The Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End is set to be renamed in honor of Dame Judi Dench. In February next year, the largest independent theatre in the West End will become the Judi Dench Theatre. This change celebrates Dame Judi's contribution to British theatre and the performing arts, as well as her legacy in inspiring future generations of performers and audiences alike.
The 91-year-old actress expressed her gratitude, saying: "The Shaftesbury Theatre has always held a special place in my heart. My relationship to the Theatre of Comedy and to the Taffner family goes back many years and to have this beautiful theatre renamed after me is truly overwhelming. Live theatre continues to be so important as a way of telling stories and entertaining audiences, something I have aimed to do all my working life."
The theatre is owned by DLT Entertainment. Chairman Donald Taffner Jnr commented: "Dame Judi has been a close friend of the DLT family for so long, particularly from her involvement with As Time Goes By, and we will always treasure the time she made in her busy schedule to make the programme. We have such fond memories of Judi at the Shaftesbury from the meetings for the Theatre of Comedy members to when her husband was performing in a number of the Theatre of Comedy productions. Aside from business, my parents would often talk about how much they enjoyed spending time with Judi and Michael (Williams, her late husband) in both NY and London. We are therefore delighted to recognise her extraordinary talent and extensive contribution to many in the renaming of our theatre."
Chief executive Eleanor Lang said they were "so excited" for the renaming, adding that Dame Judi "not only plays an important role in our history" but was also "an iconic figure of the stage and screen landscape". She noted: "We don't celebrate brilliant women enough in our West End theatre names, so we are delighted that her name will be forever in lights above our doorway."
Dame Judi was a founding member of the Theatre of Comedy, a collective of actors and authors who had part shares in the Shaftesbury Theatre. Her career, spanning seven decades, includes an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards, and seven Olivier Awards. She made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company and later worked for the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Dame Judi has also appeared in eight James Bond films, as well as the series A Fine Romance and As Time Goes By, and most recently voiced The Fridge in The Magic Faraway Tree.
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a grade II listed building. Built in 1911, it was originally named New Prince's Theatre but was renamed Shaftesbury Theatre in 1962 due to the original Shaftesbury Theatre (further along Shaftesbury Avenue) being destroyed in the Blitz. Recent productions there have included & Juliet, Mrs Doubtfire and Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical, with Avenue Q currently playing.
The renaming coincides with the next phase of an ongoing refurbishment that will include the restoration of the auditorium dome, the renewal of decorative designs, further auditorium redecoration and recarpeting, and improvements to backstage areas. The theatre remains open throughout, performing to two levels while the work is carried out.
