Meet Jonathan Goodwin from Don't Go into the Cellar!

Don’t go into the Cellar have been performing Victorian theatre for over ten years with Jonathan Goodwin and Gary Archer working in collaboration to bring famous tales from the Victorian era to life.

We chatted with Jonathan about the history of Don’t go into the Cellar as well as his love of Victorian theatre and the sources of inspiration which he draws upon when writing and directing his shows.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and Don’t Go into the Cellar?

Don't Go Into The Cellar was formed back in 2010. As an actor, I lamented the fact that there didn't appear to be any good old-fashioned nineteenth-century theatre doing the rounds. I had been exceptionally fond of the classic ghost, horror and detective stories from that period ever since childhood, and it struck me that if nobody else was doing it, then I ought to get the thing done myself!

 What three words would you use to describe the work you do and why?

I believe the three words that best describe what we do are TRADITIONAL, ENTERTAINING and AUTHENTIC. I like to think that if someone from the late Victorian era were to time travel forwards to our century, they would readily accept that what they were seeing was a production from their own era, in terms of costume, dialogue, style and aesthetics.

 What can an audience expect from a Don’t Go Into the Cellar show?

My aim has always been to create theatre that harks back to the great dramatic storytelling tradition of the 1890s, performed authentically and sincerely…I have always sought to have fun with the original material but to have us stage our shows sincerely and with respect to the great authors who created these wonderful characters in the first place.

What has been your biggest highlight to date?

Recently I won the Hamilton Deane Award for Best Performance from The Dracula Society. Past winners include Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Gatiss and Denholm Elliott. That was a tremendous honour.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Since a young age, I have been fascinated by the Victorian and Edwardian eras. I used to stay up late and watch the classic black and white horror films starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. I would always tune in whenever a Basil Rathbone or Peter Cushing Sherlock Holmes adaptation was being screened also.

Anything exciting coming up?

I have several new shows in the works, and we plan to tour them in 2023…Forthcoming shows will include Dead of Night (based on the 1945 British horror film), Confessions of Sweeney Todd, What Ho, Wodehouse and Dorian Gray. The best is yet to come!