London's Shaftesbury theatre to Be Renamed after Judi Dench

The Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End will be renamed after Dame Judi Dench, becoming only the second non-royal woman to be honoured in such a way.

The venue will be known as the Judi Dench theatre from February 2027 in celebration of the veteran actress’ “unparalleled contribution to British theatre and the performing arts”.

The Shaftesbury theatre described Dench as “one of the greatest actors of our time” and that the name change would “ensure Dame Judi’s legacy continues to inspire future generations of performers and audiences alike”.

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 is owned by the Taffner family, whose company produced the series "As Time Goes By," which ran for nine series on the BBC with Dench leading alongside Geoffrey Palmer.

“The Shaftesbury Theatre has always held a special place in my heart,” Dench said in a statement. “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.”

She added: “Live theatre continues to be so important as a way of telling stories and entertaining audiences, something I have aimed to do all my working life.”

The Shaftesbury building was first built in 1911 and was originally named New Prince’s Theatre. It is the only London theatre with a dome that opens. In 1962, the theatre was renamed Shaftesbury Theatre, which was destroyed in the Blitz.

The renaming will follow a renovation, including restoration of the building’s dome and backstage area.

It is unusual for a theatre to be named after a living person. The vast majority were named posthumously to honour men, including John Gielgud, Harold Pinter, and Noël Coward.

The first West End theatre to honour a woman was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s New London theatre, which was renamed after Gillian Lynne (the Cats choreographer) in 2018.

Lynne was 92 when the theatre was renamed, having previously been known as the Winter Garden theatre, and the Mogul music hall.