Congratulations, you have won the British History Bronze Award. This award is given to outstanding Web Pages and recognises the hard work that was put into the development of your web site. My compliments on a job well done!

Whatsonstage.com

LONDON THEATRES

ONE HALF PRICE THEATRE TICKET WINDOW

The one-half price ticket booth is located in the clocktower building by the gardens in Leicester Square (Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus subway/tube stations). There is one window for matinees and one for evening performances. The hours of operation are: (Effective Sept 11/01 on its 21st birthday) Monday to Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sundays 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The theatre listing, as in the others, includes not only current theatres, but theatres which have been demolished, or abandoned. Shows indicate productions I have seen in these theatres, bracketed headings at the first indicate the subway or tube stop nearest the theatre.

London's Lost Theatres

Roofed theatres erected for performances came late in theatrical history. Open-air theatres date back to the 5th Century, B.C., but it was not until the Renaissance that plays were produced indoors.

Before 1576 there were no proper theatres in London. The inner courtyards of Inns were used to present plays. In 1800 only nine playhouses in London were being used regularly - Drury Lane, Covent Garden, Haymarket Opera House, Haymarket Theatre, Sans Souci, Sadler's Wells, Astley's Amphitheatre, Royal Circus and the Royalty. Numbers tripled between 1800 and 1844, and by 1851 there were twenty-two theatres in use. George Frederick Handel between the years 1685 and 1738 played at Covent Garden Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre and King's Theatre, Haymarket.

Like New York, with the Shuberts, Nederlanders, Disney etc., the same situation applies to English Theatre. The three largest West End theatre owning/managing groups are: • The Really Useful Group and Partners - 13 Theatres - 15713 seats • Clear Channel Entertainment- 4 Theatres - 9769 seats • Ambassadors Theatre Group - 10 Theatres - 7059 seats Stoll Moss owns many of the West End's theatres, including such prestige houses as the Palladium, Garrick, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Her Majesty's, Lyric, Cambridge, Duchess and the New London. The Stoll Moss empire has just been sold to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Crescent owns 7 including Whitehall and the Comedy. The Apollo Leisure Group was just sold to the giant U.S. Group SFX Entertainment, and now owns the Apollo Victoria, Apollo Hammersmith, Lyceum as well as the Palace in Manchester and the Hippodrome in Bristol. As I write this SFX who owns 82 properties in the U.S. is making overtures at the British Theatre.

Currently there are 54 West End Theatres of which 40 of them are commercial enterprises.

NOTE: The term 'commercial West End' is generally taken to exclude the following 13 theatres: Barbican, Cottesloe, London Coliseum, Lyttelton, Olivier, Open Air, Peacock, Pit, Royal Court Downstairs, Royal Court Upstairs, Royal Opera House, Sadler's Wells and Shakespeare's Globe. (The Westminster Theatre (585 seats) has now been removed from the above listing)

Sir Cameron Mackintosh's theatre portfolio of 7 theatres includes the Queen's, the Gielgud, the Prince of Wales, the Albery, Wyndham's, the Strand and The Prince Edward. Since the 1990's only two of these seven theatres have been operated by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres.

Prince of Wales Theatre's work will start this summer and the theatre will reopen in spring 2004. In March 2003 Delfont Macintosh Theatres will take back control of a third theatre, the Strand. Plans are near completion for the first stage of an extensive renovation to include the front-of-house areas. In each of these cases, the first priority is to expand and upgrade all public areas and facilities. Control of the other four theatres, two of which (the Albery and Wyndham's) are currently leased by the Ambassadors Group and a further two (the Queen's and the Gielgud) by Really Useful Theatres, will return to Cameron Mackintosh in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Plans are well advanced to upgrade these historic buildings appropriately and to equip to match the expectations of audiences in the twenty-first century. July 2005 - Andrew Lloyd Webber has sold four of his West End theatres - the Apollo, the Duchess, the Lyric and the Garrick - to Max Weitzenhoffer, who is joined in a new partnership with producer Nica Burns. They will take over the four theatres on 1st Octber/05, along with Weitzenhoffer's existing London theatre, the Vaudeville . The sale leaves Lloyd Webber with eight West End theatres - the Adelphi, the Cambridge, the Gielgud, Her Majesty's, the London Palladium, the New London, the Palace and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane; Adelphi is jointly owned by Really Useful Theatres and Nederlander International, whilst the Gielgud, along with the RUT offices which are in the same block (along with the Queen's), will soon revert back to its owner, Cameron Mackintosh, who is intending to build a new theatre, the Sondheim, which will be able to accept transfers from venues such as the Donmar Warehouse and the Cottesloe.

Longest running musical in London - Cats at the New London Theatre, followed by Starlight Express just entering its 17th year at the Apollo Victoria Theatre (opened in March, 1984).

LONDON THEATRE GUIDE

THEATRES ONLINE.COM

QUICK GUIDE - A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z

A

ABC Cinema (Piccadilly) - being turned into cabaret venue - 400 seats (near Jermyn Street Theatre, which is also used for cabaret venues)

Actors' Studio - opening September/08 on Wren Street near King's Cross - previously was at Pinewood Studios

Above the Stag Theatre - new 50 seat venue - 15 Bressenden Place - American Briefs (2008)

*Adelphi Theatre - (Charing Cross) Strand - (1476 seats) – 4th theatre on the site - opened as Sans Pareil in 1806 with Miss Scott's Entertainment 1806 - built above a dairy - 1818 reopened as Adelphi – names include Theatre Royal Adelphi (1830-1848); 1858 became Theatre Royal – Theatre Royal New Adelphi (1863-1867) – 1901 rebuilt as Century Theatre incorporating parts of 1887 theatre – 1902 back to Adelphi – New Adelphi opened 1930 - Dancing Mistress 1912; Girl From Utah 1913; Mr. Cinders 1929; Ever Green 1930; Nymph Errant 1933; Trojan Women 1937; Bless the Bride 1947; Auntie Mame (Beatrice Lillie) 1958; Blitz 1962; Maggie May 1964; Charlie Girl (Anna Neagle) 1965 (2200 perf); Little Night Music 1975; Sunset Boulevard 1993 (nearly 4 years); Chicago (revival) 1998

Admiral’s Men – 1585 – Theatre – company moved to Fortune Theatre – 1621 theatre burnt – 1631 company disbanded

Age Exchange – touring company aimed specifically at older people – performed in community centres, senior’s homes etc.

ALBEMARLE LONDON

Albert Saloon, Hoxton - 1843-1851

*Albery Theatre - Albery will become the Noel Coward towards the end of 2006 when its work is completed - - (Leicester Square) St. Martin's Lane - built 1903 as The New Theatre - (883 seats) – Rosemary 1903; The Scarlet Pimpernel 1905; Henry of Navarre 1909; I’ll Leave it to You (Noel Coward) 1920; Saint Joan (Sybil Thorndike) 1924; The Constant Nymph (Noel Coward) 1926; Richard of Bordeaux (John Gielgud) 1933 (472 performances); 1941 became home to Old Vic and Sadler Wells; The School for Scandal (Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh) 1949; The Cocktail Party (Rex Harrison, Margaret Leighton) 1950; The Millionairess (Katharine Hepburn) 1952; Oliver 1960 (2,618 performances)- name changed in 1973 to Albery - Anne of Green Gables 1965; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat 1973; Oliver (revival – ran 3 years) 1977; Candide 1977; Pal Joey 1981; Children of a Lesser God 1981; Torch Song Trilogy; Company (revival); Blood Brothers 1988; A Month in the Country (John Hurt, Helen Mirren) 1994; Five Guys Named Moe 1995; Private Lives (Alan Rickman) 2001; Blackbird 2006

Albion (Whitechapel)

Alcazar Music Hall - see Phoenix Theatre

*Aldwych Theatre -(Holborn/Covent Garden) Aldwych - opened 1905 with Bluebell in Fairyland (revival) - (1176 seats) – damaged during World War I – restored 1923 – home to farce - Gay Gordons 1907; Royal Shakespeare Company used as home (1960-1982) – September Tide (Gertrude Lawrence,Bryan Forbes) 1948; Streetcar Named Desire (Vivien Leigh) 1949; Under the Sycamore Tree (Alec Guiness)1952; The Homecoming; Pieces of Eight 1960 (300+); 1960 became home of Royal Shakespeare Company - Taming of the Shrew (Vanessa Redgrave) 1961; War of the Roses 1964; Homecoming 1965; London Assurance (Donald Sinden, Judi Dench) 1970 (transferred to New Theatre)(390); Travesties 1974; Zykovs (Paul Rogers,Mia Farrow) 1976; Privates on Parade 1977; Coriolanus 1979; Piaf (Jane Lapotaire) 1979; Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby (1980); Swan Down Gloves 1981; Andy Capp 1982; Whistle Down the Wind 1998; Secret Garden; Fame (10 years);

Aldwych Tube Station - situated in the Underground Station build 1898 and opened to public in 1907, then called Strand Station - Piccadilly Line was closed to passengers since 1994 - now used for small theatrical events with limited seating i.e. 50 in ticket booth area

Alexandra Palace - built 1873 - 2,500 seat theatre - Complicite is marking its 21st year by taking over one of London’s most imposing landmarks will spend the second half of 2004 raising the money to renovate Alexandra Palace to a degree where Complicite can perform there safely, before 2005 sees the company mount a piece about London society; Alexandra Palace was built in 1873 as a pleasure palace, which included a 2,500 seat theatre - restored 1920s and it was host to a number of pantomimes and previews of West End shows – including Gracie Field’s stage debut. From 1936 onwards, the BBC used the space as part of their television work, mostly as a props store. The 1980 Ally Pally fire left the theatre auditorium undamaged, although the dressing rooms were destroyed.After a turbulent history, "Ally Pally" as Londoners affectionately call it, has long been closed as a theatre. The "Pally" may serve as a semi-permanent home for Complicite for years to come

Alexandra Theatre – 3 theatres by this name; 1st Alexandra – hall in Highbury Barn 1861-1871; 2nd Alexandra – Park Street – Camden Town 1873 – 1879 became Park Theatre – burned down 1881 and never rebuilt; 3rd Alexandra in Stoke - Newington Road - built in 1897 – closed 1940 - demolished

Alhambra Palace Music Hall - Leicester Square – famous music hall – opened 1854 as exhibition centre – seating 3500 – changed to Palace; Music Hall; Theatre – as Alhambra in 1860 – 1882 burnt down – rebuilt – 1936 theatre demolished and Odeon Cinema erected on the site - Carmen 1903; Psyche 1909; Bing Boys are Here 1916

*Almeida - Almeida St., Islington (Angel Islington)

*Almeida at the Albery Theatre - (Leicester Square) St. Martin's Lane - Medea 1992

Almeida Theatre - built as science lecture theatre – 1837 – converted to theatre 1981-86 – 1st performance 1984 - Islington theatre will reopen spring 2003 after a multi-million pound refurbishment

Almost Free Theatre

*Ambassadors Theatre - see also New Ambassadors - West Street near St. Martin’s Lane - 1913 - (450 seats) - Rope (Brian Aherne) 1929; Mask of Virtue (Vivien Leigh) 1935 (117); Lace on Her Petticoat 1950 (190); Mousetrap (Richard Attenborough) opened here in 1952 before moving to St. Martin's in 1974; Les Liaisons Dangereuses; Shopping and F---ing 1996; being renamed Ambassadors June 2007

Apollo Hammersmith - 1932 – see London Apollo

Apollo Shaftesbury - see Apollo Theatre - 776 seats

*Apollo Theatre - (Piccadilly Circus)29 Shaftesbury Avenue - 1901 (775 seats)- Belle of Bohemia 1901; Girl From Kay's 1902; Treasure Hunt 1949 (11 months); Tiger at the Gates (Michael Redgrave) 1955; Boeing Boeing (3 years); Alpha Beta; Forty Years On 1968; Forget Me Not Lane 1971; Norman Conquests 1975 (700 performances); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf 2006 - Jan/05 - Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is reportedly in talks to sell some of his West End theatres. He currently owns eleven, making him the predominant West End theatre owner, but is considering selling The Apollo, The Garrick, The Duchess and The Lyric.

*Apollo Victoria - (Victoria) 17 Wilton Road - 1930 - (2208 seats) - opened as the New Victoria Cinema (2500)- converted to a theatre - closed in the 1950s and reopened in 1980 - Starlight Express opened 1984 (17 years when it closes January 12/02)- 2nd longest running musical in West End history; Movin’ Out (James Fox) 2006

Aquarium Theatre – see Imperial Theatre

Aquatic Theatre – see Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Arcola Theatre - 27 Arcola Street - converted textile factory on the borders of Stoke Newington/Dalston into one of London’s largest and most adaptable fringe venues

Argyll Rooms – see Trocadero Palace of Varieties

Arts Laboratory – Drury Lane 1968 – closed 1969

Arts Theatre – Arts Theatre - 1927 – 6-7 Great Newport Street – private club incorporated into theatre is to re-open historic 340-seat theatre, which was the first London home to the Royal Shakespeare Company and which marks its 75th anniversary in 2007, has been renovated and given a new lease of life - will host an eclectic mix of theatre, comedy, music and visual art shows - Arts Theatre faced demolition & may close as early as July 15/05 whole block being redeveloped for commercial - First Class Passengers Only (Edith Sitwell) 1927; first imporant production Young Woodley 1928 – transferred to commerical theatre; Chinese White 1929; in 1950s and 1960s important avant-garde theatre venue - Listen to the Wind 1955; Waltz of the Toreadors 1956; Comedy of Errors 1956; Four to the Bar 1961; Dirty Linen/New-Found-Land 1976 - played after engagement at Almost Free Theatre 1976 (1,667); Slice of Saturday Night 1989; was the first London home to the Royal Shakespeare Company which marks its 75th anniversary in 2007 - Built in 1927, the Arts started as theatre club to avoid the Lord Chamberlain’s stage censorship. In the 1940s and 50s, a young Peter Hall directed the UK premieres of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Eugene O'Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra and Jean Anouilh’s Waltz of the Toreadors. Other notable UK or world premieres have included Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker, Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane, O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh and Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer. From 1966 to 1988, following a short-lived inaugural capital venture for the RSC, the Unicorn Children’s Theatre set up residence at the Arts - closing August 2008 for renovation?;2nd – Arts Theatre – see Cambridge

Astley's Amphitheatre - 1844-1865 known as Astley's Royal Amphitheatre of Arts; Astley's Royal Amphitheatre; Astley's; Europe's National Amphitheatre – South bank of Thames in Westminster Bridge Road – 1769 – originally open circus ring – 1784 covered amphitheatre built – fire 1794 and reopened 1795 as the Royal Grove – fire 1803 – rebuilt as Royal Amphitheatre – Blood-Red Knight; or Fatal Bridge 1810; Battle of Waterloo 1824; Buonaparte’s Invasion of Russia; or, the Conflagration of Moscow 1825 - fire 1830 – 1841 burnt down – rebuilt – 1862 renamed Theatre Royal, Westminster – reconstructed 1872/3 seating 2407 as Sanger’s Grand National Amphitheatre – closed 1893 and demolished 1895

Astoria Theatre- Atmospheric style - 1927 from converted warehouse - originally cinema - venue seated 2,000 and films shown for nearly 50 years - 1976 live theatre productions – Elvis 1977; Hired Man 1984 - later transformed to music venue - Madonna, G-A-Y club nights, Rolling Stones - theatre to be demolished and new 250 seat theatre to be included in redevelopment as early as January 2009

Avenue Theatre - 1882 - see Playhouse - in 1933 and closed in 1951

B

Banqueting House - Whitehall – 1622 – venue for masques and plays

*Battersea Arts Centre - (BAC) – 176 Lavender Hill – originally a town hall – main theatre space is old council chamber – also 2 smaller studio spaces

Battersea Palace - 1886-1924 – also known as Washington Battersea

Bedford Music-Hall – Camden High Street – built on part of tea garden of Bedford Arms – 1861 – 1168 seats – 1949 closed – demolished 1969

Beeston’s Boys – group of boy actors trained by William Beeston 1630s – used Salisbury Court until wrecked by Commonwealth soldiers in 1649

Belgrade Theatre – Coventry – 1958 – 900 seats – Belgrade Venue – stages experimental works

Belgravia Theatre – see Royal Court

Bell Tavern – in Gracious (now Gracechurch) – inn used as theatre - continued use as theatre until after 1583 – Queen Elizabeth’s Men performed here

Bel Savage Tavern on Ludgate Hill – inn used as theatre – Queen Elizabeth’s Men performed here – continued use as theatre until at least 1588

Belt and Braces – fringe theatre

BFI Southbank - see National Film Theatre

Bijou Theatre – were 2 small theatres of this name – 1st Bijou in Haymarket – concert hall attached to Royal Opera House (later Her Majesty’s Theatre) – burned down with Opera House 1876; 2nd Bijou – a hall in Archer Street, Bayswater – renamed Bijou in 1886 – Philanderer and You Never Can Tell 1898 and Man and Superman 1903 - renamed Century in 1925 – became a warehouse

Blackfriar's Playhouse - opened 1576 - in 1609 became the headquarters for the King's Men - destroyed in 1655

Blackfriar's Theatre – 2 theatres built within boundaries of old monastery – 1st 1576 part of building became theatre with plays given by choirboys – unused after 1584; in 1596 another theatre; theatres closed in 1642 – 2nd Blackfriars fell into disrepair after 1642 and demolished 1655 due to concern that masses could spread plague

Black Theatre – over 30 black Afro-Caribbean companies in Britain

Black Theatre Co-operative (BTC) – founded 1979 – originally used The Factory, Riverside and Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Black Theatre Forum

Blood Group – women’s experimental touring group founded 1980

Bloomsbury Theatre - 15 Gordon Street - 550 seats - UCL Bloomsbury was officially opened in 1968 as The Collegiate Theatre, and is owned and funded by University College London. The theatre was renamed in 1982 to reflect its geographical location, as well as the culltural associations of the name, as the Bloomsbury Theatre. In 2001 it was renamed again to integrate its position within the university as The UCL Bloomsbury

Boar’s Head – in Whitechapel - inn used as theatre as early as 1557 when lewd play “A Sack Full of News,” caused actors to be arrested – continued to be used until after 1616; a 2nd Boar’s Head, Middlesex, was is use between 1602 and 1608

*Bob Hope Theatre - Wythfield Road, Eltham

Borderline - 16 Manette Street - Music and book retailer HMV Group is to step into the UK’s £1 billion live music arena in venture with the MAMA Group - move will see 11 music venues around the UK - including the Jazz Cafe in Camden, Edinburgh’s the Picture House and the Borderline in London - taken into joint ownership. Several venues, including the 5,100-seat Hammersmith Apollo, will be re-named with the HMV brand during the ten-year deal

Boudoir Theatre - Orestes 1912

Bower Theatre, Lambeth - opened 1837 - closed 1877

Boy Companies – acting troupes of choirboys attached to the Chapels Royal in London & Windsor & St. Paul’s Cathedral – 16th and early 17th centuries formed important part of London’s theatrical world – as early as 1378 – but not until 1517 became regular dramatic group

*Bridewell Theatre - (St. Bride's Church - off Fleet Street near Blackfriars Station) - founded in 1994 - former indoor Victorian swimming pool - produces small scale musicals as well as plays - i.e. works of Sondheim - Pacific Overtures; Saturday Night 1997; Moving On 2000 - Launched January 1944 - losing home on Bride Lane as of January 2005 - closing down operations - 2005 - theatre itself has been given a new lease of life after two of London's major amateur companies, Stock Exchange Dramatic and Operatic Society (SEDOS - oldest amateur dramatic group in London, celebrates its 100th birthday in 2005) and the Tower Theatre Company (has been entertaining audiences in North London for over 70 years)

British Actors’ Equity Association – founded 1929

British Asian Theatre

British Drama League – founded 1919 – now known as British Theatre Association

British Film Institute - see National Film Theatre

British National Opera Company – formed 1922 – dissolved 1929

Brittania Music Hall – Southwark - see Rotunda

Brittania Theatre - High Street, Hoxton – originally Brittania Saloon with music hall entertainments – 1841 rebuilt in 1858 to seat 3923 - in 1923 became a cinema – demolished by bombs in 1940

Brixton Academy Theatre - Atmospheric style

Brixton Empress Theatre - 1898-1992 – also known as Empress, Express Theatre of Varieties, Enpress Music Hall, Granada Cinema, Carlton Grove, Brighton Terrace, Brixton

Brixton Theatre and Opera House - opened 1851 - Canterbury Theatre of Varieties 1904-1912 and 1914-1922 - destroyed 1942

Broadway - film theatre

Brunswick Theatre – see Royalty

Bubble Theatre Company – now called London Bubble – founded 1972 – touring company

Buckingham Palace Ballroom -built 1853-1855 for Queen Victoria - opened 1856 with a ball to celebrate the end of the Crimean War - state banquets, formal receptions, investitures, and concerts

Bull (Bishops Gate) – inn used as theatre – used for plays from about 1576 until after 1594 – Queen’s Men played here in 1583

Bush Theatre - considered off West End - in the Fringe and Firkin Pub, Shepherd's Bush Green (Shepherd's Bush) - founded 1972 above the Bush Pub - pub has changed hands but the theatre remains upstairs

Buskers – performers in city streets, beaches and seaside resorts – primarly Italian

C

Cabarets – form of entertainment, perhaps originated in the Weimar Germany of the 1930s, the music halls and night clubs of Britain i.e. Greek Street, Soho – late night cabaret club – now have Comedy Store and Comic Strip Club – pubs, like Jongleurs, Battersea, Hackney Empire – many cabarets in New York city, and other major centres keep the art form alive

Cadogan Hall>/b> - 5 Sloane Terrace

Cafe de Paris - Noel Coward 1951

Camberwell Palace and Metropole Theatres - 1899-1956 – see Oriental Palace of Varieties

Cambridge Music Hall - Shoreditch -

*Cambridge Theatre - (Covent Garden) Earlham Street - 1930 - (1287 seats) - art deco – Charlotte’s Masquerade (Beatrice Lillie) 1930; On the Spot (Charles Laughton); Kong; Elizabeth of England; 1939 theatre became venue for trade shows and occasional concerts; Heartbreak House (Deborah Kerr) 1942; Peter Pan (Glynis Johns); A Night in Venice 1944; Sauce Piquant (Audrey Hepburn) 1950; Reluctant Debutante (Anna Massey,Celia Johnson,Wilfrid Hyde White) 1955 (752); Crooked Mile 1959 (164); Wrong Side of the Park (Margaret Leighton) 1960 (22 weeks); Billy Liar 1960; Signpost to Murder (Margaret Lockwood) 1962 (419); Half a Sixpence (Tommy Steele) 1963; Little Me 1964; The Judge 1967; Ann Veronica 1969; National Theatre season 1970; Captain Brassbound’s Conversion (Ingrid Bergman) 1971; West of Suez 1971; Behind the Fringe (Peter Cook,Dudley Moore) 1972; Tom Brown's Schooldays (Roy Dotrice) 1972; The Black Mikado (Michael Denison) 1974; The Three Sisters 1976; Anastasia 1976; Chicago 1977; Troubador 1978; The Last of Mrs Cheney (Joan Collins) 1980; One Mo’ Time 1981; Man and Superman (Peter O’Toole) 1983; Dear Anyone 1983; - restored in 1987 by Stoll Moss – Peter Pan 1987; D’Oyly Carte 1988; Budgie 1988; Return to the Forbidden Planet 1989; Sherlock Holmes – the Musical Ron Moody) 1989; Return to the Forbidden Planet (3 years) 1989 ;Chicago; Fame - the Musical 1995; Grease 1996; Great Balls of Fire 1999; 2000 became Really Useful Theatre - Beautiful Game 2000; Our House 2002; Jerry Springer – the Opera 2003; Something Wicked This Way Comes 2005; Dancing in the Streets 2005

Camden Festival - 1954

Camden Palace - see Royal Camden

Camden Theatre - – also known as Camden Hippodrome, Royal Camden, Music Machine, Camden Palace and currently Koko

Canterbury Arms – 1852 opened hall for musical programmes – adjacent to the Canterbury Music Hall

Canterbury Music Hall – Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth – 1852 – originally called Canterbury Hall – 1500 seats – demolished by bombs 1942

Capitol Theatre - Haymarket

Carlton Theatre - 1927 – 61-65 Haymarket - designed with cinema and stage use – unused – covered by large sign board - see Cinema

Catford Lewisham Hippodrome - 1911-1961

Central School of Speech and Drama – established 1906+

Century Theatre – see Adelphi and Bijou

Charing Cross Theatre – King William Street 1872– Rivals – first play of consequence - originally Polygraphic Hall – 1876 renamed Folly – 1895 demolished for extension of Charing Cross Hospital

Cheek by Jowl – British touring theatre company – founded 1981 – have performed in some 200 towns

Chelsea Palace Theatre - 1903-1957

Chelsea Theatre – see Royal Court

Chiswick Empire Theatre – Chiswick – see Music Hall - demolished

Cinema - new venue currently occupied by the Cineworld cinema on London's Haymarket in Piccadilly - built in 1927, the site was formerly known as the Carlton Theatre and was designed to be used as both a cinema and a playhouse - From Feb. 2/08, the building will return to its dual-purpose use when Brief Encounter, begins previews. The show will officially open on Feb. 17.The owners of the Cineworld will still have two cinema screens available after the main auditorium has been converted back to stage use - Cineworld, is considering accompanying the Brief Encounter with films from the 1940s

Cineworld - see Cinema - built 1927 as Carlton Theatre (see also)

Cineworld Chelsea - 1910 opened as Palaseum Rink and Picture Palace - 1911 became Kings Picture Playhouse - 1943 became Ritz - 1972 became Classic Curzon Cinema Chelsea - closed 1973 and became King's Road Theatre - Rocky Horror Picture Show played here until 1979 - then converted back to cinema - Classic 1-2-3-4 Chelsea 1980 - then Cannon, MGM, Virgin and UGC Chelsea - became Cineworld 2005

Cineworld Hammersmith - replaced 2 earlier cinemas on site 9Blue Hall 1 and 2-Annexe 1936 - renamed ABC in 1964 and tripled 1975 - became UGC and now Cineworld

Cirque de Soleil - Cirque du Soleil considers setting up a permanent home in London at the site of the one-time Millennium Dome in Greenwich

City of London Theatre – Norton Folgate – 2500 seats - there in 1837 – Pickwick Papers 1837; Royal City of London 1843; New City of London Theatre 1859 – 1871 destroyed by fire

City Palace of Varieties – Leeds – only surviving full-time music hall – restored to house BBC’s Good Old Days

City Pantheon – see City Theatre

City Theatre – Grub Street (later Milton) – converted chapel 1829/30 – name changed to City Pantheon 1830 – last used 1836 – became warehouse

Clapham Grand - 1900 – now used as nightclub – also known as Grand, New Grand Theatre of Varieties, Essoldo Cinema, Mecca Bingo, Grand Nightclub

Clean Break – touring company formed by women’s ex-prisoners – started 1978

Coal Hole Strand – song-and-supper club early 1800s

Coburg Theatre – see Old Vic

Cochrane - built on side of St. Martin’s College of Art - originally venue for student productions – 300+ seats

Cockpit – Drury Lane, Westminster – built for cockfights 1609 – converted to theatre 1616 – burnt down 1617 – rebuilt as Phoenix – closed 1642; 2nd – Gateforth Street – children’s theatre 1970 (120-240 seats)

Cockpit-in-Court – edge of St. James Park – converted to playhouse 1604 – reconstructed 1632 and 1660 but not used as theatre after 1664

*Coliseum - (Leicester Square) St. Martin's Lane - see London Coliseum – originally a Music Hall 1904 (2358 seats) – closed 1906 – reopened 1908 – White Horse Inn 1931; Vagabond King 1937 - closed again 1960 and reopened 1961 as cinema – 1968 modernized and taken over by Sadler’s Wells Opera Company

Collegiate Theatre - Dogg's Hamlet/Cahoot's Macbeth 1979

Collin’s Music Hall – 10 Islington Green – originally room in Lansdowne Arms Public House – used since 1851 – 1863 replaced by new building (600 seats) – 1897 rebuilt and enlarged for repertory theatre – damaged by fire 1958 and demolished – currently bookshop

Coliseum - 1904

Colosseum – Albany Street – Regent’s Park – 1830s – occasionally used for plays – closed 1840

*Comedy Theatre - (Leicester Square) Panton Street off Haymarket – 1881 - 796 seats - opened with series of light operas 1881 - Peg O’ My Heart (Laurette Taylor) 1914 (710 perf) - (796 seats) - reconstructed 1911, 1933 and 1954 - One Summer's Day 1897; Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman 1906 (351); For Better For Worse (Geraldine McEwan,Leslie Phillips) 1952 (607); Dear Love; View From the Bridge; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1956 to 1959); Day in the Death of Joe Egg 1967; Colette 1980; Gambler 1986; Steptoe & Son 2006

Community Theatre - using local halls, open-air etc.

Corinthian Bazaar - see London Palladium – also known as Henglers Grand Cirque, National Skating Palace, Royal Italian Circus

Coronet - 1898 – 103-111 High Street – built as theatre but became cinema

Cottesloe Theatre – 400 seats - see National Theatre – opened with Illuminatos 1977

Court Theatre – see Royal Court

Covent Garden Community Theatre

Covent Garden – Theatre Royal- see Royal Opera House – Bow Street – theatre here since 1732 (1897 seats) – Way of the World 1732 – 1782 gutted and reconstructed and again 1792 – 1808 theatre burnt down – rebuilt (2800 seats) – Timoor the Tarta 1811; Planche’s Cortez, or the Conquest of Mexico 1823; - theatre closed 1842 – reopened 1847 as Royal Italian Opera House (4000 seats) – burnt down 1856 – new theatre opened 1858 – 1970 seating increased to 2158 – renamed Royal Opera 1892

*Criterion Theatre - (Piccadilly Circus) Piccadilly Circus – originally adjunct to Spiers and Pond’s Criterion Restaurant - 1873 - (591 seats) – reconstructed 1883 and closed as unsafe - An American Lady 1895 and closed again in 1903 - built entirely underground- restored in 1992 - French Without Tears; became cinema 1934 and converted to BBC studio in 1939 - reopened in 1992 refurbished - Clean Kill (Rachel Roberts) 1959 (142); Absurd Person Singular; Butley 1971; Tomfoolery 1980; Run for Your Wife as of 1987 over 1,800 performances; Real Inspector Hound; Play's The Thing 1995 (49);

Cross Keys – inn used as theatre – Gracechurch Street , near the Bell, before 1579 until about 1596 – Strange’s Men played here 1589 and 1594

Crouch End Hippodrome - 1896-1940 - – also known as Crouch End Opera House, Queens Hill, Hippodrome

Croydon Grand Theatre - Built 1896 - used for melodrama and light plays. In the 1920s used as a touring venue. Closed 1940-1942 – after World War II used for seasons of repertory drama and an annual pantomime until 1957 - demolished in 1959

Croydon Empire - 1896-1959

Croydon Hippodrome - see Croydon Empire

Crystal Palace - 1851-1936

Curtain Theatre - in existence in late 1500s – in Curtain Close, Finsbury Fields, Shoreditch - see the Globe – Romeo and Juliet 1595; Henry V 1599 - from 1603-1609 Queen Anne’s Men occupied it – not used after 1622

Cyder Cellars – song-and-supper club early 1800s

D

Daly's Theatre - 1893 -1937 – Cranbourn Street, on the site of Warner West End - Leicester Square – 600 seats – Taming of the Shrew 1893; Maid of the Mountains (1352 perf); Artist's Model 1895; Merry Widow 1907; Merveilleuses 1906; Sirocco(Ivor Novello)1927(28) – closed 1937 – now Warner Cinema

Davenant’s Lincoln’s Inn Fields - – tennis court theatre 1661

Davis’s Royal Amphitheatre – see Astley’s Amphitheatre

Denhof Opera Company – 1910 – London touring company

Deptford Broadway Theatre - built 1897 - 1911 converted to cinema, renamed "Granada Cinema"- demolished in the 1960s for shops

Derngate Theatre - Arts and Conference Centre

*Dominion Theatre - (Tottenham Court Road) Tottenham Court Road - 1929 – 200+ seats – nearly 3000 in 1930s – formerly huge brewery site - designed for both theatre and film house - 1958 Todd-AO equipment installed - saved from demolition as part of office development in 1990 and restored instead - art deco exterior and interior – Time 1986; Bernadette 1990; Grand Hotel; Grease (3 years); Beauty and the Beast; Notre Dame de Paris; We Will Rock You 2005

*Donmar Warehouse - (Covent Garden) 41 Earlham Street - originally a stable, then brewery - became film studio in 1920 and converted to theatre in 1960 – 252 seats – 1961 on used as rehearsal space - Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood 1985; Noel and Gertie 1986; Load of Old Sequins 1987; renovated in 1992 – Fix 1997; Cabaret; Blue Room 1998; The Cut (Ian McKellen) 2006; – one of London’s leading producing theatres – since 1992 has received 29 Olivier Awards, 17 Critic’s Circle Awards, 9 Evening Standard Awards as well as 12 Tony Awards from 8 Broadway productions

Dorset Garden Theatre – also known as Duke’s, or Duke of York’s, fronted Thames to South of Salisbury Count – 1671 – opened with Sir Martin Mar-All 1671 - theatre deserted 1682 – 1689 renamed Queen’s Theatre – demolished 1709

D’Oyly Carte Opera Company – founded 1876 – based at Savoy Theatre after 1881

Drill Hall - Chenies St – 1882 – 1975 section of building became theatre and 1984 theatre moved to main hall – 200 seats

*Drury Lane, Theatre Royal - (Covent Garden)- London’s most famous theatre – now the 4th on this site – 1st Opened in 1663 as Theatre Royal, Brydges Street (2188 seats)- Humorous Lieutenant 1663 - 1666 theatre closed re plague and Great Fire – damaged by fire in 1672 - new theatre designed by Sir Christopher Wren opened in 1674 – 2nd Theatre Royal in Drury Lane (2000 seats) – 1674 – closed 1676 and again 1709 – Loves of Mars and Venus 1717; major alterations 1775 – 1780 damaged during Gordon Riots – 3rd - 1791 theatre rebuilt (3611 seats) – opened 1794 – burnt down 1809 – 4th – 2283 seats – opened 1812 – 1921-2 interior reconstructed - School for Scandal; Catherine Street - torn down in 1791 and rebuilt with seating for 3,500 - replaced by present structure in 1812 - 2237 seats - making it the oldest theatre in England that is still in use – The Whip 1909; Pageant of Drury Lane 1918; Cavalcade 1931; Glamorous Night 1935; Careless Rapture 1936; Dancing Years 1939; Pacific 1860 1946; From 1947 to 1958 Drury Lane had only 5 American musicals, which accounted for 16 years of the theatre - Oklahoma 1947 (1,548); Carousel 1950 (566); South Pacific 1951 (802); King and I 1953 (926); My Fair Lady (over 2000 performances) 1958; Four Musketeers 1967; Mame (Ginger Rogers) 1969; Great Waltz 1970 (2 years); Gone With the Wind 1972; Billy 1974; A Chorus Line 1976 (over 2 ½ years); Evening with Alan Jay Lerner 1987; Miss Saigon 1989; Witches of Eastwick 2000; Forty Second Street 1984; Chorus Line; Miss Saigon (broke My Fair Lady's record); The Producers 2005

*Duchess Theatre - (Covent Garden) Catherine Street, off Aldwych - 1929 (476 seats) – 1919 housed productions by People’s National Theatre Co - Night Must Fall 1935; Corn is Green 1938; The Deep Blue Sea 1952; Caretaker 1960; Isabel’s a Jezebel 1970; Collaborators, Dirtiest Show in Town; Oh Calcutta 1974 to 1980; No Sex Please We're British; Glorious 2005; - Jan/05 - Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is reportedly in talks to sell some of his West End theatres. He currently owns eleven, making him the predominant West End theatre owner, but is considering selling The Apollo, The Garrick, The Duchess and The Lyric.

*Duke of York's Theatre - (Leicester Square) St. Martin's Lane - 1892 (650 seats) - built as Trafalgar Square Theatre 900 seats – The Wedding Eve 1892; Master Builder 1893 - changed its name in 1895 to Duke of York’s - Madame Butterfly/Miss Hobbs 1900; The Admirable Crichton 1902; Peter Pan 1904 (revived every Christmas until 1915); Enchanted Cottage 1922 (64); Easy Virtue Noel Coward) 1926; Jew Suss (Peggy Ashcroft); Madame Butterfly 1932; damaged during WW I – closed 1940-43 - Shadow and Substance 1943; Moby Dick (Joan Plowright) (1950s); The Happy Marriage (1950s); Point of Departure (Mai Zetterling, Dirk Bogarde) (1950s); House by the Lake 1956 (928); One Over the Eight (1960s); The Killing of Sister George (Beryl Reid, Eileen Atkins) 1965; Relatively Speaking (Celia Johnson, Michael Hordern) 1960s; Seagull 1975; Half Life (John Gielgud); Clouds (Tom Courtenay); - closed 1979 for refurbishment – Rose (Glenda Jackson) 1980; Duet For One 1981; American Buffalo (Al Pacino); Stepping Out; Shirley Valentine 1989 (over 2 years); Death and the Maiden 1992; Oleanna 1993; The Rocky Horror Show 1996; Beautiful Thing; Broken Glass; Royal Court season 1995; The Man Most Likely To; The Changing Room 1995; The Weir 1996 (2 years); Stones in His Pocket 2000 (3 years); After Mrs. Rochester; Sweet Panic; Calico; The Holy Terror; Dirty Blonde; Journey’s End; The Dresser; Hedda Gabler; Tom, Dick and Harry; I Am My Own Wife; Embers (Jeremy Irons) 2006

Duke's Theatre – see Holborn Theatre - built 1671 by Sir Christopher Wren, on the former grounds of Dorset House (which had been destroyed by the Great Fire) – 1000 seats - known as "Dorset Garden Theatre" - used by "The Duke's Players" - after 1682 used for entertainment shows, wrestling, and musical competitions - 1689 renamed "Queen's Theatre” - demolished 1709

Dust Hole – see Scala Theatre

E

Eagle Tavern – situated on City Road – 1844 – music hall of the era – small hall attached to the Public House

Ealing Theatre - 1899 as "Ealing Hippdrome" - later renamed "Ealing Theatre" - 1906 rebuilt - later named "Lyric Palladium" - demolished 1958

East London Theatre – see Royalty

Eden Palace of Varieties – see Kingsway

Effingham Theatre, Stepney (changed to East London Theatre)-built in 1834 and closed in 1897

Elephant & Castle Theatre, Southwark - opened 1872 – Newington Butts - closed 1928 - 1932 became a cinema

Embassy Theatre – Hampstead – 1928 – opened with Yellow Streak 1928 – damaged by bombing Second World War – closed 1957 and taken over by Central School of Speech and Drama

Emma Abbott English Opera Company – found 1878 – toured – 35 new opera houses were dedicated by this company

Empire Cinema - opened 1884 as music hall with 3000 seats - demolished and rebuilt 1928 - gutted and reopened 1962 - incorporated Ritz Cinema (adjacent) and became triplex - 2008 screens 4 & 5 opened

Empire Islington - 1860 on Music Hall – also known as Philharmonic Hall, Philharmonic Theatre, Grand Theatre Islington, Islington Empire

Empire Theatre – Wood Green – Leicester Square – famous music hall – originally theatre 1884-1886 housed burlesque – on site of Saville House, home of George II when Prince of Wales – 1887 became Empire Theatre of Varieties – successful musical comedies like Lilac Domino began long run – Irene 1920; Rebel Maid 1921; Lady Be Good 1926 - 1927 closed – demolished and replaced by cinema – closed and gutted 1961 – interior reconstructed as cinema and dance hall; 2nd – Empire – Islington – see Grand Theatre

Empire Theatre - now site of Empire Cinema - stands on site of Saville House - burned down 1865; the Alcazar opened 1883 Empire dates from the 1890s

Empire Theatre - Badham – 1902-1909 - also known as Badham Hippodrome, Duchess Palace, Duchess Theatre

Empire Theatre Kingston - 1910-1956 - – also known as New Empire

Empress Brixton - 1898-1992 – also known as Empress Theatre, Empress Theatre of Varieties, Empres Music Hall, Granada Cinema, Carlton Grove, Brighton Terrace, Brixton

Emsbury Park Empire - 1910-1965

English Comedians – troupes of English actors who toured the continent during late 16th and early 17th centuries

*English National Ballet

English National Opera – previously Sadler’s Wells Opera Company – opened 1974

English Opera Group – formed 1947 – reformed 1975 as English Music Theatre Company

English School Theatre – established 1936 – childrens’ theatre

English Stage Company (at the Royal Court) – started 1956 at the Royal Court – 1969 Theatre Upstairs opened

Entertainments National Service Association – formed 1938-9 to provide entertainment for British and Allied armed forces and war workers during World War II – headquarters at Drury Lane Theatre

*Etcetera Theatre Club - Oxford Arms Pub - 265 Camden High Street (Camden Town) - 5 or 6 rows of seats

Euston Music Hall – see Regent Theatre

Euston Theatre of Varieties - 1900-1960 – also known as Euston Palace of Varieties, Euston Theatre, Euston Music Hall, Regent Theatre

Evans’s – King Street, Covent Garden – best known song-and-supper room – 1820 – closed 1880 – 1934 taken over by Players’ Club

Everyman Theatre – Hampstead – 1920-1926 – originally a drill hall - 1947 converted to cinema – opened with Bonds of Interest 1920; Getting George Married (Rex Harrison)1930;

Expressionism - associated with Germany and the likes of Buchner, Wedekind and Strindberg

F

Fairs – Saint Bartholomew, Smithfield, Southwark, Greenwich, Mayfair – always theatrical entertainments i.e. puppet shows

Farce/Light Comedy - began at Whitehall Theatre in 1942

*Finborough Theatre - located above a pub at 118 Finborough Road, London (Earl's Court) - has been a fringe venue for about 20 years - since 1994 the resident company is Steam Industry

Finsbury Park Empire Theatre – demolished

Fitzroy Theatre – see Scala Theatre

Foco Novo – fringe theatre – British touring company founded 1972 – ceased producing in 1988 after Arts Council withdrew funding

Folies-Dramatiques - see Kingsway Theatre

Folly Theatre – see Charing Cross Theatre

Foresters Music Hall - 1870-1965

Fortune Theatre- Golden Lane, Cripplegate, Clerkenwell – 1600 – to house Admiral’s Men (1000 seats – 1621 burnt down – reopened 1602 – 1649 interior dismantled – demolished 1661 due to concern of masses spreading plague;

2nd – *Fortune Theatre - (Covent Garden) Russell Street - 1924 (440 seats); built on site of old Albion Tavern – based on Shakespeare’s Fortune Theatre – first theatre to be built in London after World War I - 2001 - purchased by Ambassador Theatre Group (Duke of York's, Picadilly, Phoenix, New Ambassador's and Comedy as well)- The Sinners 1924 (2 weeks); On Approval 1927 (469); The Promise (Judi Dench,Ian McShane,Ian McKellen) 1967 (289) ; At the Drop of a Hat 1957 (over 700 perf.); Beyond the Fringe (Dudley Moore,Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, Alan Bennett) 1961 (1184); Mr. Cinders; Double Double; Nunsense; Dangerous Obsession; Fortune 1967 (nearly 300 perf); Suddenly at Home 1971; Murder in the Vicarage 1976 - transferred from Savoy; Suddenly at Home; The Woman in Black 1989 (17th year 2006);

Franco-British Exhibition: Palace of Music - 1908 for the Franco-British Exhibition that took place at the same time as the 1908 Olympic Games in nearby "White City Stadium" - subsequently used by other exhibitions - later area was used partly by the BBC, partly as a housing estate. 1995 the "White City" was bought by a building society that plans to convert the site into a huge shopping centre

Frederick's (Late Wilson's) Royal Palace of Varieties - opened 1850 and closed by fire in 1877 – see Wilton’s

Fringe Theatres – well over 50 fringe theatres in London – seating ranging from 40 to 200 seats – few actually built as theatres – King’s Head, Islington; Soho Poly; Orange Tree at Richmond; Bush at Shepherd’s Bush; Half Moon at Towers Hamlets; Foco Novo, Shared Experience; Belt and Braces; Hull Truck; Pip Simmons Theatre Group; Joint Stock; 7:84 Theatre Companies (1971)

Fulham Grand Theatre – see Grand Theatre - built 1897 - closed ca. 1950 - demolished in 1958

G

Gaiety Theatre - on site of Citibank House between Catherine St. & Wellington St – East end of Strand – opened as Strand Musick Hall 1864 – closed 1866 – new building erected 1126 seats as Gaiety in 1868 – burlesque – demolished 1903; 2nd Gaiety – nearby with 1267 seats – 1903 – closed 1939 – demolished 1957 - Circus Girl 1896; Orchid 1904; Our Miss Gibbs 1909; Theodore & Co 1916; 3rd – Gaiety 1903 – demolished 1957

Garden Theatre, Dorset - 1671

Garrick Club – gentlemen’s club – 700 members with strong theatrical associations – 1831 – present club house opened 1864 – Old Rose Street

Garrick Theatre - (Charing Cross) Charing Cross Road - there in 1889 - (656 seats) - built by W.S. Gilbert - river runs under the foundations – Profligate 1890; long run with A Pair of Spectacles; Fairy's Dilemma 1904; Lady With a Lamp (Edith Evans) 1929 (22 weeks); Living for Pleasure 1958; Cindy-Ella or I Gotta Shoe 1962; Sing a Rude Song; Death Trap 1978-1981; No Sex Please We're British; An Inspector Calls 1995; You Never Can Tell 2006; 4th Gaiety Theatre – 70 Leman St., Whitechapel – 1831 – burnt down 1846 – rebuilt and reopened 1854 – building fell into disuse after 1881; - Jan/05 - Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is reportedly in talks to sell some of his West End theatres. He currently owns eleven, making him the predominant West End theatre owner, but is considering selling The Apollo, The Garrick, The Duchess and The Lyric.

Gate Theatre - considered off West End - above Prince Albert Pub - 11 Pembridge Road, Notting Hill Gate (Notting Hill Gate) - started 1979 - flexible seating - 65 seats; 2nd Gate Theatre – experimental theatre club in Florat Street, Covent Garden – 96 seats – 1925 – opened with Bernice - moved to Villiers Street, off Strand; 3rd Gate opened 1927 – 1941 extensively damaged by bombing and never reopened

Gatti’s Villiers Street – 1856 – restaurant demolished for Charing Cross Station – reopened in Westminster Bridge Road 1865 – licenced music hall – also formed Gatti’s-Under-the-Arches (original nicknamed Gatti’s-Over-the-Water) – rebuilt 1893 (1183 seats) as Gatti’s Palace of Varieties – closed 1924 – demolished 1950; Gatti’s-Under-the-Arches was renamed Hungerford Music Hall 1883 and later Charing Cross Music Hall – closed 1903 and in 1910 became cinema – 1927-41 part of site was Gate Theatre and 1946 another part became Players’ Theatre

Gay Sweatshop – British theatre company founded 1975

George Inn - 77 Borough High Street – London’s last surviving fragment of a galleried inn – old part dates from 1670s – plays occasionally performed here

Gibbons’ Tennis Court – see Vere Street Theatre

* Gielgud - (Piccadilly Circus) Shaftesbury Avenue - 1906 – originally stood as half and Quen’s Theatre was other half - (888 seats) as the Hicks - renamed The Globe in 1909 - Our Betters (over 500 perf); Fallen Angels; The Lady's Not for Burning 1949; Man for All Seasons; Private Ear, the Public Eye 1962 (549); Play It Again Sam (Dudley Moore) 1969; renamed Gielgud in 1994 to celebrate Sir. John's 90th birthday; Lettuce and Lovage; The Graduate

Globe Theatre – 1st - Shakespeare's Globe - built originally as the Theatre in Shoreditch, 1576, by James Burbage - Shakespeare's company moved across the road to the Curtain Theatre in 1597 - later moved and rebuilt the wooden "O" in 1599 near the Rose Theatre, not more than 200 yards from where the Globe stands today; Moved: To Bankside, 1599, by Cuthbert Burbage, and named the new Globe Theatre - opened with Julius Caesar (1,500 seats and standing) Destroyed: By fire, 1612, during a performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII, thanks to the thatched roof – reopened 1614 until 1642 - demolished: By the Puritans in 1644 – 2nd – 1800 seat Newcastle Street near Opera Comique – 1868 – Cyril’s Success 1868 - demolished 1902; Re-construction: Work begins on the building in 1992, completed in 1997 - Costs: Old - £700 to build, New - £10 million is still needed to complete the next three phases of the project - Capacity: Old - approx 3000, New - 1600 Other famous Globes: 2nd Globe Theatre, Strand, built in 1868 by Sefton Parry, and closed due to fire risk in 1902. The 3rd Globe, Shaftesbury Avenue, opened 1906 (as the Seymour Hicks Theatre), with The Beauty of Bath (transferred from Adelphi) - re-named the Globe in 1909 and became the Gielgud in 1994; - reopened with new theatre in Southwark in 1996 - Fallen Angels (Tallulah Bankhead,Edna Best)1925 (158); Ring Round the Moon 1950 (682); After the Ball 1954; Private Ear/Public Eye (Maggie Smith) 1962 (549); Notes on a Love Affair; Match Girls 1966; Chez Nous (Albert Finney,Denholm Elliot,Geraldine McEwan) 1974;Rear Column (Jeremy Irons,Simon Ward) 1978 (44); Songbook 1979; Mitford Girls 1981; 4th Globe (Shakespeare’s Globe) *Shakespeare’s Globe - (London Bridge/Mansion House) New Globe Walk,Bankside - 900 seats

Globe Theatre - Eighty in the Shade (Sybil Thorndike) 1959; Chez Nous (Albert Finney,Denholm Elliot,Geraldine McEwan) 1974 (over a season);

Golder’s Green Hippodrome - 1913 – currently BBC recording and broadcasting studio

Goodman’s Fields Theatre – Ayliffe Street, Whitechapel – 1727 in converted shop – The Recruiting Officer 1727 - closed 1751 to become warehouse – burnt down 1802; 2nd opened 1732 – closed but reopened 1740 – closed 1742

Grace Theatre - Latchmere Pub, 503 Batterse Park Road, London (Clapham Junction) - seats about 80

Grand Harmonic Hall - Southwark Bridge Road – see Surrey Theatre – also known as Surrey Music Hall, Winchester Music Hall

Grand Theatre – Islington High Street – opened 1870 as Philharmonic Music-Hall – destroyed by fire 1883 – reopened as Grand Theatre – burnt down 1887 and again in 1900 – 1908 became Islington Empire and in 1932 became cinema; 2nd in Putney Bridge Approach – opened 1897 as Fulham Grand – renamed Fulham Theatre 1906 – 1933 as Shilling Theatre – demolished 1958; 2nd Grand – 1900 – St. John’s Hill - opposite Clapham Junction near Battersea Arts Centre – last in use as music venue – currently shut after housing bingo and concert venues

Granville Theatre – Waltham Green – demolished

Grapes – Southwark Bridge Road – 1856 – became Winchester Music Hall

Great Queen Street Theatre – see Kingsway Theatre

Grecian Theatre – Shepherdess Walk – 1830 – situated in pleasure grounds of Eagle Saloon – reconstructed 1858 (3400 seats) – 1872 restored – sold to Salvation Army 1881

Green Room Club – Adam Street – social club formed 1866

Greenwich Prince of Wales Theatre - built 1855 as Rose and Crown Music Hall, then Crowders Music Hall, then Greenwich Hippodrome, 1924 became a cinema

Greenwich Theatre – 1709 – Church Street – Love Makes a Man 1710; 2nd Greenwich – 75 London Road – 1864 (721 seats) – converted to cinema 1910 – demolished 1937; 3rd - on Stockwell Street, Croom’s Hill – was a concert hall attached to Rose and Crown Public House which opened 1855 – rebuilt 1871 and became Crowder’s Music-Hall & Temple of Varieties; 1879 became Parthenon Theatre of Varieties – 1885 theatre rebuilt – 1911 Greenwich Hippodrome – closed 1924 – later became cinema – then warehouse - closed after bomb damage in 1949 – 1960s became theatre once again - – revamped to 426 seats and reopened 1969

Griffin – Shoreditch High Street – 1856 and was renamed London Music Hall in 1894 and from 1916-1935 known as Shoreditch Empire – now demolished

H

*Hackney Empire - 291 Mare Street - opened December 1901 (2,158 seats) - The Hackney Empire will at last re-open after refurbishment which began in 2001. The opening will be celebrated on 28th January and the first production in the 2000-seater will be Opera International's Tosca, previously seen at the Royal Albert Hall - One of London's most famous early 20th century music halls will throw open its doors again after a two-year restoration - The Hackney Empire -- where Charlie Chaplin and W.C. Fields once trod the boards -- has been saved from decay

Half Moon – Tower Hamlets – fringe theatre

Hammersmith Apollo - see London Apollo

Hammersmith Palace Theatre – Hammersmith - demolished

*Hampstead Theatre - considered off West End - Hampstead Parish Church - Church Row, London - church founded in 1976 – theatre founded in 1959, scored its first big hit in 1962 when it revived Private Lives at a time when the playwright Noel Coward was deeply unfashionable - Days of Hope 1991; 2nd Hampstead Theatre - Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage - opening February 2003 with Safari Party - magnificent purpose-built state-of-the-art theatre that has just celebrated its fifth birthday but a company fast approaching its fiftieth – Best of Friends 2006

Hampstead Theatre Club – opened 1959 at Moreland Hall – The Room and The Dumb Waiter (1960); Jacques 1961 - 1962 moved to Swiss Cottage – 1970 moved again (157 seats) - His Monkey Wife 1971

Hampton Court Palace Theatre – Great Hall used for theatricals from 1572 onwards – stage survived until 1798, but last performance was 1731

Handel Opera Society - 1955

*Hanover Grand Theatre - 6 Hanover Street (Oxford Circus)

*Haymarket, Theatre Royal - (Piccadilly Circus) Haymarket – 1720 a little theatre built on site of old King’s Head Tavern – first performance 1720 by visiting French company – stood empty until 1747 – present theatre opened 1821 a little south of old building (894 seats) - An Ideal Husband 1895; Hamlet (John Barrymore) 1925 (67); Waters of the Moon (Edith Evans,Sybil Thorndike,Wendy Hiller) 1951 (835); Voyage Round My Father 1971; Crown Matrimonial 1972; Case in Question 1975 (254); Odd Couple; Streetcar Named Desire; 2nd Haymarket Theatre – Leicester – 1973 – 710 seats – Cabaret and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat first seatson - theatre closed at the end of July, 2003 after amassing debts of £450,000. It is due to reopen next year after Arts Council bosses approved a recovery plan which involves the Haymarket dramatically reducing its operating costs - As of June/04 Leicester's Haymarket has announced full details of its new programme that includes the reopening of the theatre which has been dark for the past year – A Man For All Seasons 2006;

Heaven - Villiers Street - venue isn't a conventional theatre, but rather the gay London nightclub - Hedwig and the Angry Inch - part of the Pride Festival 2005 between June 17 and July 1/05

*Hen and Chickens Theatre - 109 St. Paul's Road, Highbury, London (Highbury/Islington) - reoped in 1998 - 7 or 8 rows of seats

*Her Majesty's Theatre - (Piccadilly Circus) Haymarket - 1705 (1219 seats) - as the Queen's Theatre – Confederacy 1705; Rinaldo 1711; became opera house – 1714 name changed to King’s – Jupiter in Argos 1739; Esther 1732 - destoyed by fire 1789 - King's Theatre 1791 – 1837 renamed Her Majesty’s; burnt down 1867 – reopened as Her Majesty's 1868 – rebuilt again and reopened 1877 – closed 1891 and was demolished – 2nd Her Majesty’s Theatre -1283 seats opened in 1897 – Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts started here – theatre built as rival to Drury Lane - name alternates between His Majesty and Her Majesty - Mystery of Edwin Drood 1908; Pygmalion (Mrs. Patrick Campbell,Herbert Beerbohm Tree) 118; Chu Chin Chow 1916 (over 2000 perf); Beau Geste (Laurence Olivier) 1929; Bitter Sweet; Brigadoon 1947; Paint Your Wagon 1953; West Side Story 1958 (1040); Bye Bye Birdie (Chita Rivera,Peter Marshall) 1961 (268); Fiddler on the Roof 1967 (over 2000 perf); Amadeus 1981; Bye Bye Birdie 1961 (268); Right Honourable Gentleman (Anthony Quayle) 1964 (17 month run); Good Companions 1971; Pericles (Derek Jacobi) 1974; By Jeeves 1975; Thomas and the King 1975; Bar Mitzvah Boy 1978; Travelling Music Show 1978; Phantom of the Opera has been resident since 1986

Hick’s Theatre – see Globe Theatre

Hippodrome - see London Hippodrome

His Majesty's - see Her Majesty's – Chu Chin Chow 1916; Bitter Sweet 1929; Beau Geste 1929 (Laurence Olivier)Converation Piece 1934;

Holborn Empire Theatre – High Holborn – opened Weston’s Music-Hall 1857 – renamed Royal Music Hall 1868 – rebuilt 1887 as Royal Holborn – closed 1905 – reopened 1906 as Holborn Empire – 1941 damaged in war – demolished 1960; 2nd – Holborn Theatre – 42 High Holborn – 1866 – opened with The Flying Scud - reopened 1875 as the Mirror – 1876 became Duke’s – destroyed by fire 1880

Holloway Empire Theatre, Islington - opened in 1899 - used as a cinema by 1924

Hope Theatre (The Bear Garden) – Bankside, Surrey – brick and wood similar to Swan Theatre – built 1613 as theatre and a bull and bear baiting ring - burnt down 1613 – reopened with Bartholomew Fair 1614 – 1617 became Bear Garden – demolished 1682 or after; - remains of the Hope theatre 1614, which stood near the Globe and the Rose in the seventeenth century, have also been discovered and are being examined. The South Bank area was a flourishing one for playhouses at the time of Shakespeare as the land was outside the City of London and the jurisdiction of its relatively Puritan authorities

Hounslow Arts Company – operative – abandoned

Hoxton Hall - 130 Hoxton St - built 1863 as Mortimer’s Hall – 1867 became Macdonald’s Hall – survived as theatre until 1871 then became Temperance Hall and later a Quaker Hall

Hoxton Varieties - 1869 – still standing

Hull Truck – fringe theatre

I

Ideas Foundry - Seven well known London theatre figures are to combine their talents in a new company, The Ideas Foundry, which will launch on 5th April/05. Focused on creating new work for theatre, film and television, it is "dedicated to forging new work and collaborative relationships between talented people with exciting ideas thereby creating exhilarating theatre and cross-media entertainment of significant artistic and commercial value."

Ilford Hippodrome – demolished

Imperial Palace Canning Town - see Imperial Theatre Westminster

Imperial Theatre – Tothill Street – originally Aquarium Theatre, part of exhibition palace, Royal Aquarium Winter Garden – theatre opened 1876 – 1879 changed to Imperial – 1906 theatre demantled and taken to Canning Town – re-erected as Imperial Palace – later became cinema and destroyed by fire 1931

Imperial Theatre Westminster - – also known as Aquarium Theatre, Royal Aquarium Theatre, Royal Albert Music Hall

Independent Theatre Club – see Kingsway Theatre

Inns – used as theatres – Bell (Gracechurch) – in use until after 1583; Bel Savage (Ludgate Hill) – used until at least 1588; Boar’s Head (Whitechapel) – used until after 1616; Bull (Bishopsgate) – 1576-1594; Crosskeys – (Gracechurch) – 1579-1596; Red Bull (Upper Street) – 1605; Red Lion (Stepney) – 1567; Saracen’s Head (Islington) – 1583

Institute of Contemporary Art - contains simple black box theatre

Interaction – founded 1968

Islington Empire – see Grand Theatre

Ivor Novello Theatre - see Strand Theatre

J

Jermyn Street Theatre - 16B Jermyn Street, Piccadilly – cabaret venue

Joint Stock Theatre Group – fringe theatre – British touring theatre company founded 1974

Jordell Theatre – see Kingsway

K

Killigrew’s Vere Street Theatre – tennis court theatre - 1660

King’s Concert Rooms – see Scala Theatre

King's Head Theatre Club - considered off West End - 115 Upper Street, Islington (Angel) - its heritage goes back to mid 1500s and the time of Shakespeare - first dinner theatre in the U.K. - current incarnation goes back to mid 1970s - elements like seating, curtains and lighting are from such prestigious theatres as Royal Haymarket, Lyric Shaftesbury and Scala Theatre - King's Head is London's first pub theatre and has blazed a trail for subsequent fringe theatres for some 30 years, under the direction of Dan Crawford – Nashville New York 1979; Secret Garden 1987; Saint She Ain’t 1999

King's Place - classic music scene has been transformed in past 20 years by number of symphony halls

King’s Theatre – Hammersmith Road – 1902 – 1700 seats – closed 1955 and sold to BBC – demolished 1963; 2nd King’s – Haymarket – built 1705 – burned down 1789 – rebuilt 1793 and renamed Her Majesty’s in 1937 - see Her Majesty’s Theatre

Kingston Empire Theatres - 1910-1956 – also known as New Empire

Kingsway Opera House – 1911 – Stoll Theatre now pulled down

Kingsway Theatre – Great Queen Street, Holborn – 1882 opened as Novelty Theatre – renamed Folies-Dramatiques 1883-1888 became Jodrell – 1889 back to Kingsway – then New Queen’s Theatre 1890 and Eden Palace of Varieties 1894 – 1900 became Great Queen Street Theatre – 1908 was Kingsway again – 1932 became home of Independent Theatre Club – 1940 building damaged by bombing – demolished 1956

L

Lambs – supper club founded 1860s – 24 members met at Gaiety Restaurant and later Albemarle Hotel – survived until 1890s

*Landor Theatre - 70 Landor Road (Clapham North) - one of London's most atmospheric and intimate pub theatres

Leicester Square Theatre - 1930 - Odeon Leicester Square now stands on the site - bombed during blitz - 1931 presented variety shows and films, before becoming just a cinema

Leicester Square Theatre - 5 Leicester Place - opening August 2008 with Joan Rivers - formerly Venue Theatre which opened 2002 with Taboo - 420 seats - originally Notre Dame Hall, dance hall in basement of a church

Lewisham Hippodrome – Catford – demolished

LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) – launched 1981 as biennial event

Linbury Studio - see Royal Opera House

Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre – Portugal Street – originally Lisle’s Tennis Court built in 1656 – 1660 enlarged for theatre – opened 1661 with Seige of Rhodes, Part I 1661 – closed 1744 and became barracks, auction room, Salopian China Warehouse – demolished 1848 for extension of Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons

Lincoln Theatre – built 1731 in Drury Lane; 2nd theatre built 1764 in some buildings in Kings Arms yard; 3rd theatre built 1806 in Kings Arms Yard – burned down 1892 – another built on same site 1893, now Theatre Royal – closed 1976 – closed and reopened as 482 seat theatre for touring companies

Lisle’s Tennis Court – see Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre

Little Angel Marionette Theatre – 1961 – childrens’ theatre

Little Drury Lane Theatre – see Olympic Theatre

Little Theatre – John Adam Street, Adelphi – 1910 (309 seats) –Lysistrata 1910 - theatre damaged by bombing 1917 – reopened 1920 – damaged again in WWII 1941 and demolished in 1949 - Autumn Fire 1926 (8 weeks)

Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain – founded 1946

Little Theatre in the Hay – see Haymarket Theatre

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) – established 1861

*London Apollo (formerly Labbatts) - (Hammersmith) Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith - 3485 seats (formerly Hammersmith Apollo - Music and book retailer HMV Group is to step into the UK’s £1 billion live music arena in venture with the MAMA Group - move will see 11 music venues around the UK - including the Jazz Cafe in Camden, Edinburgh’s the Picture House and the Borderline in London - taken into joint ownership. Several venues, including the 5,100-seat Hammersmith Apollo, will be re-named with the HMV brand during the ten-year deal

London Bubble – see Bubble Theatre Company

London Casino - see Prince Edward

*London Coliseum - (Charing Cross)- St. Martin's Lane - 1904 - London's largest theatre (2358) – has been music hall, opera house, TV theatre and cinema - since 1968 home of the English National Opera (formerly Sadler's Wells Opera) - Nijinsky Clown of God (Bejart)(currently closed for renovations - reopening 2004)- Cinderella(Tommy Steele)1958; English National Opera 2006 – see Colisseum

London Hippodrome – Westminster - 1900 - Joy-Bells 1919; Round in Fifty 1922 (471); It's a Leap Year 1924 (471); - Cranbourn Street & Charing Cross Road - now the Hippodrome Nightclub – opened 1900 as a circus and contained a huge water tank for naval, high dives, snow storms etc – became a music hall in 1909 - Harry Houdini - from 1949-1951 French-type music hall - Bet Your Life 1952 , and in 1958 became Talk of The Town with featured entertainers – closed 1982 – became Leicester Square nightclub, then Talk of the Town - to be converted into Casino 2008 - see Hippodrome

London Music-Hall - Shoreditch – see Griffin – Shoreditch High Street Music-Hall

London Opera House - Kingsway - company, which built its reputation on opera productions performed in English and is due to be relaunched summer 2004 after a 75 million dollar refurbishment, will be reviving such musicals as Bernstein's On the Town and West Side Story - planned is a new musical about the Libyan dictator Colonel Gadaffi for which the British pop group Asian Dub Foundation has been commissioned to write the score.

*London Palladium - (Oxford Circus)- Argyll Street – London’s largest theatre - built 1871 (2286 seats) as Hengler's Circus, 1871 reconstructed as Music-Hall (2325 seats) - changed to Palladium in 1910 – 1928 theatre used as cinema but back to theatre three months later – Crazy Gang 1930s - renamed London Palladium in 1934 - Swinging Down the Lane (Max Bygraves) 1959 (328); Babes in the Wood 1965; Barnum 1981 (Michael Crawford); Ziegfeld 1988; Stairway to the Stars 1989; Fred Astaire – His Daughter’s Tribute 2001; King and I - revival; Barnum; Singin' in the Rain; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat; Sinatra at the Palladium 2006; Clique (final show closes June 14/09 before becoming Hippodrome Casino - £15million refurbishment, including a 150-seat cabaret venue - Work will begin immediately after the run finishes on 14 June, with the new-look venue due to open 2011

London Pavillion - and The Trocadero, Piccadilly (both originally theatres) - famous music hall – began as song and supper room of Black Horse Inn in Tichborne Street - built 1859 as 2000 seat Pavilion Music Hall - converted to cinema in 1934 and became shopping centre in late 1980s – 2nd Pavillion opened same year – 1934 became a cinema and 1981 closed for demolition – now houses tacky shops and Rock Circus - Trocadero has been theatre, music hall and circus

London Pavillion - Tichborne Street – famous music hall built 1861 (2,000 seats) - demolished in 1885 and rebuilt in Piccadilly

LONDON'S LOST THEATRES

London Symphony - 100th anniversary 2004 - began 1904 - played at Queen's Hall 1911

LONDON THEATRELAND

LOST THEATRES

Lusby’s Music Hall - see Lusby’s Summer and Winter Palace

Lusby's Summer and Winter Palace - Stepney - 1848 to 1933 - from 1912 called Mile End Empire

*Lyceum Theatre - (Covent Garden/Charing Cross) Wellington Street, just off Strand – entertainment space here as early as 1765 – 1771 opened as exhibition and concert hall – 1775 converted to theatre – 1802 became 1st venue for Madame Tussaud - 1809 Drury Lane company moved here (1800 seats) – 1817 reopened as Royal Lyceum and English Opera House – 1830 theatre burnt down - 1830- 1816 renamed Theatre Royal English Opera; Royal Lyceum Theatre and English Opera House opened 1834-1904; 1902 partly demolished - rebuilt in 1904 as music hall with the 1834 facade retained - one of London's most historic theatres - 1938 theatre threatened with demolition - 1945 became a dance hall (Mecca Ballroom)- closed in 1982 – 1996 completely refurbished - 2075 seats - Jesus Christ Superstar; The Lion King

*Lyceum Theatre - see Royal Lyceum English Opera House 1839; Theatre Royal, English Opera 1839-1841; Theatre Royal, Lyceum 1844-1845; Lyceum Theatre 1847; Royal Lyceum Theatre 1848

Lyric Hall – see Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith

Lyric Hammersmith - King St – original theatre built 1895 – 1972 sold for redevelopment and demolished but best parts were saved and new theatre using these became part of development

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre – King Street – opened as Lyric Hall 1888 – reconstructed and opened as Lyric Opera House 1890 – 1895 seating increased from 550 to 800 – 1918 renamed Lyric Theatre – Beggar’s Opera 1920 (1463 perf); 1933 theatre stood empty – 1946 reopened - Venice Preserved (John Gielgud,Paul Scofield) 1953; Grab Me a Gondola 1956; Share My Lettuce 1957; Valmouth 1958 (84); Hooray for Daisy 1960; New Cranks 1960; - closed 1966 - – demolished 1972 – some of Victorian plasterworks used in the 2nd Lyric Hammersmith, 20 yards away (450 seats) – restored old name and reopened in 1979 – also small studio theatre of 130 seats - Aladdin 1979; Nightingale 1982; Moll Flanders 1993; The Odyssey 2006;

Lyric Opera House – see Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith

*Lyric Theatre - (Piccadilly Circus) Shaftesbury Avenue - 1888 - (950 seats) – oldest surviving theatre on Shaftesbury - La Dame aux Camelias (Elenora Duse) 1893; Floradora 1899 – became Lyric in 1918 – Make Believe 1918; Abraham Lincoln 1919 (466) - reconstructed 1933 - oldest of six surviving theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue - rear parts were built on the site of an anatomical theatre and museum - Strange Interlude; Victoria Regina 1937 (42 weeks); Winslow Boy 1946 (476); Little Hut 1950; Vortex (Dirk Bogarde) 1952; Irma La Douce 1958 (1512); Robert and Elizabeth 1964; Plaza Suite 1969; Battle of Shrivings (John Gielgud,Wendy Hiller) 1970 (73); How the Other Half Loves; Habeus Corpus 1973; Poor Horace, Blood Brothers 1983; Five Guys Named Moe 1990 (long run); Maddie 1997; The Night of the Iguana (Woody Harrelson) 2006; Smaller (Dawn French) 2006; Jan/05 - Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is reportedly in talks to sell some of his West End theatres. He currently owns eleven, making him the predominant West End theatre owner, but is considering selling The Apollo, The Garrick, The Duchess and The Lyric

*Lyttleton Theatre - 900 seats - see National Theatre – first of three theatres – 890 seats – 1976 – opened with Hamlet (Albert Finney) 1976

QUICK GUIDE - A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z

M

Macdonald’s Hall - see Hoxton Hall

*Man in the Moon Theatre - 392 Kings Road – pub theatre in Chelsea, London (Sloane Square) – last play “Kicking Oscar’s Corpse” – closing after 20 years of fringe venues – Sept 2002

Manchester School – small group of regional playwrights who flourished at the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester from 1908 but did not survive WWI

Marlborough Theatre – Islington – demolished

Marylebone Music-Hall – see Music-Hall, and Rose of Normandy Tavern

Marylebone Theatre – see West London Theatre

Maxine Elliott Theatre - Lure 1913

Mayfair Theatre - Stratton Street – part of Mayfair Hotel – 310 seats - opened in 1963 with Six Characters in Search of an Author, with Ralph Richardson; All in Love 1964; Beyond the Fringe moved here from the Fortune for rest of its long run - and sold in 1964 - since 1992 it had been used for conferences - reopened in May 2001 after 10 years - renovation - Philanthropist; Song of Singapore 2001

McDonald’s Music Hall - – also known as Hoxton Hall - 1863

Mecca Ballroom - see Lyceum

Medieval Drama - so called mystery plays most commonly produced in open air locales

Menier Chocolate Factory - South London theatre venue - former industrial building 1870s built as chocolate factory - Tick..Tick..Boom(05)

Mercury Theatre – Notting Hill Gate – 150 seats – opened 1933 – Amphitryon 1933; Murder in the Cathedral 1935 (1st London production) - used by Ballet Rambert - Playboy of the Western World 1939

Mermaid Theatre – Puddle Cock - originally a private theatre in the garden of a house – 1951 – opened with Dido and Aeneas 1951 - 1953 re-erected in London and permanent home opened in 1959 (500 seats) - in danger of demolition currently - The Mermaid's glory days under Bernard Miles are over thirty years ago, it is a tribute to the affection in which the City of London's first post-war purpose-built theatre is held by those who have worked there that so many well-known theatre personalities have raised their voices and fired off letters to the Corporation of London - in its defense - September 2001; Lock Up Your Daughters 1959; Virtue in Danger 1963; We’d Rather Switch 1969; Saint Joan 1969; Cowardy Custard 1972; Treasure Island 1973; Cole 1974; Point 1976; Side By Side By Sondheim (Millicent Martin,Ned Sherrin,Julie McKenzie,David Kernan) 1976 - transferred to Wyndhams 1976 (781);St. Joan - revival 1969; renovated 1981 with studio for children, Molecule Club (250 seats)- At their meeting last Tuesday (18th March, 2003), the Corporation of London planning committee decided to accept the revised plans for the site of which the Mermaid Theatre forms a part. This means that the site will be redeveloped without any replacement for Sir Bernard Mile's theatre, although there will be "compensation" of £6m to be paid by the developers to the Theatres Trust instead - no hope that the Mermaid Theatre will be saved - redevelopment is unlikely to begin soon as the property development market is depressed - no further moves to save the theatre are possible.

Metropolitan Music Hall – Edgeware Road – 1862 – was small concert hall attached to White Lion Inn – refurbished and reopened as Turnham’s Music Hall – renamed Metropolitan 1864 – rebuilt 1897 (1855 seats) – became tv studio – shut down 1962 – demolished 1963

Middlesex Music-Hall – Drury Lane – originally Mogul Saloon since early 19th Century – 1851 became Middlesex Music-Hall – reconstructed 1872, 1891 and 1911 opened as New Middlesex Theatre of Varieties (3000 seats) – closed 1919 – reopened as Winter Garden Theatre – site is now New London Theatre

Middle Temple Hall - built 1563-1573 as a meeting hall for the Middle Temple lawyers - opened 1573 by Queen Elizabeth I - damaged by bombs in World War II, subsequently repaired

Mikron – British narrowboat-based touring theatre company – founded 1972 – toured waterside pubs

Miles’s Musick House – see Music Hall and Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Millenium Dome (O2) - Ben Hur Sept 2009;

Mirror Theatre – see Holborn Theatre

Miss Kelly’s Theatre – see Royalty Theatre

Mogul Saloon – see Middlesex Music-Hall - first theatre on the site built 1848 as "Mogul Saloon" - also known as "Mogul Music Hall"- 1851 renamed "Middlesex Music Hall" - new theatre built 1891 as "Middlesex Theatre of Varieties" - 1911 rebuilt by Frank Matcham - 1919 interior rebuilding, renamed "Winter Garden Theatre". Closed in the 1930s - re-opened 1942 - closed 1959, demolished 1965. Also known as "Old Mo"

Monstrous Regiment – British women’s theatre company founded 1975

Moody Manners Opera Company – British touring company – founded 1898 – disbanded 1916

Mortimer’s Hall - see Hoxton Hall

Mountview Theatre School – 104 Crouch Hill – amateur group founded 1947 in derelict hall made into small theatre – Importance of Being Earnest 1947 - bad fire 1963 – renovations – performances presented in Mountview Theatre and studio theatre opened in 1971 named in honour of Dame Judi Dench

Musicals - history derived from Shakespeare and European operettas, Gilbert and Sullivan and from Broadway, Gershwin, Porter, Kern, followed by Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, Frank Loesser; from late 1960s the likes of Hal Prince, Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett became kings, with Stephen Sondheim and in Britain Andrew Lloyd Webber

Music Hall/Variety - started early to mid 19th Century in pubs and song and supper rooms and gradually moved into theatres i.e. Coliseum, but most closed after World War I when cinema became a force to contend with

N

National Film Theatre - Plans for a £4.6m transformation of London's National Film Theatre have been revealed - complex - which will be rebranded as BFI Southbank - is due to reopen in February 2007

National Operatic and Dramatic Association – founded 1899

National Standard Theatre - Shoreditch – 1837-1940 – also known as Shoreditch Olympia, Royal Standard Public House and pleasure gardens, Royal Standard Theatre, New Standard Theatre, Standard Theatre, Olympia

National Theatre - see Royal National Theatre - winner of Regional Theatre Tony Award 1969 - - in 1976 moved to the South Bank and in 1982 the Barbican Centre opened as the new home for the Royal Shakespeare Company - Medea (John Gielgud, Judith Anderson, Marian Seldes) 1947 (214); Jumpers (Diana Rigg); Amadeus

*National Theatre Cottesloe - 1977 (25th Anniversary on London's South Bank October/01)(Waterloo) South Bank - 320 seats

*National Theatre Lyttelton - 1976(25th Anniversary on London's South Bank October/01) (Waterloo) South Bank - 900 seats

*National Theatre Olivier - 1976(25th Anniversary on London's South Bank October/01)(Waterloo) South Bank

National Youth Theatre – founded 1956 – childrens’ theatre - used Toynbee Hall; various venues – 1971 took over Shaw Theatre (510 seats)

New Albion Theatre, Poplar - Queen's Theatre, Poplar - opened 1856

New Ambassadors - formerly Ambassadors - 450 seats

*New Ambassador's - (Leicester Square) West Street – Hamlet (Tom Stoppard) 2006 - sold to Stephen Waley-Cohen, owner of St. Martin's & Victoria Palace - April 2007 - in June 2007 will be known as Ambassador's (as it had from 1913-1999)

New Arts Theatre Club – Cambridge Circus 1963

New Chelsea Theatre – see Royal Court Theatre

New Cross Boadway Theatre - 1897 to 1960s

New Cross Empire - demolished

New End Theatre – Day in Hollywood, Night in the Ukraine 1979

New English Opera House – see Royalty Theatre

New Holborn Theatre Royal - Holborn Theatre; Theatre Royal, Holborn 1869; Royal Holborn Theatre 1870; Mirror Theatre 1875-1880; Duke's Theatre

Newington Butts Theatre – Southwark, Surrey, about 1576 – in area of present Elephant and Castle

New Lindsey Theatre – Chrysanthemum 1956

New London Opera Company - 1946

New London Theatre – Drury Lane – designed by Sean Kenny – erected on site of many former theatres and music halls from early 9th Century – Frank Matcham theatre from 1910-11 until demolished for current building, including Winter Garden Theatre – auditorium on 2 levels (911 seats) 1973 – Unknown Soldier and His Wife 1973; Grease - 1977 to 1980 used as tv studios – 1981 returned to theatre with Cats 1981 – former New Theatre (St. Martin’s Lane) changed name to Albery; Blue Man Group 2006; Gone With the Wind 2008

New Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith - see also Lyric Theatre Hammersmith - Wayward Way (Jim Dale) 1964

New Middlesex Theatre – Holborn – demolished

*New London - (Holborn or Covent Garden) - 167 Drury Lane - 1973 - (1106 seats) - theatres were here from 1663 - New Theatre of Varieties opened here in 1911 - later renamed the Winter Garden and demolished in 1965 - stands on the site of Middlesex Music Hall which was rebuilt in 1911 - renamed Winter Garden in 1919 - In 1965 redeveloped into the New London Theatre with offices, shops, and apartments - The Unknown Soldier and His Wife; Grease; Cats opened 1981 and still playing as the longest running show ever

New Players Theatre - Villiers Street - previous showcase for old-style music hall - reopening with Snooy! The Musical in July 2004

New Royalty Theatre – see Royalty Theatre

(New) Royalty Theatre - opened 1840 and closed in 1938

New Theatre - Queen of Scots (Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies,Laurence Olivier) 1934 (106); Seagull (Edith Evans,John Gielgud,Alex Guiness) 1936; Summer of the Seventeenth Doll 1957 (254); London Assurance (Donald Sinden,Judi Dench,Elizabeth Spriggs) 1970 (390)- transferred to Palace Theatre ,NYC;

New Theatre – St. Martin’s Lane - opened 1903 - see Albery – Rosemary 1903 - after bombing of Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells – both companies used the theatre – Sadler’s Wells until 1944 and Old Vic until 1950 - Oliver 1960; Jorrocks 1966; Anne of Green Gables 1969; Tyger 1971 – 1973 renamed Albery

New Theatre, Greenwich (New Theatre Greenwich Royal)

New Theatre of Varieties - see New London

New Victoria Cinema - see Apollo Victoria

New Victoria Palace – see Old Vic

New Watergate Theatre – Buccaneer 1953; Cranks 1955

New Wells Theatre - 1739 - Goodman's Field - theatre closed by magistrates 1747

Noel Coward Theatre - see Albery Theatre

Normansfield Hospital Theatre - 1868 – Hospital had chapel with little theatre – future uncertain

North London Colisseum - built in 1860s

Notre Dame Hall - dance hall in basement of church - became Venue, and currently Leicester Square Theatre August 2008

Novello Theatre - see Strand Theatre – As You Like It 2006;

Novelty Theatre – see Kingsway Theatre

O

Odell’s Theatre – see Goodman’s Fields Theatre

Odeon Theatre Ealing - Atmospheric style - closed

Oldham Coliseum Theatre - Under the plans a new Oldham Coliseum Theatre would be built with space for Oldham Theatre Workshop; Designs for new theatre include building with two auditoria, one seating 585 people and a second seating 150

Old Stagers – performances closely associated with Canterbury Cricket Festival since 1842

*

*Olivier Theatre – largest of three National Theatre houses – 1165 seats – 1976 - see Royal National Theatre – Tamburlaine the Great (Albert Finney) 1976

Olympic Music Hall - Shoreditch – see Standard Theatre - 1907

Olympic Theatre - Aldwych – at the end of Wych Street, Strand, occupies site of old Craven House, near site of Australia House – opened as Olympic Pavilion 1805 housing circus acts and horsemanship in arena - reconstructed 1813 and became Little Drury Lane Theatre – became Olympic - burned down and rebuilt 1849 - rebuilt 1890 – theatre closed 1889 and again 1897 – derelict - demolished 1899 to make way for Kingsway and during reconstruction of the Aldwych

Olympic Theatre - Leicester Square – 1930 – also known as Leicester Square Theatre - now Odeon West End

One Person Shows - due to the arts funding cuts, we have got the likes of Joyce Grenfell, Beatrice Lillie, Maurice Chevalier, and the remarkable Ruth Draper (1930s and 1940s), readings of Dickens, Alec McCowan’s St. Mark’s Gospel, Simon Callow’s Shakespearian Sonnets; Hal Holbrook’s Mark Twain Tonight; Ian McKellen’s Acting Shakespeare, Roy Dotrice’s Brief Lives, Julie Harris’ Belle of Amherst

*Open Air Theatre - Inner Circle - (Baker Street) Regent's Park – Queen Mary’s Garden - 1187 seats – 1933 opened with Twelfth Night – 1975 site reconstructed - 2007 is 75th Anniversary season

Opera Comique – East Strand and Holywell St – back to back with old Globe Theatre in Newcastle Street – 1870 with French company “Les Pres St. Gerais” – 1877 D’Oyly Carte took over – redecorated 1885 – 1899 closed and demolished 1902

Opera House – 1912 – Oscar Hammerstein built in 1911 – became a variety house and later became Stoll Theatre

*Orange Tree Theatre - considered off West End - 1 Clarence Square, Richmond, Surrey - founded 1971 in a room above the Orange Tree Pub - the new theatre opened in 1991 behind the facade of a Victorian school - this is their 30th Anniversary season (2001)

Other Place - see Statford-Upon-Avon – Royal Shakespeare Company’s Studio Theatre – presents plays in repertory

O2 - see Millenium Dome

Oxford Music Hall - Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road - 1861 - rebuilt 1869, 1873 and 1893 - 1917 became Oxford Theatre - Better 'Ole 1917 (811 perf) - 1921 old hall converted to theatre - theatre closed 1926 and demolished 1927 - Lyons Corner House built on site

P

Paine’s Plough – British touring theatre company started 1975

*Palace Theatre - (Leicester Square/Tottenham Court Road) Shaftesbury Avenue - 1891 - (1400 seats) - Cambridge Circus - a London landmark opened as Royal English Opera House - renamed Palace Theatre of Varieties 1892 – present name in 1911 - Airs and Graces 1917; No No Nanette 1925; On Your Toes 1937; Zip Goes a Million 1951 (544); Much Ado About Nothing (John Gielgud,Peggy Ashcroft)Where's Charley 1958 (404); Flower Drum Song 1960 (600); The Sound of Music 1961 (2,385); Danny LaRue at the Palace 1970, Jesus Christ Superstar, Maid of the Mountain; Two Cities 1969; Song and Dance 1982; Jesus Christ Superstar 1972 (8 years); since 1985 home of Les Miserables; Whistle Down the Wind 2006;

Palace Theatre of Variety - see Palace

Palladium – 1910 - see London Palladium –

Pantomine - traditional Christmas shows based on fairy tales or children’s stories

Paragon Theatre – Stepney – demolished

Park Theatre – see Alexandra Theatre

Paul’s - Cathedral precinct, 1576 - playhouse of Shakespeare’s time

Pavilion Music-Hall – see London Pavilion

Pavilion Theatre – Whitechapel Road – 1928 – destroyed by fire 1856 – rebuilt 3500 seats – rebuilt again 1874 2500 seats and again 1894 – closed 1933 and stood empty – demolished 1961 as damaged by bombing World War II - Cochran's 1931 Revue (book and lyrics by Noel Coward) 1931 - demolished

*Peacock Theatre - (Holborn) Portugal Street - 1010 seats – London Opera House 1910 was demolished for this theatre – theatre orginally called Royalty - Snowman 1982; Yamato – Drummers of Japan 2006;

Pembroke’s Men – 1592 – Shakespeare wrote some of his plays for this company, but his connection ceased when he joined Chamberlain’s Men on their foundation in 1594

Performance Art - live art by featured artists

Philharmonic Hall - 1860 – three theatres built on this site – also known as Philharmonic Theatre, Grand Theatre Islington, Islington Empire

Phoenix Society – group founded 1919 to present plays by early English dramatists – existed for 6 years and staged 26 plays

*Phoenix Theatre - (Tottenham Court Road) Charing Cross Road - 1930 - (1012 seats) – opened with Private Lives 1930; Tonight at 8:30 1936; Browning Version; Harlequinade; Bloomsbury (53); Death of a Salesman; Quadrille 1952; Much Ado About Nothing (John Gielgud,Dorothy Tutin,Paul Scofield) 1952 (7 months); Sleeping Prince 1953; Canterbury Tales 1968 (2,082); Biograph Girl 1980; Blood Brothers 1983 ; Peg 1984; Are You Lonesome Tonight 1985; Into the Woods; Dancing at Lughasa; Blood Brothers returns to theatre for its 20th year; 2nd Phoenix Theatre – Drury Lane – see Cockpit

*Piccadilly Theatre - (Piccadilly Circus) Denman Street - opened 1928 with Blue Eyes (Evelyn Laye) - (1200 seats) – then became cinema (Singing Fool and Jazz Singer with Al Jolson) – back to theatre the next year – damaged by bombs – closed 1939 reopened 1941 - Blithe Spirit (Margaret Rutherford, Noel Coward) 1941; Macbeth (John Gielgud) 1942; Question of Fact (Paul Scofield,Gladys Cooper,Pamela Brown) 1953 (30 weeks); Romanoff and Juliet (Peter Ustinov)1956 (47 weeks); Man of Magic 1966; Vivat Vivat Regina 1970, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf; Richard II and Edward II (Ian McKellen); Clarence Darrow (Henry Fonda); Filumena (Judi Dench); Kafka’s Dick; I and Albert 1972; Pull Both Ends 1972; Streetcar Named Desire (Claire Bloom) 1974; Who Killed Santa Claus (Honor Blackman) 1970; Gypsy; Educating Rita; Piaf; Mack and Mabel; Mutiny 1985; Shop in the Name of Love 1988; Metropolis 1989; Moby Dick 1992; Piaf 1993; Swan Lake; Shockheaded Peter; Spend,Spend,Spend 1999; La Cava; Noises Off; My One and Only; Ragtime; Jumpers (revival) 2003; Jailhouse Rock; Guys and Dolls 2005

Pip Simmons Theatre Group – fringe theatre group

Pit Theatre - 240 seats

Pizza on the Park - 11 Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner – cabaret venue

Place - essentially a dance venue

*Players Theatre - opened 1867 and originally known as “The Arches” an early music hall - in 1936 opened as a private theatre club Playroom Six at 6 New Compton Street – 1927 – Peggy Ashcroft debut in One Day More 1927 - 1929 name changed – 1936 moved to King Street, Covent Garden – 1937 reopened as New Players – 1940 moved to 13 Albemarle Street – 1946 acquired part of Gatti’s-Under-the-Arches – Boyfriend 1953; Divorce Me, Darling 1964

Playhouse - Newington Butts - 1580 – demolished;

2nd *Playhouse Theatre - (Embankment) Northumberland Avenue - built 1882 as Royal Avenue Theatre (761 seats)(Portland Stone exterior remains) – opened with Madame Favart - 1905 theatre wrecked when part of Charing Cross Station collapsed and 6 people were killed and 20 injured – new theatre, the Playhouse, opened 1907 with 679 seats - 1920s managed by Gladys Cooper – 1951 became BBC studio – close to Hungerford Bridge footpath across Thames to South Bank and Charing Cross Station - 1975 was given up - renovated in 1987 - previously the Avenue Theatre - Arms and the Man - theatre has also been host to the Almeida Theatre and the Peter Hall Company - purchased by American producers Ted and Norman Tulchin 2002; The Creeper (Ian Richardson) 2006;

Plaza Regent Street Theatre Cinema - opened in the 1920's and closed July 2002

Pleasance Theatre

Pleasure Gardens of Marylebone - included atmospheric theatre - 1737-1777

Pleasure Gardens of Vauxhall - included atmospheric theatre

Polka Theatre

Poplar - Queens –

Poplar Hippodrome -

Poplar Town Hall -

Porter’s Hall – playhouse erected 1615 in precincts of Blackfriars, near Puddle Wharg – not used after 1618

Portman Theatre – see West London Theatre

Prince Charles - 1962 – Leicester Place - low budget cinema was originally legitimate for 3 year period

*Prince Edward Theatre - (Leicester Square/Tottenham Court Road) Old Compton Street – 1930 - (1650 seats) opened with Rio Rita (59 perf); Nippy 1930; Fanfare 1932– closed 1935 - rebuilt as London Casino (1936 to 1978), Folies Parisiennes 1936; during war was Queensberry All Services Club – Latin Quarter Revues 1945; Wish You Were Here 1953; then a cinema (1954 to 1974) – Cinerama 1954 - restored 1992 - has been theatre, cabaret, cinema and a club – reopened as Prince Edward in 1978 with long running Evita (almost 8 years); Chess 1986 (3 years); Anything Goes (3 years); Crazy for You (over 3 years); Children of Eden 1991; Hunting of the Snark 1991; Some Like It Hot (1992 - 3 mos); 1992 refurbished – reopened 1993 – Crazy for You; Martin Guerre 1996; currently Mamma Mia opened 1999 transferred to Prince of Wales after 5 years; Mary Poppins 2005

*Prince of Wales - (Piccadilly Circus) Coventry Street - opened 1884 as the Prince's Theatre (1133 seats) – opened with Breaking a Butterfly (Doll’s House) 1884 - became Prince of Wales in 1886 – 1937 building demolished; 2nd Prince of Wales opened 1937 (1139 seats) – see also Scala Theatre - Gaiety Girl 1893; See-see 1906 (152); Blue Lagoon 1920; Hamlet 1925; Harvey 1949; Fancy Free 1951 (369); Water Gipsies 1954; Summer Song 1956; World of Suzie Wong 1959-over 800 perf); Funny Girl; Come Blow Your Horn; Johnny the Priest 1960; King Kong 1961; Passion Flower Hotel 1965; Good Old Bad Old Days 1972; Smilin’ Through 1972; Mardi Gras 1976; Evening With Tommy Steele 1979 (414 days); Underneath the Arches 1981; Aspects of Love (1989 - 3 years); City of Angels; Copacabana 1994; Witches of Eastwick; Mamma Mia - Delfont Mackintosh Theatres' plans for the Prince Of Wales are for a major overhaul of the building with a glass-fronted tower that reverts to Robert Cromie's original 1937 design concept - auditorium will benefit from new bronze-coloured interior walls more comfortable seats and greater leg-room, while the bars and foyers will be expanded and refurbished in a manner to recreate the glamour of theatregoing in the 1930s - the theatre will reopen in Summer 2004; 3rd – Prince of Wales – Greenwich – 1855 – formerly Rose and Crown Music Hall, Parthenon, Crowders Music Hall, Parthenon Palace of Varieties, Greenwich Hippodrome

Prince's Theatre - see Prince of Wales –

Prince's Theatre - opened 1911 - see Shaftesbury Theatre, Prince of Wales, Shaftesbury Avenue; King Street Piccadilly, St. James- Coventry Street -

Princess's Theatre – destroyed by fire 1829 and rebuilt 1836 building in 73 Oxford Street known as Queen’s Bazaar – converted to theatre – remodelled and reopened in 1840 – Streets of London 1864 - theatre closed 1880 and reopened as Royal Princess’s – building became warehouse - Streets of London 1864; Royal Princess's Theatre; Fatal Wedding 1902 - closed 1902 - demolished 1931

Private Theatres – England – 1770-1790 – Cliveden – open air theatre – still extant; Wargrave – 1789 – 400 seats – demolished 1792; Brandenburgh House – 1793 – Hammersmith – in use until 1804; Wynnstay – 1771-1789; Blenheim Palace – Oxfordshire – 1787-89- converted greenhouse; Richmond House – 1787 – 150 seats; Chatsworth – Derbyshire – 1830 – oldest in existence; Burton Constable – Yorkshire – 1830-50; Tavistick House-London; Campden House – Kensington 1860s; Capethorne Hall, Cheshire 1870; Herkomer’s at Bushey, Hertforshire; Craig y Nos, Wales – still extant; Stansted, Essex; Buscot Park, Berkshire – still in use; Glyndebourne, Sussex – opera house; Seler’s theatre – Rosehill, Whitehaven

Promenade Performances - concerts where the audience can roam freely

Pub/Café Theatre - forerunner of the cabaret

Puddle Wharf Theatre – see Porter’s Hall

Punch’s Playhouse – see Strand Theatre

Purcell Rooms - South Bank Centre, London – cabaret venue

Putney Hippodrome - 1906 – now Odeon cinema

Q

Q Theatre – on Brentford side of Kew Bridge – 500 seats – 1924 in converted hall – Young Person in Pink – over 1,000 plays presented here and over 100 of these were transferred to the West End i.e. Dial M For Murder – demolished 1958

Queen Anne’s Men – company formed in 1603 – played at the Curtain, and at the Red Bull until 1616 – some of the company went to new theatre at the Cockpit – company disbanded 1619

Queen Elizabeth’s Men – formed 1583 – company played at several inns used as theatres – the Bull, the Bell, and the Bel Savage and also at the Theatre, the Curtain, and the Rose – abandoned 1594 and replaced by Admiral’s Men

Queen Henrietta’s Men – performed at the Cockpit 1625 to 1636 – company disbanded 1636 when plague closed theatres, and replaced at the Cockpit by Beeston’s Boys

Queen’s Long Acre - 1867-1878

Queen’s Royal Opera House – Crouch End - demolished

Queen’s Theatre - 1704 – 1789 burned down and new one built 1790-91; 2nd Queens - *Queen's Theatre, Neal Street & Long Acre – erected 1849 as St. Martin’s Hall beside John Menzies' newsagent – used on numerous occasions by Charles Dickens reading from his own works - part of the outside walls still stand in Endell Street and Arne Street opened 1867 converted to 2nd largest theatre in London – opened with Double Marriage, but first success was Dearer Than Life 1868– name changed to National in 1877 - closed in 1879; 3rd Queens - Queen’s - *Queen's Theatre - (Piccadilly Circus) Shaftesbury Avenue - 1907 - (977 seats) – (see also Dorset Garden Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Scala Theatre) - built as twin to The Globe which it adjoins – first success 1908 with Belle of Brittany, and Potash and Perlmutter 1914 - damaged during blitz - exterior rebuilt 1950 - derelict until 1959 - Old Folks at Home (Marie Tempest) 1933 (204); Ages of Man; Otherwise Engaged; The Dresser; Stop the World I Want to Get Off (Anthony Newley) 1961 (485); Lady From the Sea (Margaret Leighton) 1961; Vanity Fair 1962; 12 Angry Men (Leo Genn) 1964 (99); Conduct Unbecoming 1969; What the Butler Saw (Ralph Richardson,Coral Browne) 1969 (101); Getting On 1971; Tommy 1979 (118); Conduct Unbecoming; Card 1973; Bordello 1974; Flowers for Algernon (Michael Crawford) 1979 (28); Matador 1991; Radio Times 1992; Lenny (Eddie Izzard) 1999; Les Miserables – 21st year

Questors Theatre - Matlock Lane, Ealing - largest amateur theatre - founded in 1929 – 1933 adapted disused chapel for its productions – new theatre opened 1964 (325-450 seats)

R

Raglan Music Hall - Lord Raglan Music Hall and Public House 1855-1878

Red Bull Theatre – Upper Street, Clerkenwell – originally an Inn used for yard plays – 1604 - adapted as permanent theatre in 1605 – occupied by Queen Anne’s Men until 1917 and then by other companies - renovated 1625 – 1661 theatre fell into disuse – demolished between 1663-65 (see also Inns)

Red Lion Playhouse – Stepney - England's first public amphitheatre opened in Whitechapel in 1567 with “Samson”

Regal - now Cannon - in Streatham High Road & Beckenham High Road

REgal - now Odeon in Broadway, Wimbledon

Regency Theatre – see Scala Theatre

Regent Music Hall - 1861-1879

Regent’s Park – Open Air – Bashville 1983

Regent Theatre – Euston Road – 1310 seats – 1900 as Euston Music-Hall – became Playhouse 1922 – Body and Soul 1922 – 1932 became cinema

Richmond Theatre - built 1899 as "Richmond Theatre and Opera House" - 1902 renamed "Prince of Wales Theatre" - 1909 renamed "Richmond Hippodrome" - also known as "Theatre Royal, Richmond" and "The Theatre on the Green" - 1915 refurbished - 1975 restoration of foyer, seating changes - 1990-1991 refurbished; interior redecoration by Carl Toms - 840 seats

Ridiculusmus -

Ring – large octagonal structure – originally chapel on Blackfriars Road – 1783 became boxing ring and theatre-in-the-round – Henry V 1936; Much Ado About Nothing 1937; Merry Wives of Windsor 1937 - demolished after WWII – has been confused with nearby Rotunda

Riverside Studios – Crisp Road, Hammersmith – arts centre housing theatre, concerts, films, dance – originally an iron foundry on the banks of the Thames in Hammersmith - munitions factory during the war – was the largest BBC TV centre in Europe – vacated 1974 – centre opened 1976/78 - Invade My Privacy 1993; The Exonerated 2006

River Theatre - see Unicorn Theatre

River Walk Restaurant - 2nd Floor, Oxo Tower Wharf – cabaret venue -

Rose Theatre - Bankside, Surrey - built 1587 – halfway between Globe and Hope Theatres – 1592 Strange’s Men there, and from 1594 to 1600 the Admiral’s Men - lease expired in 1605 - see also Globe Theatre - campaign to protect and display the remains of the Rose theatre has been given a further boost - Mike Corfield, chief scientist for English Heritage, says the remains are far better preserved than had been expected - The Rose has been something of a poor relation to the Globe - recreated, a few yards from the Rose's site on the South bank of the Thames, and under the artistic direction of Mark Rylance - Rose was more closely asociated with Christopher Marlowe than with Shakespeare, but was recreated for the film Shakespeare in Love - talk of it being erected close to the current remains of, and museum devoted to original Rose Theatre - Tonight (11 September 2003), for the first time since its closure in 1603, the Rose Theatre in the London borough of Southwark, site of Shakespeare's early career and the plays of Christopher Marlowe, will play host to a full theatrical production. At the archaeological site, discovered in 1989 and still being excavated, 2003 new staging of Marlowe's Tamburlaine The Great

Rose and Crown Theatre

Rose of Normandy Tavern – 1858 – Marylebone High Street – became Marylebone Music Hall – flourished until 1894 when closed as being unsafe

Rose Tavern – see Will’s Coffee House

Rotherhithe Hippodrome - 1899-1955 – also known as Tarriss Theatre

Rotunda – hall in Blackfriar's Road – sometimes confused with Ring (opposite side of road about 500 yards away) – 1790 opened as museum – from 1833-1838 was known as Globe Theatre – 150 seats – later Britannia Music Hall – closed 1886 - became warehouse – demolished 1945

Rotunda Assembly Room - Southwark -

Roundhouse – Chalk Farm Road – Camden Town – built 1847 to house trains and turn them around - became disused locomotive shed – taken over 1961 as Centre 42 - Catch My Soul 1968; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 1972; Big Sin City 1978; - closed May 2004 for refurbishing - reopens June 5/06 with Fuerzabruta 2006; Main House boasts a seating capacity of 1,800 and standing room for 3,300. The roof has been replaced and its central glass lantern restored, allowing natural light into the space for the first time since the 1860's; also includes Studio 42, a 150-person seated or 200 standing capacity studio theatre space; Undercroft, has been converted into rehearsal spaces and recording and video editing studios, providing opportunities for 10,000 young people a year to develop creative skills

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) – established 1904 – see Vanbrugh

Royal Adelaide Theatre – see Gatti’s

Royal Adelphi Theatre – see Adelphi

*Royal Albert Hall - concert hall, built 1867-1871 for the "Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences Corporation", on the former site of Gore House. Opened 1871 by Queen Victoria - named in honour of Queen Victoria's late husband, Prince Consort Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1819-1861). The Royal Albert Hall Organ (9779 pipes) is the second-largest organ in the U.K. (second only to the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Organ). 1995-2003 major renovation. Used for political and religious meetings, exhibitions, banquets, sports tournaments, balls, and classical and pop concerts, including the BBC's annual "Proms" summer concert series. Capacity: up to 5266 persons

Royal Albert Music Hall - Canning Town – 1876-1907 – also known as Imperial Theatre, Aquarium Theatre, Royal Aquarium Theatre, Victoria London

Royal Alexandra Theatre - opened in 1865 and closed in 1871

Royal Alfred Theatre – see West London Theatre

Royal Amphitheatre – see Astley’s Amphitheatre

Royal Aquarium Theatre – Victoria - see Imperial Theatre

Royal Artillery Theatre – Woolwich – built to take place of theatre constructed in old garrison church in 1863 – closed due to bomb damage – 1956

Royal Avenue Theatre – see Playhouse

Royal Brunswick Theatre – see Royalty Theatre

Royal Cambridge Music Hall - 1864-1936

Royal Camden Theatre - now Camden Palace – 1900-01 Camden High Street – currently nightclub – original seated 3000

Royal Circus – Blackfriars Road - see Surrey Theatre

Royal Coburg Theatre – see Old Vic

Royal Colosseum, Albany Street

Royal Court Theatre - Lower George Street, Chelsea – from a Noncomformist Chapel – opened as New Chelsea 1870 – changed to Belgravia – opened 1871 as Royal Court – Randall’s Thumb 1871; Wedding March 1873; Happy Land 1873 – closed 1887 and was demolished; 2nd Royal Court - *Royal Court - (Sloane Square) – East side of Sloane Square - 1888 – celebrating 50 years 2006 - built to replace Royal Court – Mamma 1888; Cabinet Minister 1890; Trelawney of the Wells 1898 – seating 642 – 1888 – 1932 became cinema – damaged 1940 by bomb – reopened 1952 – closed 1964 for reconstruction - downstairs 395 seats – see also English Stage Company – 1969 Theatre Upstairs added - 80 seats - famous as the home of new playwrights from Shaw to Osborne - Look Back in Anger (Kenneth Haigh,Mary Ure,Alan Bates) 1956; Entertainer (Laurence Olivier) 1957; Changeling (Robert Shaw,Mary Ure,Zoe Caldwell) 1961; Laughter 1978 (Timothy West); Big Wolf, Lovers of Viorne, The Sea; The Winterling 2006; - 2005-06 celebrates their 50th Anniversary Season

*Royal Court Jerwood Theatre - Sloane Square - see Royal Court

Royal Duchess Theatre - Badham – 1899-1960s – also known as Badham Hippodrome, Duchess Palace, Duchess Theatre

Royal English Opera House - see Palace – Cambridge Circus – 1891 – closed and is now the Palace Theatre

*Royal Festival Hall - (Waterloo) South Bank Centre - home of the London Philharmonic and Philharmonia Concert hall, built 1949-1951 - 2909 seats - Royal Festival Hall was the first part of the Southbank Centre to be opened. Other concert halls, theatres, and museums like Queen Elizabeth Hall (917 seats), Purcell Room (370 seats), Royal National Theatre, National Film Theatre, Jubilee Gardens, Hayward Gallery, Museum of the Moving Image, and Saison Poetry Library followed, making Southbank Centre one of the largest cultural centres in the world - now under renovation - to reopen June 2007

Royal Foresters' Music Hall, Mile End - opened 1825 and closed in 1917

Royal Globe Theatre - opened in 1868 until 1870

Royal Grecian Theatre, Shoreditch - opened in 1825 and closed in 1882

Royal Grove Theatre – see Astley’s Amphitheatre

Royal (Holborn) Music-Hall – see Holborn Empire

*Royal Lyceum - The Lion King opened 1999

Royal (Late Weston's) Music Hall - opened in 1857 and closed by bombing in 1941 - demolished in 1961

*Royal National Theatre - 1976 – South Bank - built on the banks of Thames - three theatres - Olivier (1160), Lyttelton (890)- revival My Fair Lady; Cottesloe (400); Plenty (Kate Nelligan) 1978; Oklahoma (revival) Hugh Jackman 1998; Southwark Fair 2006; Once in a Lifetime 2006;

Royal Olympic Theatre - 1831 - remodelled in 1849 - demolished in 1889 - rebuilt in 1890 and finally torn down in 1905

*Royal Opera House - Covent Garden - reopening December 1999, completely rebuilt and refurbished - 2100 seats - houses the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera - this is the third theatre built on this site - originally built in 1732 - Handel premiered some of his important works here, as well as actors like David Garrick, playwrights like Sheridan and Goldsmith - remodelled and seating capacity increased in 1782 and 1792 - burnt to the ground 1808 and reopened 1809 - Queen Victoria and her consort became regular attendees - 1846 theatre substantially rebuilt as the Royal Italian Opera - 1856 after a riot, theatre is razed to the ground by fire - reopened in 1858 and entertained talents like Nellie Melba and Adelina Patti - 1892 renamed The Royal Opera House - used mostly as a furniture store during the war 1914-18 - 1939-45 theatre used as a dance hall for the troops - 1946 theatre houses the Covent Garden Opera Company and the Sadler's Wells Ballet Company - 1956 Sadler's Wells renamed The Royal Ballet featuring Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev - closed for redevelopment in July 1997 for 2 and a half years, reopening the spectular new theatre in 1999 - also houses the Linbury Studio Theatre, close to the Theatre Museum

Royal Panopticon of Science and Art – see Alhambra – 1851 – also known as Alhambra Theatre, Odeon Leicester Square

Royal Pavillion - there in 1837

Royal Shakespeare Company – formed 1961 – moved to Barbican arts complex 1982

Royal Shakespeare Theatre – name given to Shakespeare Memorial Theatre - 1928 Twenty-nine year old Elizabeth Scott wins the architectural design competition for a new Stratford Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Scott, the lone female entrant, incorporates some of the remains of the burnt building, but her Art Deco design breaks with the former Victorian tradition - see Stratford-Upon-Avon – As You Like It (Vanessa Redgrave); Othello; Pericles (Ian Richardson) 1969

Royal Standard Music Hall -

Royal Strand- at Aldwych Underground Station, south of Aldwych - 1882 - demolished 1905

*Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford Upon Avon - theatre built in 1932 (Royal Shakespeare Theatre) - the original festival of presenting Shakespeare's plays was started in 1769

Royal Soho Theatre – see Royalty Theatre

Royal Standard Music-Hall – Pimlico – see Victoria Palace – 1832-1910 – formerly Royal Standard Hotel, Moy’s Music Hall, Royal Standard Concert Rooms, Royal Standard Music Hall

Royal Strand Theatre - 1832-1905

Royalty Theatre – Well Street, Wellclose Square – 1787 – As You Like It 17871813 changed to East London – 1822 staged shipwreck of the Grosvenor - 1826 burnt down – rebuilt as Royal Brunswick – opened 1828 and collapsed three days later due to weight of roof – 15 people were killed and 20 injured; 2nd Royalty – Dean Street – Soho and then New English Opera House – 1861 reopened as New Royalty – reconstructed in 1895, 1906, & 1911 – closed 1938 – badly damaged during war – demolished 1955 - Disraeli 1916 (128); At Mrs. Beam's 1923 (280) ; 3rd Royalty - *Royalty Theatre - (Holborn) – Portugal Street, Kingsway – see Peacock - 1960 - built as part of office development on site of Stoll Theatre (1911) as rival to Royal Opera House – 997 seats – The Visit (starring the Lunts) 1960; 1960-61 became cinema and reopened as live theatre 1970 with Oh Calcutta (3 years) – 1981 became tv studio; 2nd – Royalty Theatre – Soho – 1840-1953 - – also known as Miss Kellys Theatre, Royal Soho Theatre, Soho Theatre, New English Opera House, New Royalty Theatre, Theatre Francais, Royalty Theatre

Royal Victoria Hall and Coffee Tavern – see Old Vic – 1880s

Rudolf Steiner House - theatre at 35 Park Road – often used for drama

S

Sadler's Wells - (Angel) - Rosebery Avenue - 1927 - In 1683 Sadler discovered a medieval well & enclosed it with garden and stage - first stone theatre built 1746

*Sadler's Wells - Theatre Royal Sadler's Wells – (Lilian Baylis Theatre, Peacock Theatre) - Rosebery Avenue, Finsbury - opened 1683 as a music hall – 2500 seats - a popular pleasure-garden became known as Sadler’s Wells – 1685 a wooden music room to house concerts – 1699 renamed Miles’s Musick House – 1753 became a theatre – 1765 wooden building replaced with stone one – 1804 became Aquatic Theatre, but soon returned to former name – 1807 false alarm of fire resulted in death of 20 people – 1840s Miles’s Musick House (music hall) - closed 1878 as dangerous structure – reopened same year – closed down 1906 – 1927 new theatre built – opened 1931 (1650 seats, later 1499) – became home to Old Vic from 1934 - closed 1940 – reopening 1945 - Polish Mime Theatre; Trelawny 1972; Ragged Child 1988

St. George's Hall, Regent Street - opened 1867 and destroyed by bombing during World War II

St. George’s Theatre – Islington – 1976 in converted church

St. James Theatre - opened December 14, 1835 - built on the site of a rundown hotel - renovated 1900 (1,200 seats) - demolished in 1957 to make way for an office block; 2nd St. James's Theatre - Royal St. James' Theatre – King Street, Piccadilly - Opened as St. James House 1835 - 1200 seats - 1840 became the Prince's Theatre - in 1842 became St. James - reconstructed in 1879 - Lady Windemere's Fan 1892; Woman of No Importance 1893; Importance of Being Ernest 1895 - auditorium rebuilt 1900 - Bella Donna (Mrs. Patrick Campbell) 1911 (253); roof damaged by bombing 1944 – Separate Tables 1954 (726); theatre closed 1957 - demolished 1957 for offices

St. Martin’s Music Hall – Long Acre - see Queen’s Theatre

*St. Martin's Theatre - (Leicester Square) - West Street – St. Martin’s Lane – built 1913 but opened 1916 due to WWI - (550 seats) – Houp La! 1916; Damaged Goods 1917; The Ghost Train 1925; When We Are Married 1938; Shop at Sly Corner 1945 (over 800 perf); Enter a Free Man 1968 (44); Sleuth 1970; The Creeper; 1961 (2,385); Sleuth 1970; Say Goodnight to Grandma; "The Mousetrap" moved here in 1974 – now in its 56th year (Nov 2008);

St. Pancras Peoples Theatre – 1926-1940

Salisbury Court Theatre – 1629 – Whitefriars - on part of site of Dorset House between Fleet Street and Thames – interior destroyed 1649 during raid – restored 1660 as first theatre to open – burnt down in Great Fire of 1666 – sometimes confused with Whitefriars Theatre, which it replaced – see Beeston’s Boys

Sanger’s Grand National Amphitheatre – see Astley’s Amphitheatre

San Pareil – see Adelphi

Sans Souci – 1791 – Strand – closed 1796 – reopened at corner of Leicester Place, Leicester Square 1796 – 1832 vaudeville – after 1834 became warehouse and hotel – demolished 1898

Saracen’s Head – inn used as theatre (Islington) – one of earliest known to be used for plays – inn reconstructed early in 17th Century (may have been situation at the junction of Goswell Street and St. John’s Street

*Saville Theatre - Shaftesbury Avenue - 1931 – 135 Shaftesbury - last theatre to be built on Shaftesbury – opened with series of musical plays 1931 - damaged in bombing 1941 - reopened as cinema in 1955 – Love From Judy 1952; Expresso Bongo 1958 (316); Pickwick (Harry Secombe) 1963 (694); On the Level 1966; Amen Corner, A Very Private Matter – closed 1970 – converted to twin cinemas

*Savoy Theatre - (Charing Cross) Strand – Beaufort Buildings – opened 1881 with Patience - (1100 seats) built as D'Oyly Carte's theatre - first to be lit by electricity - refurbished in 1929 – Merrie England 1902; Caesar and Cleopatra 1907; Pairs and Penalties:Defence of Queen Caroline 1911; Journey's End 1929 (594); 1921 reconstruction – 1121 seats - 1930 art deco; Journey's End 1929 (594); Othello (Paul Robeson,Peggy Ashcroft) 1930; Free As Air 1957; Marigold 1959; Murder in the Vicarage 1976 (1776) - moved to Fortune Theatre; interior destroyed by fire 1990; - reopened in 1993 restored; Whose life is it Anyway 1978 (672); Travesties, She Loves Me; The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas (Savoy Theatre is set to become the capital's third opera house in April, 2004 when the Savoy Opera opens there; October 2005 theatre sold to Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and the Tulbart Group by West One

Scala Theatre – Tottenham Court Road – opened as King’s Concert Rooms in 1772 and 1802 became Cognoscenti Theatre – closed 1808 – reopened as Tottenham Street Theatre 1810 – 1814 became Regency Theatre – closed for many years – reopened 1831 as Queen’s or Fitzroy – became nicknamed “Dust Hole” – redecorated 1865 – renamed Prince of Wales – 1882 closed for repairs – became Salvation Army Hostel – 1930 demolished – original portico served as stage door entrance to new theatre – 1193 persons called the Scala – 1905 – 1969 theatre closed – demolished 1972 – see West London Theatre; Tottenham Street (1820-1831); Queen's Theatre, Tottenham Street (1831-1833) and (1839-1865); Fitzroy Theatre (1833-1835) and (1837-1839); Prince of Wales Theatre, Tottenham Street (1865-1905); Scala (1905-1969) - closed for demolition - opened in 1772 and closed in 1969 – demolished 1972

Sevenoaks Playhouse - previously Stag Theatre - London Road

7:84 Theatre Company – fringe theatre group – British touring theatre company began 1971

*Shaftesbury Theatre - (Holborn) 210 Shaftesbury Avenue - 1887 (1404 seats) - formerly Prince's Theatre - Shaftesbury built on this site – As You Like It 1888; Middleman 1889; Judah 1890; In Dahomey (first Negro musical) 1903 (251 perf); Middleman 1889; Arcadians 1909; Daniel (Sarah Bernhardt) 1921; Thank You, Mr. Pepys! (Edmund Gwenn) 1937 - destroyed during blitz in 1941; 2nd Shaftesbury at Holborn end of Shaftesbury Avenue – 1300 seats – opened 1911 as New Prince’s Theatre – “new” was dropped – badly bombed 1940-1 but stayed open – 1962 renovated and reopened as Shaftesbury Theatre - Pal Joey 1954; Wonderful Town 1955; How to Succeed in Business 1963; Our Man Crichton 1964; Twang 1965; Hair 1968; Dad’s Army 1975;Big Bad Mouse; Hair (2000 performances)1968 - 1974 saved from demolition and led to founding of Theatres Trust to protect endangered theatres; Liza of Lambeth 1976; Drake’s Dream 1977; Maggie 1977; Follies 1987 (18 months); Phantom of the Opera 1991; Out of the Blue 1994; M. Butterfly; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Carousel; Tommy; Rent (18 months);

Shakespeare's Globe - see Globe Theatre - 1500 seats

Shakespeare Memorial Theatre – Stratford-Upon-Avon – Warwickshire – 1879 – 1926 destroyed by fire – new theatre opened 1932 – 1500 seats – 1961 theatre renamed Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Shakespeare Theatre - Clapham District - Through Death Valley; Or, the Mormon Peril 1911

Shared Experience – fringe theatre group – British touring company – founded 1975 – now playing out of converted laundry in Soho

Shaw Theatre - built 1979 – see National Youth Theatre - Beatlemania 1976; closed 1984 – Challenge 1992 - part of Novotel - renovated and reopened in May, 2001 - Fears have been raised over the future of the Shaw Theatre in central London, after it was revealed that the management of the venue is to be taken over by Novotel in which it is located

Shepherd’s Bush Empire - 1903 – longtime BBC TV theatre and currently concert venue

Shoreditch Empire Theatre – London Music Hall - see Griffin

Shoreditch High Street Music-Hall - opened 1576 - known as The Theatre - the first private playhouse

Shoreditch Town Hall - 1865

Slough Asian Theatre Company

Society for Theatre Research - founded 1948 – encourages preservation of theatre buildings, source material and photographic records – instrumental in founding British Theatre Museum – helped in founding of “International Federation of Theatre Research” - 1956 American Society for Theatre Research was founded

Soho - 21 Dean St – small and intimate – part used by restaurant - formerly West End Great Synagogue

Soho Poly – fringe theatre

Sondheim Theatre - Shaftesbury Avenue - first new theatre to be built since 1931 - on top of the Gielgud/Queen's block (see photo below) - Sir Cameron Mackintosh unveiled his plans June 26/03 for the renovation of all of his theatres, including the Prince of Wales and the Strand, as well as a major overhaul of the Queen's and Gielgud block on Shaftesbury Avenue that will include a new studio theatre, to be named the Sondheim Theatre. This theatre - the first to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue since 1931 - is named after the composer Stephen Sondheim - The new theatre will be above the Gielgud and Queens, designed to accommodate transfers from venues such as the Donmar Warehouse, Almeida, Cottesloe and Royal Court and its foyers will have views over the rooftops of the West End; Work on the Queen's, Gielgud and Sondheim site will begin in early 2006, with a projected completion date of early 2008. Seating capacity for the Queen's will be increased from 900 to 1,213 with improved sightlines and improved circulation in the foyers - with the ability to move between all three theatres

Sound Theatre - A new 200-seat theatre, 10 Wardour Street - is due to open in London’s Leicester Square on June 21/05 - KIT Productions will produce its own work as well as transferring off-West End productions to the Sound. There are also plans for late-night cabaret slots, lunchtime readings, workshops and discussions. The venue will open with The Laramie Project. The rest of the opening season will include Terence McNally’s Frankie and Johnnie In the Clair de Lune, and a new version of Prometheus Bound - will close on 26 August 2006

South Bank Centre

South London Music Hall – see Music Hall – 1860 – burned down 1869 – rebuilt and reopened – damaged by enemy action 1941 – demolished 1955

South London Palace (of Varieties) - Lambeth - opened 1860 (formerly South London Music Hall)

Space - Isle of Dogs - 200 seats

South London Theatre

Stage Society – founded 1899 to produce plays not likely to be performed in commercial theatres – functioned for 40 years and staged over 200 plays

Stag Theatre - 15, Bressenden Place - new upstairs space - Above the Stag - 50 seats - opened Oct 2008 with American Briefs

Stag Theatre - see Sevenoaks

Standard Theatre, Shoreditch – originally pleasure garden attached to Royal Standard Public House from1837 – 3000 seat circus ring burnt down 1866 – rebuilt 1867 as Standard Theatre – 1876 reopened as New National Standard Theatre – 1907 became Olympia, Shoreditch, then Music-Hall and used as a cinema from 1926 – damaged by bombs 1940 – demolished soon after - also known as New Great National Standard Theatre (c. 1859)

Standard – demolished

Stephen Sondheim Theatre - new 500-seat studio space named in honour of American composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim. The Sondheim Theatre will form part of a new £20 million Shaftesbury Avenue complex that will also comprise the refurbished Gielgud and Queen’s Theatres

Stockport Garrick Society – dates from 1901

Stoll-Moss Theatres

Stoll Theatre – Kingsway – see Opera House - first known theatre on the site in the 17th century ('Vere Street Theatre' in Clare Market) - from the 18th century to 1911, no theatrical use of the site is recorded - 2430 seats – built for Oscar Hammerstein I as London Opera House 1911 – 1917 became Stoll Picture Theatre and back to theatre as Stoll in 1941 – Porgy and Bess 1952; Kismet 1955 (648) – closed 1957 – Royalty Theatre in Portugal Street built on part of the site

Strand Music-Hall – see Gaiety Theatre

Strand Theatre –168-9 Strand – 1067 seats - building near Somerset House which was used for panoramas (1803-1828) – converted to theatre 1832 as Rayner’s New Strand Subscription Theatre – closed and reopened 1833 – again remodelled and reopened 1836 – 1850 became Punch’s Playhouse – reconstructed 1865 – closed 1905 – demolished for Aldwych underground station; 2nd >*Strand Theatre - (Charing Cross) - originally known as Waldorf – twin to Aldwych Theatre - Strand will be reopened as the Ivor Novello Theatre 2005 after its refurbishment - Aldwych – 1084 seats – opened 1905 as Waldorf – (1077 seats) - 1909 became Strand Theatre – 1911 the Whitney – back to Strand in 1913 – bombed during war 1915 - Scandal (Noel Coward) 1918; bombed again 1940 - Arsenic and Old Lace 1942; Sailor Beware (1955); A Funny Thing Happened 1960; Belle 1961; Wait Until Dark 1966; Not Now Darling 1968; The Real Thing; No Sex Please We're British 1971; Buddy currently in its 9th year - will have its sightlines and disabled access improved and refurbished public areas and bars - one of which will be renamed the Novello Bar after Ivor Novello who used to live in the Strand building facing Aldwych, and whose flat will be reconverted from offices to a private dwelling

Strange’s Men – company appeared at Court 1582 after playing Provinces – amalgamated with Admiral’s Men – at The Theatre 1590 – may have employed Shakespeare – also appeared at The Rose 1592-3 – separated themselves from Admiral’s Men in 1594 – some joined newly formed Chamberlain’s Men

Stratford Borough Theatre – Stratford East - demolished

Stratford Circus Theatre - opening June 2001 - Theatre Square (adjacent to Theatre Royal and Stratford Picture House) - the Circus will contain four performance spaces, meeting rooms, a computer suite, bars and a café. The centre aims to deliver up to 2,000 events a year, including touring shows from across the performance spectrum, plus a full programme of classes, workshops and community events - closed 2 years after its opening

Stratford East Borough Theatre - 1884 – see Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Stratford-Upon-Avon – Warwickshire – birthplace of Shakespeare – 1st festival 1769 – theatre built 1827 – demolished 1872 (see Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Theatre – now houses a three theatre complex - see Royal Shakespeare Theatre - 1300 seats - built in 1932; Swan; and Other Place - plans for being demolished and replaced plus refurbishing the other 2 theatres - scheduled for completion by 2008 - total capacity of the 3 theatres would increase from 1,855 to 2,132, and the cost would be 72.7 million U.S. dollars

Streatham Hill Theatre - 1929 – now bingo hall

Sun Theatre/Music Hall and Gardens – Knightsbridge – licenced 1851 – flourished as a music hall until 1890

Surrey (Garden) Music Hall – 1856 – Kennington - burned down 1861 – building on site used by St. Thomas’s Hospital until 1872 – was remodelled as Music-Hall – used until 1877 when it closed – demolished 1878

Surrey Music Hall - Surrey Garden Music Hall – see Winchester Music Hall – see also Surrey Theatre - 1856

Surrey Theatre - Blackfriars Road, Lambeth – on site of Royal Circus (1782-1810) – burnt down 1799 and 1805 – rebuilt 1806 and converted to theatre as Surrey – 1814 became a circus again until 1816 – opened in 1832 - New Strand Theatre (1838-1840); Strand Theatre (1844); and Royal Strand Theatre (1859) - 1865 theatre burnt down and new theatre (2161 seats) opened – 1920 became cinema – closed 1924 and demolished 1934

Sussex’s Men – company founded around 1569 at Court in 1572 – played The Rose 1593-4 – disbanded soon after they left the Rose

Swan Theatre - Paris Garden, Surrey - see Stratford-Upon-Avon - Bankside in Southwark, in Paris Garden – 4th theatre to be built in London - 1595 - (3,000 seats) – wooden – used for sports and fencing and plays – when Hope Theatre opened 1614 – Swan was disused until 1632 and fell into disrepair - Isle of Dogs 1597 - closed in 1637

T

Taboo - cabaret 1985

Talk of the Town – see Hippodrome

Tara Arts Theatre - British Asian theatre company – founded 1976

Tavistock House – 1855

Tavistock Repertory Company – see Tower Theatre

TEMBA – British theatre company – founded 1972

Temperance Hall - see Hoxton Hall

Terriss Theatre - Rotherhithe – 1899-1955 - – also known as Rotherhithe Hippodrome

Terry's Theatre – Westminster - 105-109 The Strand on site of Norman House - 1887 to 1923 - originally built on side of Coal Hole - a forerunner of the music hall – 800 seats - became cinema in 1910 and demolished in 1923 when road was widened

Theatre - built 1576 – Finsbury Fields, Shoreditch - see Shoreditch Theatre – first playhouse to be built in London – on site now occupied by Holywell Lane, Shoreditch – circular wooden building – 1576 – Leicester’s Men (later Oxford’s Men – remained until 1580s – by 1590 Admiral’s Men were established here) - The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet - theatre dismantled 1597 and timber used to build Globe Theatre - original site possibly found in East London at vacant garage (angled walls of polygonal shape discovered) August 2008

Theatre - Plans are underway to build a 400-seat, state of the art theatre on a graveyard just metres from the site of Shakespeare’s original playhouse in London - £5 million venue will be built on land attached to St Leonard’s church in Shoreditch, east London, close to what is believed to be the site of The Theatre - London’s first purpose-built theatre - scheduled to open in 2012 and will become a permanent home to Big Space Theatre Productions, which has developed proposals for the location and which uses St Leonard’s as its base - Elizabethan actor and theatre impresario James Burbage, who built The Theatre - where some of Shakespeare’s early plays premiered - is buried in the crypt of the church. His son Richard, who took many leading roles in Shakespeare’s plays, is also buried there - theatre would take its name from Burbage’s The Theatre, the suspected remains of which were discovered last year just moments from the church - Although not the actual site of The Theatre, we feel where we are proposing to build is its spiritual home, because of the connection the church has with the Burbages

Theatre Buildings - Greek theatres were open air cut out of hillsides, usually facing the sea (5th Century B.C.); Roman theatres were built on the flat and amphitheatres were built for chariot races and gladiator combats, but the destruction of the Roman Empire saw collapse of organized theatre – it was reborn in liturgical dramas given in churches, and later open air either in front of churches, or the marketplace on raised platforms; Renaissance brought great change to theatre design, now indoors on temporary stages of halls or palaces through the 16th Century. Proscenium arch innovation 16th Century Italy and opera and ballet evolved horseshoe shaped auditoriums (Teatro Olympico at Vincenza 1585; Sabionetta 1589; Teatro Farnese at Parma 1619); Early French theatres were long and narrow (1540s); unroofed playhouses of Elizabethan England i.e. Theatre, Fortune, Rose and The Globe; Italian architects dominated building all over the continent during 17th Century; In London after the Restoration, theatres were modelled on European pattern like Dorset Garden (1671); Drury Lane (1674); Lincoln’s Inn Fields (1714); Covent Garden (1732)); Grand staircases, foyers and porticos began with opera houses of Germany and later Italy, to be taken up by legitimate theatres only in 19th Century; a boom in theatre building worldwide after 1800; Germany led world in theatre design up until World War I, but the boom in cinema architecture led to theatres like the Duchess (London 1929); Cambridge (1930); and Saville (1931); In United States Pasadena Playhouse (1925); Ziegfeld (New York 1927); and Radio City Music Hall (1932) – later experimental-like theatres-in-the-round and flexible staging e.g. Circle in the Square (New York 1960 and 1972); Arena Stage (Washington 1961); more dominant theme was the thrust stage like Stratford Festival (Ontario 1953, rebuilt 1957); Guthrie Theatre (1963) – 1970s developed the small workshop theatre i.e. National Theatre (London 1976)

Theatre Centre – formerly the London Childrens’ Theatre - 1954

Theatre-in-the-Round - the stage is surrounded by the audience (Arena Theatre) - mid 1930s being used by Realistic Theatre in Moscow

Theatre Museum - see Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) – formed association 1957 – came into being 1974 in Victoria and Albert Museum – to have been transferred to Covent Garden when reopened - Since opening 20 years ago, the venue in Tavistock Street has kept a valuable record of the arts, including theatrical memorabilia and video archives - new news that V & A us collaborating with Blackpool on possible new National Theatre Museum - London’s Theatre Museum will open its doors to the public for the last time on Jan. 7/07 - closure goes ahead despite protests from some of Britain's highest-profile actors, including Diana Rigg, Judi Dench and Venessa Redgrave - to become restaurant 2008; plans to move shelved as Victoria & Albert new theatre performance galleries opening March 2009 will provide same amount of permanent display space

Theatre of Black Women – British theatre company founded in 1982

Theatre Royal - Croydon – 1800-1956 – also known as Hippodrome, Empire Croydon, Eros Cinema

*Theatre Royal, Drury Lane(Covent Garden) – has been theatre on this site since 1636 - first permanent playhouse opened in 1663-1671 as Brydges Street Playhouse - destroyed by fire 1672, The Playhouse (1674-1775), Drury Lane Theatre, Henry Holland (1791), Theatre Royal Drury Lane (1812) - one of the world's most famous theatres and oldest site in Britain used continuously as a theatre - 4th and present opened October 10, 1812 - remodelled in 1821 (3,060) - remodelled 1831 and a major renovation in 1847 - Cavalcade 1931; Glamorous Night 1935; Careless Rapture 1936; Dancing Years 1939; Pacific 1860 1946; Oklahoma 1947; My Fair Lady 1958 (2281); Four Musketeers 1967; Gone With the Wind 1972; Billy 1974; Evening with Alan Jay Lerner 1987; Miss Saigon 1989; Witches of Eastwick 2000; 2nd Theatre Royal - Theatre Royal, Haymarket - Haymarket (Piccadilly Circus) - there in 1833-1869 - built as Little Theatre 1720 in building next door; Theatre Royal 1821 on site south of the Little Theatre; reconstructed 1880; present interior 1905 - one of 3 Grade 1 historic buildings, along with Theatre Royal Drury Lane and Royal Opera House Covent Garden remodelled 1858- The Chalk Garden, Voyage Round My Father; Lust 1993; Miss Saigon (10 years); 3rd Theatre Royal - Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (See Royal Opera House) - built in 1732 - plays were being presented 1652-1685; Handel played here 1745-1747 - burned plus subsequent building - present building erected in 1858; 1859 became Royal English Opera, Covent Garden; 4th Theatre Royal - Theatre Royal, Marylebone - opened 1832 as Royal Pavillion West; West London Theatre - became a cinema in 1923; 5th Theatre Royal - Theatre Royal - Glenarm Road - built in 1860s; 6th Theatre Royal - Theatre Royal, Stratford East – in Gerry Raffles Square – 470 seats – 1884 – 1902 damaged by fire – reopened on Dec. 13, 2001. The multi-million pound renovation of one of the two jewels in East London's crown (the other being the Hackney Empire) took a couple of years, but the wait has been worth it and the architect and builders have produced a theatre that can carry on into the millennium with confidence and panache - Theatre Royal's previous glory days were under the direction of Joan Littlewood - A Taste of Honey and Oh What a Lovely War - Under Miss Littlewood the Theatre Royal became known for its interest in plays about the working class, reflecting the make up of the local community. That community is now drawn from a great many different ethnic groups, and Afro-Caribbean and Asian work is now a strong feature of the Theatre Royal's artistic programming - Although the newly refurbished theatre has launched with a seasonal pantomime, Aladdin, the next year will see a play, Shoot 2 Win set around a netball team, and a musical version of the Indian cinema epic Baju Bawra - Three productions that originated at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East - Five Guys Named Mo, The Phantom of the Opera (not the Lloyd Weber version) and The Invisible Man have transferred to the West End during Philip Hedley's time as Artistic Director, and hopefully this list will be extended now that his theatre has the resources to showcase new plays and musicals to even greater effect - Square Thing, a 100 seat studio opened 1979; The Harder They Come 2006; 7th Theatre Royal - Theatre Royal, St. James

Theatre Royal, Stratford East - see Stratford

Theatres Trust - 22 Charing Cross Rd – houses archive of theatrical resources

Theatre Upstairs – see Royal Court - Rocky Horror Show 1973

Theatre Workshop – founded in Kendal in 1945 by Joan Littlewood – toured England and Europe – 1952 took over Theatre Royal, Stratford opening 1953 – Twelfth Night 1953; Travellers 1953; Oh What a Lovely War 1963 – group dispersed 1973

The Theatre – see Theatre - built in 1576 - destroyed and its timbers used to build the Globe in 1598

Thrillers - probably originally such plays as Arden of Faversham or Duchess of Malfi, Vampire, Thirteenth Chair, Ringer, Arsenic and Old Lace, the plays of Dame Agatha Christie, Rope, Gaslight, Night Must Fall, Dial M For Murder, Wait Until Dark, and more currently Deathtrap and Sleuth

TICKETMASTER - UK

Tivoli Music-Hall - 65 The Strand (bet. Adam and Durham House St (1890-demolished 1957) – erected on site of beer hall – opened 1890 as Tivoli Theatre of Varieties – closed 1914 – demolished and replaced 1923 by a cinema New Tivoli - closed 1956 – demolished 1957 and site became department store

TKTS - was founded in 1980, when it was known as the Half Price Ticket Booth. It was rebranded as tkts in 2001 to distinguish it from the many unofficial ticket kiosks which had sprung up in the area. The tkts booth, located in the Clocktower Building on the south side of Leicester Square, is a popular local landmark and draws its customers from all over the world. A second tkts outlet, which also now sells both on-the-day discount and advance tickets, opened at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre in North West London earlier this year

Toole's Theatre - William IV St. & The Strand (1854-1895)- built on the site of 5 previous theatres - Best Man 1894 - closed in 1895

Tottenham Palace Theatre - Tottenham High Road – variety theatre – became cinema 1926 – bingo hall 1969

Tottenham Street Theatre – see Scala Theatre

Touring Companies - after demise in Britain of local stock and repertory companies, touring groups appeared because of cheap rail travel, but today companies throughout the world travel mainly by road, but these companies are becoming rarer because of escalating costs

Tower Theatre – Canonbury Place – Islington – well preserved 16th Century building - theatre originally social club - home of Tavistock Repertory Company (founded 1932) in 1952 moved to Canonbury Tower, Islington– adjacent hall became 160 seat theatre opening 1953 as Tower

Trafalgar Square Theatre – see Duke of York’s – Whitehall – The Old Country 2006;

Trafalgar Studios -Whitehall Theatre - is to be reborn as Trafalgar Studios - opening the 350 seat theatre in May, 2004 - After years of being seen as one of the West End's less commercially happy venues, the Whitehall Theatre is in the process of a radical overhaul. It will, announced owners the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), reemerge at the end of May 2004 as two studio theatres under the name the Trafalgar Studios. Tim Foster Architects is altering what was a fairly conventional 650-seat proscenium arch theatre with stalls, circle and stage into the two new spaces - larger of the spaces will have around 400 seats (depending on the seating configuration) sweeping down, Roman amphitheatre-style, to the stage — or, alternatively, it can be arranged as seating in the round - smaller space will have just 100 seats and will be used exclusively to present new writing - the 400-seater would open in May, 2004

Tricycle Theatre - considered off West End - 269 Kilburn Road (Kilburn) - a theatre and cinema with a pub in the middle – was 1920s dance club - began 1980 in converted Foresters Hall - almost destroyed by fire in 1987 - 225 seats, plus a rehearsal studio, arts studio, smaller theatre/workshop and art gallery, cafe and bar - The Tricycle has been home to British premieres of several August Wilson plays (which later moved on to larger venues), and James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner" which moved on the West End. Tricycle was also the original home to the British premieres of "Ain't Misbehavin'" the Fats Waller musical and the South African musical "Kat & the Kings" both of which moved on to the West End – 1998 cinema added

Trocadero Palace of Varieties – Great Windmill Street- built on site of 1744 tennis court – opened 1829 as Subscription Theatre – closed from 1835-50 when reopened as Argyll Rooms – closed 1878 – 1882 reopened as Trocadero – 600 seats – 1895 converted to grill room – 1965 converted to bowling alley

Turnham’s Music-all – see Metropolitan Music-Hall

Twentieth Century Theatre – see Bijou

U

Unicorn Theatre - a new children's theatre (340 seat Weston Theatre and 120 seat River Theatre) opening December 2005 on Tooley Street, Southwark, near London Bridge, near the National and Globe theatres on Tooley Street near the London Dungeon – 1948-73 - Unicorn founded in 1947

Union Theatre - founded 1998 near Southwark Station, former paper warehouse - Sweeney Todd 2008;

Unity Theatre – Goldington Street, St. Pancras – small theatre – 200 seats – 1936 – destroyed by fire 1975

V

Vanbrugh, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) – Britain’s leading drama school – 1904 – moved to 62-64 Gower St in 1927 – 200 seat theatre, also 50 seat studio theatre

*Vaudeville Theatre - (Charing Cross) - 404 The Strand - 1870 (690 seats) – For Love or Money 1870 - Joseph's Sweetheart 1888; Belle of Mayfair 1906;renevated and reopened 1891 and 1926 - Rosmersholm; Hedda Gabler; Salad Days 1954-1960 (2282 perf.); Follow That Girl 1960; Wildest Dreams 1961; Chips With Everything; Arsenic and Old Lace (Subil Thorndike) 1966; Absurd Person Singular; Move Over Mrs. Markham 1970, A Private Matter; Present Laughter 1981; Who Plays Wins 1985; Stomp (4th year 2006)

Vauxhall – place of entertainment on south bank of Thames – originally Spring Gardens, Foxhall, opening 1660 – 18th Century used for concerts and spectaculars – early 19th Century known as Royal Gardens, Vauxhall

Venue - Leicester Place - new theatre space 2002 - a conversion of a church basement off Leicester Square into a 300 seater theatrical space has created the first new West End theatre since the Arts - also near Leicester Square - some seventy years ago - two leading fringe venues created in the 1990s, Jermyn Street Theatre and the Bridewell, are both in basements next to or near famous Wren churches - Taboo 2002; Pete and Dud Come Again 2006 - being changed to new venue called Leicester Square Theatre August 2008

Vere Street Theatre – Clare Market – originally tennis court 1634 – used for plays after closing of theatre in 1642 – became fencing school 1669-1671 – then meeting house, carpenter’s, slaughter house – destroyed by fire 1809 – Stoll Theatre built on part of this site in 1911

Verulamium – St. Alban’s – Roman Theatre AD140 and 150 – mainly used for sport – AD200 stage enlarged – end of 3rd Century theatre was rebuilt – abandoned end of 4th Century – discovered 1847 and excavated 1934

Victoria and Albert Museum - In March 2009, the new Theatre and Performance galleries at the V&A will open to the public. The galleries replace those at the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden, which closed in 2007. The new displays will explore the process of performance, from the initial conception, through the design and development stages, to audiences' reactions. A section on costume design will include Maria Bjornson's design for Michael Crawford as the Phantom of the Opera as well as realised garments worn by performers including Richard Burton as Henry V, Adam Ant as Prince Charming and an Ossie Clarke jump suit worn by Mick Jagger. A section on set design will display models, sketches and stage props; There will also be archive footage and photographs of well-known performances and performers including Rudolf Nureyev, Fred Astaire, Anna Pavlova, Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti and Daniel Radcliffe, original posters and playbills, theatrical prints and paintings. Pages from the first folio of Shakespeare's plays (1623), the only Handel promptbook in existence dating from his lifetime (1720) and the original score for Jesus Christ Superstar will be digitised so visitors can turn the pages and gain an insight into the creative process of developing a performance; As well as our new galleries, we are also preparing a major exhibition on Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes for 2101. This major retrospective will examine the origins, development and long term influence of the Ballets Russes, to celebrate the centenary of the company's creation in 1909.

*Victoria Palace Theatre - (Victoria) Victoria Street on site of Royal Standard Hotel – 1911 - (1500 seats) – room known as Moy’s Music Hall – 1910 - built on site of three previous music halls - 1840 present theatre built replacing music hall from 1886 which had replaced one of 1863 - first theatre on the site opened 1848 or earlier as "Royal Standard Tavern", later renamed "Royal Standard Music Hall" - 1863 major rebuilding- 1886 major rebuilding - demolished 1911 - recently renovated - Black and White Minstrels (10 years); The Windmill Man 1921-29); The Show’s the Thing (Gracie Fields) 1929; Young England 1934; Me and My Girl 1937 (1646); Crazy Gang 1947 (15 years, until 1962); Black and White Minstrel Show 1962 (10 years); Me and My Girl 1954; Revues 1970s; Little Foxes (Elizabeth Taylor) 1982; Charlie Girl (1980s); High Society (1980s); Winnie (1980s); Brigadoon (1980s); Annie (3 and half years)1978; Windy City 1982;Barnum (Michael Crawford) 1984; Buddy 1989 (6 year run); Jolson 1995 (over 2 years); Always; Fame; Always 1997; Sweet Charity – revival 1998; Annie – revival; The New Rocky Horror Show 1999; The Colour of Justice; Soul Train; The Pajama Game; La Cava 2000; Fame – revival; Kiss Me Kate; Grease 2002; Tonight’s the Night; Billy Elliot - the musical 2005

Victoria Theatre, Lambeth - (later known as Old Vic) opened in 1818 as Royal Coburg Theatre; 2nd Victoria Theatre – Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire – converted cinema – 347 seats; 3rd Victoria Theatre - other side of the Thames

Vortex Jazz Bar - 139-141 Stoke Newington Church Street – cabaret venue

W

Waldorf Theatre – see Strand Theatre - Antelope 1908

Warehouse Theatre - Royal Shakespeare Company’s studio theatre – 200 seats – 1977 – Royal Shakespeare Company left Warehouse in 1982

Washington Theatre - Battersea – 1886-1924 - – also known as Battersea Palace

West London Theatre – Church Street, off Edgware Road – opened 1832 as Royal Pavilion West – 1835 renamed Portman – 1837 became Marylebone Theatre – 1868 became Royal Alfred and 1873 once again Marylebone – end of 19th Century renamed West London – became cinema 1932 – damaged 1941 then used as warehouse – while being demolished 1962 was destroyed by fire; 2nd West London Theatre – Tottenham Court Road – see Scala Theatre

Westminster Theatre – opened 1832 – 585 seats - closed due to lack of a licence – site later occupied by part of Imperial Theatre and subsequently Central Hall, Westminster; 2nd Westminster Theatre - *Westminster Theatre - 12 Palace Road, near Victoria Station - 1924 - 585 seats - originally the Charlotte Chapel built in 1766, then a cinema 1921 - the St. James Picture Theatre - became a theatre in 1931, the only theatre in west end not to serve alcohol – The Anatomist 1931 - (Moral Rearmament Movement 1960)- 1946 it was acquired by the Westminster Memorial Trust – Space is So Startling 1962; Relative Values (Margaret Lockwood) 1972; Follow the Star 1975; Ride! Ride! 1976- being demolished 2002, but the developers of the site have agreed to create a smaller theatre within new development - new theatre earmarked for the Talawa theatre company, especially in light of the continuing row about the proposed demolition of the existing Mermaid Theatre in the City of London - closing officially on March 3, 2002

Weston’s Music Hall – see Holborn Empire

Weston Theatre - see Unicorn Theatre

WHAT'S ON IN LONDON

WHAT'S PLAYING IN LONDON

*White Bear Theatre - 138 Kennington Park Road, London (Kennington) - about 20 years old (45 seats)

Whitefriar’s Theatre – private roofed theatre in refectory hall of Whitefriars Monastery (Bouverie Street) – adapted 1605 – used by Children of the King’s Revels from 1608 to 1609, by Queen’s Revels from 1609 to 1613; by Lady Elizabeth’s Men 1613 to 1614 - still in use in 1621 – replaced by Salisbury Court Theatre 1629

*Whitehall Theatre - see also Trafalgar Studios – Whitehall (Charing Cross), near Trafalgar Square – 628 seats - Whitehall 1930 - Art Deco – Easy to Treat a Woman 1930 (transferred from Duke of York’s) - home to successful farces from 1954 to 1966 (4 plays only in 12 years) - Worm’s Eye View 1945 (1,745+ performances); Come Spy With Me 1966; Pajama Tops 1969 (5 ½ years); Tribute to the Blues Brothers 1991; Voyeurz 1996 - to close indefinitely when the current run of Abigail's Party finishes on 12th July, 2003, owners the Ambassador Theatre Group have announced. There are no plans to sell the theatre and ATG have been quick to say that the closure does not imply that the company is in any kind of financial trouble. There will be six redundancies at the 650-seater theatre; ATG also owns the New Ambassadors, Duke of York's, Phoenix, Piccadilly, Comedy, Donmar Warehouse, and Fortune Theatres, and runs the Playhouse, Albery and Wyndham's. The leases of the last to will revert back to Cameron Mackintosh in 2005. It is the second largest theatre operator in the UK, after Clear Channel Entertainment which owns or runs thirty theatres from Torquay to Edinburgh;Two weeks ago ATG announced that it is close to finalising a deal to take over the Wimbledon Theatre

White Lodge Museum and Ballet Resource Centre - UK’s first permanent museum dedicated to ballet is to open in February/09 - operated by the Royal Ballet School, it will be housed in the home of the company’s Lower School in Richmond Park, London - new facility will offer an insight into the history of ballet and of the Royal Ballet School

Whitney Theatre – see Strand

Willesden Empire – Willesden Wood Green – demolished

Will’s Coffee House – also known as the Rose Tavern – 1 Bow Street, Covent Garden, at corner of Russell Street – famous theatrical tavern

Wilton’s Music Hall – see Music-Hall – Grace’s Alley – Wellclose Square – built behind Prince of Denmark Pub - 1858 – became Frederick’s Royal Palace of Varieties before closed 1877 after disastrous fire - last surviving venue of its type, originally hosting classical overtures, opera and operetta before popular "music hall" entertainment evolved world's oldest surviving grand music hall - before "old time music hall" evolved - in Graces Alley, E1 - Rumour has it first ever can-can was performed and promptly banned at Wiltons - auditorium remains incredibly intact - 1,500 used to cram into music hall to hear the top acts - artistes from the Royal Opera House were lured over in full costume to perform late night favourite arias - continued as a music hall until 1884 - hall taken over by East End Mission of the Methodist Church in 1885 and kept name Old Mahogany Mission until 1956. In the first dock strike of 1898 served 2,000 meals a day to strikers and was the HQ for the people of the East End who gathered to stop Mosley's fascists in the Battle of Cable Street, and in World War II gave shelter to a badly blitzed community. During 1950s the Mission set up mobile cinema called Penny Pictures - also operated in the streets of the East End. In 1956 Wiltons was sold and used as a rag warehouse. Having survived the bombing of the London docks it was next in line for slum clearances and demolition plans of the 1960s - Many people have helped in saving Wiltons - they include Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellars, John Earl, Colin Sorensen, Liza Minelli, Norma Dunbar, Roy Hudd and Christopher Biggins. For many years it was owned by the GLC and then the London Music Halls Trust - semi derelict Wiltons Music Hall was opened to the public in January 1999 - had been largely boarded up since the 1960s, save for highly acclaimed performances of The Wasteland, in December 1997 and 1998 - beginning of Wiltons' renaissance - now on the 2008 World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites - celebrating its 150th anniversary March 29, 2009, is bidding to be taken over by the National Trust later this year;

Wimbledon Theatre - 103 The Broadway - film theatre

Winchester Music Hall - Southwark Bridge Road – saloon attached to Grapes Public House – known as Surrey Music Hall - opened 1830s – 1856 changed to Winchester - closed 1878 – demolished

Windmill Theatre – Great Windmill Street, near Piccadilly Circus – 326 seats – 1931 in converted cinema dating from 1910 – opened with Inquest 1931 – featured the famous “Windmill Girls” appearing in nude tableaux – only theatre to remain open during the whole of the 2nd World War – reverted to cinema 1974 – became theatre once again with nude revues – 1981 converted to theatre-restaurant

Winter Garden Theatre – Drury Lane – originally Middlesex Music Hall – later adapted to theatre – 1581 seats – 1919 – Kissing Time 1919; Witness for the Prosecution 1953 – closed 1960 – stood empty – demolished 1965 – New London Theatre occupies this site – now a strip joint

Women’s Theatre Group – British theatre group founded 1974

Woodford ABC Cinema

Wood Green Empire - 1912 - – also known as Theatre of Varieties

Woolwich Empire Theatre – demolished

World Theatre Season – annual festival of foreign plays in the original language performed by foreign companies – Aldwych Theatre – ran from 1964 to 1973 and a final season being 1975

*Wyndhams Theatre - Refurbishment of Wyndham’s Theatre – which, like its neighbour the Albery reverts from the Ambassadors Theatre Group to Mackintosh’s management in October – is planned for 2006 - (Leicester Square) Charing Cross Road - opened 1899- (758 seats) – has last complete picture frame surround in London – David Garrick 1899; Cyrano de Bergerac 1900; Raffles 1910; Bull-Dog Drummond 1910; Dancers (Tallulah Bankhead) 1923 (346); Ringer 1926 (410); 1930s series of crime plays, The Ringer, The Calendar and On the Spot; Quiet Week-End 1941 (1000+ perf); The Years Between 1945; The Love of Four Colonels 1951; Boy Friend (Julie Andrews) 1954(2084); Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop 1959 including A Taste of Honey, The Hostage and Oh What a Lovely War; Call It Love 1960; Inadmissable Evidence 1964; The Cocktail Party 1968; Italian Girl 1968 (315); Side by Side by Sondheim (transferred from Mermaid); Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Vanessa Redgrave) 1966 (588); Italian Girl (Elizabeth Sellars) 1968 (315); Boys in the Band 1969; Abelard and Heloise 1970; Godspell 1972 (1128 perf); No Man’s Land 1975; Side by Side by Sondheim 1976; Ghosts (Vanessa Redgrave, Tom Wilkinson) 1986; Ride Down Mount Morgan (Tom Conti) 1991; Three Tall Women (Maggie Smith) 1994; Art 1996 (over 1,500 perf) – transferred to Whitehall Theatre until 2003; The Play What I Wrote 2001; Absolutely! (perhaps) 2003; Honour 2006

X

Y

*Young Vic Theatre - considered off West End - 66 The Cut (?), South Bank – 1945 as part of new Old Vic Drama School – King Stag 1946; 2nd Young Vic - founded 1970 as part of National Theatre – erected on bomb site near Old Vic - 5 rows of seats plus a studio seating about 80 - theatre built in 1970 – Scapino 1970 - childrens’ theatre - On 10 July 2004, London's much-loved Young Vic closes its doors for a two-year, £12.5 million refurbishment and two new theatre spaces: the 160 capacity Maria opens November/06 - named after theatre designer Maria Björnson - and the 80 capacity Clare - named after director Clare Venables;

Z

"This site contains links to other Internet sites. These links are not endorsements of any products or services in such sites, and no information in such site has been endorsed or approved by this site. We have no liability for goods,services or information that may be offered on this site, or that of any linked sites."