The Shaftesbury Theatre, the largest independent theatre in the West End, is to be renamed the Judi Dench Theatre in honour of Dame Judi Dench. The renaming, set to take place in February 2027, celebrates one of the greatest actors of our time and marks a historic moment for one of the West End’s most iconic stages.
The tribute recognises Dame Judi’s unparalleled contribution to British theatre and the performing arts, with the theatre’s owners hoping it will ensure her legacy continues to inspire future generations of performers and audiences alike. It also makes her name a rare example of a brilliant woman celebrated in the West End’s theatre names — a point the venue’s leadership was keen to highlight.
A long history with the theatre
Dame Judi’s connection to the Shaftesbury runs deep. She was a founding member of the Theatre of Comedy, the collective of actors and authors who held part shares in the theatre and helped secure its future through the 1980s and early 1990s by producing a string of hit comedies. Her links to the venue were further cemented by her role in the much-loved sitcom As Time Goes By, which ran for nine series and was produced by the Taffner family’s company, DLT Entertainment, which owns the theatre.
Dame Judi said the renaming was “truly overwhelming,” adding: “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… 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.”
Chief Executive Eleanor Lang said the theatre was “so excited” to honour Dame Judi: “Not only does she play an important role in our history, but she is an iconic figure of the stage and screen landscape. 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.”
Chairman Donald Taffner Jnr. paid tribute to a “close friend of the DLT family for so long,” recalling fond memories of Dame 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.”
One of the West End’s most distinctive venues
A Grade II listed building, the theatre opened in 1911 as the New Prince’s Theatre. It was the first steel-frame theatre in the West End and remains the only London theatre with a dome that opens. It took its current name in 1962, after the original Shaftesbury Theatre further along Shaftesbury Avenue was destroyed in the Blitz.
The renaming coincides with the next phase of an ongoing refurbishment, already under way and continuing into early 2027. The work will include the restoration of the auditorium dome — with a specially commissioned painting taking inspiration from the original — 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.
What’s on at the theatre
Avenue Q is currently playing at the theatre, booking until 3 January 2027. Recent productions at the venue have included & Juliet, Mrs Doubtfire and Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical.
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