Circle and Star Theatre
Fifty-five seats above 28 Heath Street, Hampstead. Live performance in this room since 1964, now being established as a charity for the arts in Greater London.
Pending registered charity name: The Circle and Star Theatre
Programme
On stage, and lately
Every proposal, whether the theatre's own work, a visiting company or a hire, is assessed against the same written policy on artistic merit. These are the productions that passed it.
Coming up
On sale now at the theatre's box office.
New plays and new writing
Work that would not otherwise be seen at this scale.
- Marcus is Alive
Dark Matters
The gothic season, October 2026.
The Camden Fringe
New work in the Camden Fringe, August 2026.
Readings
Plays heard in the room, some for the first time.
Wonder Room presents
Productions brought to the theatre by Wonder Room, the company formed by its co-founders.
Running the theatre
Carri Hecks
General Manager
Carri runs the theatre day to day and is the first person to speak to about it.
She leads the operation and reports to the trustees: the building and the diary, bookings and hires, front of house and the audience, access and concessions, administration and finance. She is the theatre's day-to-day safeguarding lead, and the link between the house and the board.
- Phone
- 07708 411259
- Write
- 28 Heath Street, Hampstead, London NW3 6TE
For hires, access, concessions and anything about the charity.
Charitable purpose
What the charity is for
The trustees have applied to the Charity Commission for England and Wales to register The Circle and Star Theatre as a charitable incorporated organisation. Its proposed objects are:
To advance the arts for the public benefit in Greater London by:
(a) developing and producing theatrical, dramatic, musical and other artistic works for public presentation; and
(b) supporting the creation and development of new writing and other original artistic works, including through the provision of opportunities for emerging artists, performers, writers and other creative practitioners to create, rehearse and present artistic work.
Until registration is confirmed, The Circle and Star Theatre is not a registered charity and has no charity number. This page will be updated when it does.
Since opening, the programme has included new plays, a rehearsed reading of a play never previously heard, new adaptations of Frankenstein and Dracula, work in the Camden Fringe, and resident series in songwriting, theatre and ideas, and film. Work that does not meet the policy is declined, whatever fee is offered.
A small number of evenings each year are chosen mainly because they will sell. They are labelled as fundraisers, limited to ten dates a year, and their proceeds support the main programme and keep ticket prices low.
Artistic and creative direction
Who makes the work
Steve Furst and Justin Bovington co-founded the theatre and lead its programme. Neither is a trustee. Both act under the direction of the trustees and report to the board, and both withdraw from any decision in which they have an interest.
Steve Furst
Co-founder · Artistic Director
Performer, writer and comedian, and the creator of Lenny Beige. He gives the theatre its artistic direction.
Justin Bovington
Co-founder · Creative Director and Producer
Designer and producer working across immersive media, technology and performance. He gives the theatre its creative direction and produces its work.
Wonder Room
Wonder Room, the production company formed by Steve Furst and Justin Bovington, gives the theatre generous support visually, creatively and in production. It brings a long list of productions to the theatre, presented as a visiting producer on the same terms as any other company. Its flagship nights include Fagin and Lenny Beige, to name but a few. Wonder Room presents:
- Fagin — Hero or Villain?, written and performed by Steve Furst
- STAGES with Lenny Beige, cabaret hosted by Steve Furst's alter ego
- VOICES with Guy Chambers, the songwriting salon
- Sleeve Notes with Jonathan Wingate, the listening salon
- Field Notes, evenings of ideas
- Reelnotes, the film salon
- SIMPLY, the songs of a single artist
- WITS END, a comedy about death by Estée Stimler
- Via Dolorosa by David Hare, read by Alex Lawther
Wonder Room's suite of applications and services is supplied to the theatre under licence: the visual identity, the websites, the box office, and Stage Door, which runs hires, contracts and the schedule. The theatre's name, audience data and programming record belong to the charity.
The room
Sixty years of live performance in one room
In the 1960s, when the pub was the Three Horseshoes, the room was home to the Tinkers, a community-run folk club with strong roots in North London's Irish community. Paul Simon played the Tinkers in June 1964 and again in October 1965, and David Bowie played folk nights at the Three Horseshoes in 1969.
From 1971 until 2025 it was Pentameters Theatre, one of London's oldest pub theatres. It was refurbished in 2025 with money raised by local residents, matched by the building's operator, and reopened as Circle and Star Theatre in December 2025.
- 1964The Tinkers folk club opens; Paul Simon plays in June
- 1965Paul Simon returns in October
- 1969David Bowie plays folk nights at the Three Horseshoes
- 1971Pentameters Theatre, for more than fifty years
- 2025Refurbished, and reopened as Circle and Star Theatre
Tickets and access
Open to everyone
Tickets
Every performance is open to the public. No membership is needed to book.
Concessions
£15
On the door at every performance, for any seat not sold in advance, to people on benefits, students, under-26s and pensioners. Show a bus pass, student card, benefits letter or similar.
Schools and community
Free tickets are offered through local schools and community organisations for suitable productions.
Access
The theatre is on the first floor of a Victorian building, reached by a staircase, and is not wheelchair accessible. Staff will help anyone with limited mobility, and assistance dogs are welcome. The trustees intend to raise funds for a hearing loop.
Finding us
28 Heath Street, Hampstead, London NW3 6TE. The entrance is on Oriel Place. Hampstead Underground station is a short walk away.
Governance
The trustees
The charity is governed by an independent board, which sets its strategy, approves its budget and reviews the programme each quarter.
The trustees keep a written conflicts of interest policy and register. Anyone with an interest in a decision withdraws from it. The theatre's co-founders and Wonder Room have no seat and no vote on the board, and decisions in which either has an interest are taken by the trustees in their absence.
Mike Leigh
Chair · safeguarding lead
Theatrical agent and producer for twenty-five years, who ran venues in central London and at the Edinburgh Fringe for twelve. Not the film director of the same name.
Thomas (Tomi) Pauk
Trustee
Retired corporate solicitor who now works pro bono for charities. Advises the board on governance and the recording of decisions.
Kate Alderton
Trustee
Actress, theatre producer and director, trained at LAMDA, with national touring credits and television work.
Melinda Hughes
Trustee
Operatic soprano and cabaret artist; curates the concert season at the Chelsea Arts Club.
Ashley Campbell
Trustee
Actor, dancer and singer with West End and television credits; co-leads a training organisation for young screen actors.
Policies adopted by the trustees, October 2026
- Programming and Artistic Merit
- Conflicts of Interest
- Concessions and Access
- Safeguarding