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Old Red Lion, Islington

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Damien Devine has been the landlord of the Old Red Lion (ORL) for 21 years, and is as of 2024 executive director of the theatre. Daughter Róisín Devine and wife Helen Devine are associate director/consulting producer. Another daughter, Mary, is also in the family business. Damien's niece Helen
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In the late 18th century Chester Road became notorious for highwaymen, with patrols being provided to protect those travelling along it at night. At this time descriptions state that the Old Red Lion was a small brick house with three trees in its forecourt, visited by
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for Charles Dickerson and John William North, adding two exits onto different streets. This gave the pub the nickname "the In and Out", since taxi passengers could avoid paying their fare by entering it through one door and disappearing through the other.
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The pub in itself is one of the oldest in London, having first been built in 1415 in what was then the rural village of Islington in open countryside and fields. A house called Goose Farm and some nearby cattle pens (for herds being driven to
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in 1987, the theatre was threatened with closure due to the tightening of fire regulations. Artistic director Ken McClymont raised funds to install a
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elements. The building is four storeys high, with residential accommodation in the floors above the pub. The
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The literary department reads over 1,000 scripts each year, under an open submissions policy.
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opened on the pub's first floor as the Old Red Lion Theatre Club. Under artistic director
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Alexander Knott (Artistic Director, Theatre Manager & Digital Producer) (2019–2021)
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Henry Filloux-Bennett (Artistic Director 2010-2011) (Co-Artistic Director) (2011–2012)
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In 1979 the pub became a family-run pub theatre, run by the Devine family. A small
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Nicholas Thompson (Co-Artistic Director) (2011–2012) (Artistic Director 2012-2014)
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The pub retains several identical pairs of original glazed doors with glazing,
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Jack Robertson; Alexander Knott; Katy Danbury; Clive Judd (June 2023).
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Katy Danbury (Artistic Director & Theatre Manager) (2017–2019)
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wall lanterns on pillars, and much of its original interior.
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Theatresonline.com 531:, a play based upon 326:style, but includes 217:Old Red Lion Theatre 1693:Greenwich Playhouse 1590:Southwark Playhouse 1545:Queen's, Hornchurch 1540:Pleasance Islington 1214:Shakespeare's Globe 751:. 22 November 2019. 529:Who is Eddie Linden 105: /  41: 1277:Marylebone Theatre 875:Theatres in London 773:on 3 October 2011. 430:Artistic directors 281: 263:Previous buildings 109:51.5314°N 0.1062°W 39: 1773: 1772: 1565:Riverside Studios 1272:Lyric Hammersmith 1204:Royal Opera House 1160: 1159: 891:ATG Entertainment 557:COVID-19 pandemic 421:Norwich City F.C. 374:King's Cross fire 303:The Rights of Man 270:Smithfield Market 205: 204: 16:(Redirected from 1813: 1761: 1760: 1749: 1748: 1723:Stratford Circus 1495:Leicester Square 1475:Intimate Theatre 1460:Hen and Chickens 1325:Alexandra Palace 1287:The Other Palace 1257:Donmar Warehouse 1040:London Palladium 887: 886: 869: 862: 855: 846: 845: 841: 840: 838:Official website 823: 822: 820: 818: 803: 797: 796: 794: 792: 781: 775: 774: 769:. 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Retrieved 597: 551: 537:Eddie Linden 528: 524: 519: 486: 454:Melanie Tait 425: 414: 410: 403: 388:The pub was 387: 371: 360: 351:wrought iron 348: 328:Neo-Jacobean 321: 313: 301: 298:Thomas Paine 282: 266: 243: 241: 224: 220: 216: 212: 209:Old Red Lion 208: 206: 186:Years active 163:Country Life 36: 1733:Westminster 1683:Cock Tavern 1530:Pentameters 1520:Orange Tree 1490:King's Head 1465:Hoxton Hall 1297:Royal Court 1189:The Old Vic 1165:Other major 1147:Shaftesbury 1142:St Martin's 1120:Independent 1007:LW Theatres 967:Noël Coward 899:Ambassadors 791:4 September 555:During the 493:playwriting 456:(2002–2004) 438:(1979–1981) 392:in 1994 by 378:fire escape 340:balustraded 332:Renaissance 300:(who wrote 250:in 1994 by 225:The Old Red 112: / 87:Coordinates 1780:Categories 1645:White Bear 1610:Theatre503 1440:Finborough 1395:Canal Café 1360:Bloomsbury 1316:Fringe and 1111:Vaudeville 1106:@sohoplace 1025:Drury Lane 934:Piccadilly 567:References 521:Nina Raine 489:Manchester 372:After the 160:Production 97:51°31′53″N 1728:Warehouse 1595:The Space 1535:The Place 1505:Millfield 1450:Greenwich 1425:Courtyard 1405:Churchill 1390:Brookside 1335:artsdepot 1307:Young Vic 1262:Hampstead 1152:Trafalgar 1137:Haymarket 1132:Criterion 1020:Cambridge 997:Wyndham's 939:Playhouse 724:"History" 605:31 August 543:Footnotes 235:, in the 100:0°06′22″W 1752:Category 1678:Cochrane 1650:Wilton's 1560:Richmond 1435:Etcetera 1380:Broadway 1365:Bob Hope 1340:Ashcroft 1318:suburban 1194:Open Air 1184:National 1167:theatres 1063:Dominion 987:Sondheim 882:West End 817:19 March 673:Archived 151:Capacity 32:Red Lion 1764:Commons 1718:Saville 1708:New End 1703:Mermaid 1688:Empress 1630:Unicorn 1625:Turbine 1420:Coronet 1415:Compass 1410:Cockpit 1400:Chelsea 1232:Almeida 1199:Peacock 1091:Garrick 1086:Duchess 1058:Aldwych 1015:Adelphi 972:Novello 962:Gielgud 929:Phoenix 914:Fortune 336:parapet 258:History 194:Website 176: ( 81:England 68:Address 1698:Landor 1660:Former 1605:Tabard 1242:Bridge 1237:Arcola 1101:Palace 1081:Apollo 924:Lyceum 733:3 June 708:3 June 679:2 June 633:4 June 525:Rabbit 503:Awards 223:) and 168:Opened 74:London 1635:Union 1620:Troxy 1096:Lyric 944:Savoy 233:Angel 231:, at 134:Angel 1580:Shaw 1525:Park 1445:Gate 1355:Beck 1302:Soho 1267:Kiln 1247:Bush 1127:Arts 819:2019 793:2015 735:2024 710:2024 681:2024 635:2024 607:2015 330:and 296:and 221:ORLT 207:The 178:1979 171:1979 140:Type 1470:ICA 338:is 292:), 213:ORL 78:EC1 1782:: 810:. 765:. 726:. 700:. 683:. 667:. 643:^ 623:. 596:. 592:. 575:^ 408:. 396:. 254:. 239:. 189:32 155:60 76:, 868:e 861:t 854:v 821:. 795:. 737:. 712:. 637:. 609:. 219:( 211:( 180:) 20:)

Index

The Old Red Lion, Islington
Red Lion

London
EC1
Coordinates
51°31′53″N 0°06′22″W / 51.5314°N 0.1062°W / 51.5314; -0.1062
London Underground
Angel
Fringe theatre
Capacity
oldredliontheatre.co.uk
fringe theatre
Angel
London Borough of Islington
Grade II listed
Historic England
Smithfield Market

William Hogarth
Sadler's Wells
Samuel Johnson
Thomas Paine
The Rights of Man
Eedle and Myers
Free-Classical
Neo-Jacobean
Renaissance
parapet
balustraded

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