Judi Dench to Rename Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2027
The shaftesbury theatre in London will become the Judi Dench theatre from February 2027, giving one of the West End’s most recognisable houses a new name tied to a living performer. It is only the second time a non-royal woman has been honoured in this way, and the change follows a renovation of the building.
Dench and Shaftesbury
The theatre said the rename celebrates Judi Dench’s “unparalleled contribution to British theatre and the performing arts,” and called her “one of the greatest actors of our time.” 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.”
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 long association matters here: Dench was part of Ray Cooney’s Theatre of Comedy Company, which held part-shares in the building, and Don Taffner of DLT Entertainment also bought shares in the theatre.
Lang on West End names
Eleanor Lang, the theatre’s chief executive, said: “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.” That line lands against a short list: the first West End theatre to honour a woman was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s New London theatre, renamed after Gillian Lynne in 2018, when she was 92.
The Shaftesbury itself has carried several identities. It opened as the New Princes theatre, then took the Shaftesbury name in 1962 to honour the original Shaftesbury theatre, which was destroyed in the Blitz.
Renovation and legacy
The rename will arrive with restoration work already built into the plan, including the building’s dome and backstage area. That pairing gives the change a practical edge as well as a symbolic one: the theatre is one of the largest independent theatres in London, and it is the only West End location with a dome that opens.
Dench’s recent comments also sit in the background. In December last year, she said she could still recite Shakespeare but could not remember what she was doing tomorrow, and she has spoken about how macular degeneration, diagnosed in 2012, made it difficult for her to see on film sets. The tribute now gives the West End a living name above the doorway, and the February 2027 switch turns that recognition into part of the building itself.
