Shaftesbury Theatre In West End To Be Renamed Judi Dench Theatre

London – June 16, 2026 The Shaftesbury Theatre, the largest independent theatre in the West End, today announces the theatre will be renamed the Judi Dench Theatre in honour of Dame Judi Dench. The renaming, set to take place in February 2027, celebrates Dame Judi’s unparalleled contribution to British theatre and the performing arts, marking a historic moment for one of the West End’s most iconic stages.

This tribute to one of the greatest actors of our time, will ensure Dame Judi's legacy continues to inspire future generations of performers and audiences alike.

Dame Judi Dench was a founding member of the Theatre of Comedy, a collective of actors and authors who had part shares in the Shaftesbury Theatre. The Theatre of Comedy helped ensure the continuance of the theatre in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, through the producing of comedies, starring many members of the Theatre of Comedy Company. Furthermore, her role in As Time Goes By, which ran for nine series, cemented her links to the Taffner family, who also own the theatre. Throughout her life Dame Judi has given lasting commitment to live performance, alongside being one of the most known figures in the film and TV industries. Her huge talent on stage ranges from Shakespeare to comedy to musical theatre – echoing the Shaftesbury’s own programming over the years.

Dame Judi Dench said, “The Shaftesbury Theatre has always held a special place in my heart. My relationship to the Theatre of Comedy and to the Taffner family goes back many years and to have this beautiful theatre renamed after me is truly overwhelming. Live theatre continues to be so important as a way of telling stories and entertaining audiences, something I have aimed to do all my working life.”

Chairman Donald Taffner Jnr. said “Dame Judi has been a close friend of the DLT family for so long, particularly from her involvement with As Time Goes By, and we will always treasure the time she made in her busy schedule to make the programme. We have such fond memories of Judi at the Shaftesbury from the meetings for the Theatre of Comedy members to when her husband was performing in a number of the Theatre of Comedy productions. Aside from business, my parents would often talk about how much they enjoyed spending time with Judi and Michael in both NY and London. We are therefore delighted to recognise her extraordinary talent and extensive contribution to many in the renaming of our theatre. ”

Chief Executive Eleanor Lang said, “We are so excited to rename the Shaftesbury Theatre in honour of Dame Judi. Not only does she play an important role in our history, but she is an iconic figure of the stage and screen landscape. We don’t celebrate brilliant women enough in our West End theatre names, so we are delighted that her name will be forever in lights above our doorway.”

A grade II listed building, built in 1911 and originally named New Prince’s Theatre, it was the first steel frame theatre in the West End and is the only London theatre with a dome which opens. In 1962 the theatre was renamed Shaftesbury Theatre due to the original Shaftesbury Theatre (further along Shaftesbury Avenue) being destroyed in the Blitz.

This next phrase of the renovation will include restoration of the dome in the auditorium where a specially commissioned painting will take inspiration from the original, renewal of some of the decorative designs alongside the next phase of auditorium redecoration and recarpeting. This period will also see other improvement works in the theatre including enhancing backstage areas.

Avenue Q currently is booking until 3 January 2027. Recent productions also include & Juliet, Mrs Doubtfire and Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical.

Scheduled refurbishment which has already begun will continue to early 2027. The theatre remains open during this period performing to two levels whilst the work is carried out.

Shaftesbury Theatre is owned by DLT Entertainment.

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Further information:
Holly Nicholls, on behalf of The Shaftesbury Theatre: holly@joallanpr.com | +44 (07521) 431 484 | +44 (020) 3997 7477
Jo Allan, on behalf of The Shaftesbury Theatre: jo@joallanpr.com| +44 (07889) 905 850 | +44 (020) 3997 7477

NOTES TO EDITORS

Dame Judi Dench
Since playing Ophelia in Hamlet at The Old Vic Theatre over 60 years ago, Judi Dench has garnered wide popular and critical admiration for a career marked by outstanding performances in classical and contemporary roles on both stage and screen. She has won numerous major awards – including an Academy Award, ten BAFTA Awards and a record eight Laurence Olivier Awards, and in recognition of her many achievements she received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1970, became a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) in 1988, and in 2005 was awarded a Companion of Honour.

Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is the largest independent theatre in the West End and is owned by parent company DLT Entertainment, an international entertainment company engaged in a broad range of television production and distribution, talent agencies and live performance.

The theatre, commissioned by Frederick and Walter Melville, was designed by Bertie Crewe and opened in 1911 as the New Princes Theatre. Originally specialising in melodrama the early years saw a wide variety of productions including a series of Gilbert & Sullivan productions and Fred and Adele Astaire in Funny Face.

In 1962 the theatre changed its name to Shaftesbury Theatre, and later Hair opened, running for just under 2,000 performances. In 1983, Ray Cooney leased the theatre as a home for his company, the Theatre of Comedy, aiming to produce the very best comedy in the West End. Successes included Run for your Wife and Two in One. In 1986, Don Taffner of DLT Entertainment bought shares in the theatre, and later DLT Entertainment became sole owners.

Over the past twenty years, the theatre has welcomed countless Tony Award and Olivier Award-winning productions to the West End. Recent successes have included musicals Hairspray, Memphis, Motown: The Musical, & Juliet and Mrs Doubtfire.

Under James Williams’ leadership as Chief Executive the theatre underwent significant upgrades to make it fit for the 21st century, including adding a new RIBA award winning fly tower and additional public spaces.

In 2022 the theatre entered into agreement with Jamie Wilson Productions and the US production company, Alchemation, for them to become the principal producer of the theatre. Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical recently concluded its run, with Avenue Q currently playing until the end of January 2027.

In 2024 Eleanor Lang took over as the Chief Executive, to continue the theatre’s commitment to welcoming audiences in a theatre and preserving and improving the building.

Founded in 1963 as a distribution company by Don Taffner Sr., the company added television production to its portfolio in 1977. It has enjoyed terrific success in its sixty-three-year history with legendary hits on both sides of the Atlantic including the multiple award-winning and BBC Trust praised sitcom My Family, As Time Goes By, Three’s Company, Too Close for Comfort and Meet My Folks.

In addition, DLT has built a reputation as a leading distribution company with classics such as The Benny Hill Show, The World at War, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood, The Russ Abbot Show, Michel Legrand and Friends, and Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit.

Production activities have expanded through an investment in Mark Watson’s Impatient Productions, the acquisition of Vera Productions whose productions include Getting On, Bremner, Bird and Fortune, and numerous Dispatches, and the recent acquisition of Juniper Communications, producers of Politics London and Politics South East.

In 1986 DLT expanded into stage production in the US and in the UK, where it owns and manages London’s Shaftesbury Theatre, the current London home of Avenue Q.

Later, DLT added talent representation to its portfolio with ownership positions in MMB Creative, The Soho Agency, Blue Book Artist Management, The Galton Agency, Bedford Square Voices and Gag Reflex.

2020 saw the creation of an audio division with the release of Very Modern Quests starring Alice Levine and Panic Room starring John Robins for Audible.

Recent productions for BBC Radio 4/BBC Sounds include two series of comedy.co.uk Best Radio Comedy award-winning Time of the Week, created by Lorna Rose Treen and Jonathan Oldfield and starring BAFTA award-winner Sian Clifford, factual comedy series Ria Lina Gets Forensic and ARIA-award-nominated stand-up special Scott Bennett: Blood Sugar Baby.

DLT has expanded its commitment to comedy in recent years by sponsoring the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, including in 2025 the prestigious Taffner Family Best Comedy Award and the DLT Entertainment Newcomer Award.