show, Islington Gazette and The Stage.