HomeCultureThe Shaftesbury Theatre Is Being Renamed the Judi Dench Theatre

The Shaftesbury Theatre Is Being Renamed the Judi Dench Theatre

"Shaftesbury Theatre - Rock of Ages" by AndyRobertsPhotos is licensed under CC BY 2.0

One of the West End’s most iconic stages is to be renamed in honour of a national treasure. The Shaftesbury Theatre will become the Judi Dench Theatre, celebrating Dame Judi Dench’s unparalleled contribution to British theatre and the performing arts. The renaming is set to take place in February 2027.

It is a historic moment for the largest independent theatre in the West End — and a milestone more broadly, as the Judi Dench Theatre will be the first West End theatre to be named after an actress. As Chief Executive Eleanor Lang notes, women remain conspicuously underrepresented among the names above the capital’s theatre doors.

We are so excited to rename the Shaftesbury Theatre in honour of 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.
Eleanor Lang, Chief Executive

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A relationship going back decades

Dame Judi’s connection to the Shaftesbury is long and genuine. She was a founding member of the Theatre of Comedy, a collective of actors and authors who held part-shares in the theatre and, in the 1980s and early 1990s, helped ensure its survival by producing comedies that often starred members of the collective. It was through this that she began a close relationship with the Taffner family, who own both the theatre and a production company.

That bond deepened when Dame Judi went on to star in As Time Goes By, the much-loved sitcom that ran for nine series and was produced by the Taffners’ company. Across her career she has given lasting commitment to live performance — alongside becoming one of the best-known figures in film and television — with stage work ranging from Shakespeare to comedy to musical theatre, echoing the Shaftesbury’s own eclectic programming over the years.

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.
Dame Judi Dench

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 are therefore delighted to recognise her extraordinary talent and extensive contribution to many in the renaming of our theatre.
Donald Taffner Jnr., Chairman

The tribute, those behind it hope, will ensure that Dame Judi’s legacy continues to inspire future generations of performers and audiences alike — her name lit up above one of the West End’s grandest stages from February 2027.