Village Raw - ISSUE 15

VILLAGE RAW
ART & CULTURE
“We get such a kick from
seeing someone in the West
End or a touring production
after we gave them their
first shot”
the 80s before establishing Ovation Productions with Katie in 1985.
They specialised in corporate and other events before resolutely
deciding in the 90s to open a theatre. Following a London-wide
search for a suitable venue, the couple eventually settled on a derelict
space being used as a warehouse above a local pub, acquiring
a lease in 1997 to open a theatre. John and Katie chose the eponymous
name “Upstairs at the Gatehouse” to distinguish it from The
Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford and also to signpost its location
above the well-known pub.
Believed to be Highgate’s oldest pub, The Gatehouse might date
back as far as 1337, according to its 19th-century owners. While records
which commenced in 1552 mention five unnamed licensed
inns in Highgate, The Gatehouse first appears in the 1670 records.
Its famous patrons have included Byron, Dickens and Cruikshank.
The pub’s name derives from the arched gatehouse that stood right
next to it - one of three entrances to the Bishop of London’s Hunting
Park (the other two gates were located at The Spaniards Inn
and in East Finchley) - where travellers wishing to access the Great
North Road were charged tolls. The gatehouse which stood right
on the boundary of two parishes (London and Middlesex) had multiple
uses. When it functioned as a courtroom, a rope divided the
sessions to prevent prisoners from each borough from escaping
to the adjacent authority. Curiously, the boundary remained until
1993 when Haringey and Camden (the new authorities) reached an
agreement to move it a few feet, allowing the building to fall under
one single licensing authority. From 1895 the Highgate Hall - which
now houses the theatre - was used as a music hall, cinema, dance
hall, amateur theatre venue and Masonic lodge, then in the 60s it
functioned as a jazz and folk club where Paul Simon once performed.
Since opening “London’s top theatre” (referencing its location
446 feet above sea level) John and Katie have produced multiple
award-winning successes and were honoured with the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the 2020 London Pub Theatre Awards. From
the start the couple decided - unlike most similar fringe venues
- not to produce new writing but to focus on revivals, particularly
of musicals. They produce the kind of shows they enjoy the most,
John particularly relishing the challenge of adapting big musicals
for a small stage and cast, such as 42nd Street, Anything Goes and
Singin’ in the Rain, for which he insisted on ample rainfall that would
flood the stage every evening. However, John has occasionally
also collaborated with writers on new work, mainly jukebox musicals.
Ovation’s equally important priority is to hire new and young
theatre creatives and give them the experience needed to help
advance their careers. “We get such a kick from seeing someone in
the West End or a touring production after we gave them their first
shot,” Katie says effusively.
The Plews’ love for this theatre is requited by the community
they entertain. The familiarity and camaraderie between the couple
and their audience members is evidenced in the mutually warm
greetings at the door, the couple having known many of them for
decades. The loyalty of their theatregoers became apparent when
the first lockdown was announced and many ticket holders for April
to June shows chose to forego refunds. Moreover, the theatre’s
60 or so patrons, who include pillars of the local community and
known showbiz personalities (the late Victoria Wood was their first
patron), generously donated £30,000. Fortunately, in October 2020
PHOTO BY DARREN BELL (THIS PAGE).
PHOTO BY TIMOTHY KELLY (TOP) AND COURTESY OF UPSTAIRS AT THE GATEHOUSE (BOTTOM).
the theatre was awarded £56,242 by the government’s cultural recovery
fund, as part of the £1.57 billion rescue package distributed
to over 1300 UK theatre companies and venues. Like all its counterparts,
Upstairs at the Gatehouse continues to suffer losses due to
the pandemic. With some performances cancelled, a drop in ticket
sales as some theatregoers have been reluctant to attend shows,
and the theatre operating at half-capacity when hosting socially
distanced performances, audience numbers have been 40% lower
than usual over the recent Christmas season. Despite the uncertainty,
the Plewses remain steadfast and are focusing on the
spring season which opens on 1 March.
On the subject of being a married production team, Katie and
John almost simultaneously declare: “It works!” John focuses on
directing while Katie produces. Their family is, in fact, a theatre dynasty.
Their daughter Racky, an established director and choreographer,
has worked on West End and international touring productions.
Jessica, her sister, works in WHAM (wigs, hair and make-up)
- also in big productions. The girls learnt the ropes growing up in the
theatre - and seeing John and Katie selling tickets, programmes
and ice cream in lieu of front-of-house staff absent due to Covid,
then going off after the show to do the performers’ laundry, it is obvious
how devoted they are to this remarkable cultural institution
they have created and nurtured.•
For more information visit: www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com
Opening pages: The Gatehouse
c. 1895 (left), 42nd Street.
Opposite page: Singin’ in
the Rain. Above: Five Guys
Named Moe. Bottom: John (front
left) and Katie (front right)
cutting a cake with Victoria
Wood and patrons on 13 January
2002 to celebrate the 1000th
performance at Upstairs at
the Gatehouse.
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