INTERVIEW WITH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR LUKE ADAMSON

Luke Adamson has been looking for an opportunity to run a theatre space of his own for some time so when he heard the news of an empty space in Penge, he made some enquiries.   Former Artistic Director of the Bridge House Theatre, Guy Retallick, kindly suggested that he should “speak to the guys at the pub.” It turns out that the landlord welcomed the chance to re-establish a theatre upstairs.   Was this Adamson’s dream come true? It is challenging at the best of times, but even more so now with the ongoing Pandemic but if anyone can do it, Adamson is totally the man for the job.  He is “overjoyed” with the prospect.

On the day of the interview, Adamson is upstairs in the theatre running the tech for the ‘family’ and ‘adult’ pantos which are running in tandem every night. The seating appears to be inside the wonderful panto set making the theatre seem larger than on my last visit. “It’s actually bigger than The Hope” explains Adamson, and he’s also very proud of their ‘pride and joy’ green room which is currently full of panto costumes and actors giving it the living breathing quality of a show already opened. Heartbreakingly, despite all the best quality work, the show had to close (thanks to Demon King Omicron) but there is a full programme of shows coming up.   

The interview is held downstairs in the beautifully decorated pub which is just round the corner from Penge West (and conveniently just a few moments walk from Penge East). The tagline “It’s not just a pub, it’s a community hub” is justified with its friendly and upbeat vibe; children, dogs (and in my case women on their own) all made to feel welcome.  

Adamson gets the drinks in, having a chat with the barman on the way.  He seems wonderfully relaxed considering he’s performing tonight and must leave at 4.30 to get to the venue on time. He’s not acting in the Penge Panto this year because he has scooped a role as Chester the Jester in Sleeping Beauty at Hoxton Hall. He saw it as a great opportunity to subsidise the Bridge House Panto. Adamson is so keen to make this theatre thrive that such tactics as holding down several jobs and letting go of the girlfriend, who “went back to Yorkshire with the dog”, are simply mentioned with a painfully wry smile.

“We had nothing when we started” he explains “we needed new seating, sound and lighting equipment.” He and Associate Director Joseph Lindoe, both did fundraisers for their birthdays on Facebook and Indiegogo. “We were asking people to sponsor a seat or buy a lamp” recalls Adamson and he was pleased to get a response from “people who know us and people in the local area who wanted to see the theatre return.” They had to raise money for lighting bars, rigging, weight testing and electricity testing just to start trading.  Then there was the new website and … the list goes on.

Adamson and Lindoe were bequeathed 28 individual mismatched seats at the theatre, but they are now the proud owners of 52 comfortable matching chairs found on Facebook. It has given the theatre a splendid new look.  It’s worth noting that Pub Theatres often lead the way in recycling, as they are simply too skint to consider buying new things. (There’s a rainbow in every cloud.)

Adamson’s work as Associate Director at The Hope Theatre (in Islington), has given him a good grounding in running a theatre.   He learnt about audience development and marketing and took over the programming of the Sunday and Monday slots too.  He also learnt how to approach programming meetings from former Artistic Director Matthew Parker. “I could see how he was doing things and thinking how I might do it differently” says Adamson “but we have similar things to deal with.”   One thing that Adamson learnt is how to have an excellent working relationship with the Bridge House Pub. 

“It’s beneficial to both parties” says Adamson “and we have no extortionate rent to pay, which we can pass on to the companies, so we don’t charge a hire fee, it’s all on a split.”  They are also able to offer rehearsal space at a very good rate.  Whilst Adamson admits that the hardest part of opening the theatre has been “getting audiences” due to these Covid times, “the best part is that every single company has left having had a good time here whether or not they have sold masses of tickets.”  He already has some artists coming back, including Mark Farrelly who is bringing his biopic of Frankie Howerd, ‘Howerd’s End’.   

Programming at the theatre focuses on entertaining and socially conscious shows which put the focus on groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the theatre world.  These include working class artists, the Global majority, non-binary or gender fluid and LGBTQ+ Artists. This has been bringing in a mixed response: ‘Ay up Hitler’, a satirical comedy about Hitler turning up in Yorkshire at the end of WW2, was a box office hit.  ‘Just Relax’, a show about anxiety and mental health issues was a much harder sell (despite its multiple five-star reviews). “We will still be programming these shows because that’s our policy and it’s what we believe spaces like our should be doing” Adamson says resolutely.   “We can take risks artistically whether its physical theatre, comedy, drama, new witing, so long as it’s socially conscious, has something to say about the world in which we live and isn’t tone deaf.” He is essentially concerned with the “message and artistic integrity”. 

First time writers and companies can secure a slot at the theatre with a small deposit and all they have to do is concentrate on making a show. The Bridge House team will take care of all the other things: Marketing, helping them with their get in and technical support. They are also able to offer help with writing funding proposals. In the future Adamson has plans to put in place a programme to support emerging producers of small space/small scale work. It will be ‘cradle to grave’ from choosing what to produce to working with actors, directors, casting directors and designers.

It’s the kind of programme that Adamson would have like to have accessed himself but coming from a mining town in Yorkshire, the opportunity was not available. “My dad was one of 13 children brought up in 2 bedroom house …. they didn’t even have a telly” explains Adamson. “I know how daunting it is coming from a completely non-theatrical background trying to get into this industry.” 

“Unfortunately, we live in an unequal society” says Adamson flatly, “but representation doesn’t have to mean a working-class story, it might be doing Private Lives.” Adamson is conscious that as a “straight white male” he is in a more privileged position than other minorities who come from similar backgrounds. He is keen to ‘send the lift back down’ but cannot resist adding with a laugh that “it’s hardly from the top floor.”  He is very keen to represent a broader demographic, and the shows being programmed are reflecting this.  

There is a wealth of talent locally, and Adamson has been reaching out to creatives of all ages to come and have a coffee. He is also continuing to bring work from outside London, and we can expect more work from theatres in Yorkshire (and elsewhere). Adamson has built-up plenty of contacts in that direction through his career as actor, director and writer. He is very high energy. “When I’m acting, I want to be directing” he says capriciously, “and when I’m directing, I want to be acting.” Adamson always thinks he can “do it better” but the truth is more fundamental. “I just love making theatre, facilitating it, being in the room” he admits with a huge grin on his face.  

Luke Adamson was speaking with Heather Jeffery, editor of London Pub Theatres January 2022

Upcoming shows at The Bridge House Theatre can be found on the website https://thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/current-shows/