Cock Tavern Theatre

The Cock Tavern Theatre was a small pub theatre on the first floor of a Victorian pub in Kilburn, north-west London. It occupied a cramped upstairs room with about forty seats arranged in three rows. The space also included the pub bar and a first-floor outside terrace. The building’s original function room had been converted to serve as the theatre. The venue specialised in new plays and critical revivals of lesser-known works. The theatre quickly earned praise for its bold programming and intimate atmosphere. Within ten months of opening it won the Peter Brook Empty Space Award, recognised by critic Mark Shenton. Productions featured world premieres by writers such as Edward Bond and Nick Ward. Resident companies included Good Night Out Presents and OperaUpClose, which staged accessible opera productions. The theatre’s artistic director, Adam Spreadbury-Maher, also directed shows and received awards for his work. Visitors found a programme of short runs featuring contemporary plays and operas. Past productions included Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Puccini’s La bohème set partly in the pub below, and Nick Ward’s The Present. Performances took place in the tiny auditorium, the bar, and on the outside terrace. The theatre’s reputation rested on imaginative staging and quality work in a confined space. Its closure in 2011 followed a health and safety review of the building’s staircases.