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     Trafalgar Studios - Information & History
The Trafalgar Studios Theatre is situated in Whitehall and was only recently renamed to become the Trafalgar Studios in a total refurbishment in 2004. Originally the theatre was called the Whitehall Theatre to match its location and first opened its doors on the 29th of September 1930 with a production called 'The Way to Treat a Woman', a play by Walter Hackett, which had transferred from the Duke of York's Theatre.
The Whitehall Theatre had been built on what used to be a famous landmark Tavern called the 'Ye Old Ship Tavern', which had been there some 280 years since 1650. The Tavern was demolished and rebuilt on the other side of the road to face the new Whitehall Theatre which now stood in its place.
The 1930's witnessed a flurry of theatre building activity with no less than 5 theatres being built in that year. The first being the Prince Edward Theatre on April 3rd, then the Cambridge Theatre on the 4th of September, closely followed by the Whitehall Theatre on the 29th of September. Then came the rebuilt Adelphi Theatre on the 3rd of December and finally the Leicester Square Theatre opened its doors on December the 19th.
The Whitehall Theatre was designed with an Art Deco interior by Marc-Henri & Laverdet, who were also responsible for the Piccadilly Theatres interior. The main building was designed by Edward A. Stone. The Auditorium was quite small in this intimate theatre and had a seating capacity of only 620 laid out on 2 levels with Stalls and Dress Circle. The stage being small to fit the building was a compact 28' wide and just under 16' deep.
The Whitehall Theatre became the home for Brian Rix's 'Whitehall Farces', which were more like slapstick comedies interlaced with sexual innuendo and trouser dropping, door slamming running events, which were light hearted fun and frolics and enjoyed by millions. They were a light relief after the post war depression and rationing of the Second World War. They opened to rave reviews in 1950 and they continued to entertain for over 20 years, right up to 1971.
The Whitehall lease was acquired by Paul Raymond, the successful Raymond Revue Bar entrepreneur, in 1971 and the theatre remained closed for a number of years. In 1978 Paul Raymond took a calculated risk by turning the Whitehall Theatre into a kind of tourist museum called 'The Theatre of War'. But this was done without any planning permission and it was forced to close following a legal battle with Westminster Council who objected to the redevelopment. Some said at the time this was because of Paul Raymond's reputation of offering sexual review bars and there may have been a mutual dislike of the strict councils views at the time, who were not as understanding as today. In any event, a public inquiry took place and was backed by a charge made by the 'Save The London's Theatres Campaign' and the 'Theatre Trust', which had the support of the Westminster Planning Council. As a result Mr. Raymond lost his case and this landmark case has helped to preserve the heritage of London's Theatres ever since.
The Whitehall benefited from a refurbishment in 1985 which restored its Art Deco features.
The Whitehall Theatre saw its last production as the Whitehall with the 'Rat Pack Confidential', which opened on the 18th of September in 2003 and the Whitehall finally closed its doors on the 15th of November 2003.
The Whitehall Theatre has ceased to be and the building underwent a major redevelopment under the direction of Architects Tim Foster and John Muir. They converted it into two smaller studio theatres, one above each other, to create a 380 seat capacity upper Studio 1 and a much smaller 100 seat capacity studio in the stalls called Studio 2. This was an innovative step and would permit the theatre to stage new productions that would find it virtually impossible to fill a conventional theatre. Also the new intimacy of the Trafalgar Studios would give the ideal venue for new plays from the UK and from around the world to put on a production in front of London Theatre goers, for the ultimate test which had not been commercially possible before.
The Building was renamed the Trafalgar Studios and opened with a production of 'Othello' by the Royal Shakespeare Company on the 3rd of June 2004. The Studio Theatre also saw Owen McCafferty's new production called 'The Crow' make its London Debut in November 2005 starring James Nesbitt. The Trafalgar Studios were described by a leading Arts columnist from The Times as being 'One of the most exciting things to have happened to the London Theatre scene in a long time'.
The theatre is currently owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group.
Trafalgar Studios (formerly Whitehall Theatre) | Performances | Information | Directions | History
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