The Shaftesbury Theatre has completed the latest phase of its 10-year transformation programme. A new bar and events space has been created at basement level below a brand-new public space delivered as part of the London Borough of Camden’s West End Project.
These latest updates are part of a masterplan conceived by Bennetts Associates, working with the theatre’s owners, Theatre of Comedy Limited. Completed phases include the award-winning flytower extension, upgrading auditorium ventilation, remodelling of the bars, increasing numbers of toilets, reseating the main auditorium at stalls level, and providing lift access to the stalls for the first time in the theatre’s history. Each phase has been delivered with minimal disruption to the theatre’s busy performance schedule.
Dating from 1911 and with a seating capacity of 1400, the Grade II Listed Shaftesbury Theatre is one of the West End’s major receiving houses for large-scale musical theatre. Like most theatres of its time, the Bertie Crewe-designed theatre maximised its auditorium footprint on a tight plot, leaving little space for the bars and facilities modern audiences have come to expect. The original design reflected the norms of Edwardian society, dividing the audience by social class and providing separate entrances and stairs for each group. The result was a building with too many stairs and too few bars and toilets.
Bennetts Associates’ design enables better utilisation of space, removing unnecessary stairs and using the space gained to create improved visitor facilities and accessibility at every level.
The theatre’s stage and its stalls are below ground. With nearly half the audience seated at this level and no dedicated foyer they were poorly served by bars and toilets. As part of Bennetts Associates masterplan, a subterranean extension has now been created to provide additional space for a new bar, toilets and events space which is stretched out under the pavement above.
The road in front of the theatre was closed to improve the public realm as part of Camden’s West End Project. This has resulted in a brand-new public space in front of the theatre known as Princes Circus. The new below ground extension benefits from new rooflights integrated into the paving, whilst the ground floor foyers spill out into the new space with all-day seating.
In addition to this, a feature staircase has been added which improves connectivity with the basement bar and creates a new architectural feature.
The architectural approach taken by Bennetts Associates has been to create new spaces with a contemporary feel, exposing the ribbed concrete structure in the new basement bar and contrasting this with the brickwork of the existing theatre’s old basement wall. The colour palette of sage green and dark timber reflects the original colours which would have been used as part of the theatre’s original interior scheme back in 1911.
Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a sustainable Camden said:
“I am delighted that the council’s reimagining of Princes Circus now also provides a suitably impressive gateway to the iconic Shaftesbury Theatre, itself benefitting from a recent transformation.
“Located perfectly as an improved and inviting pedestrian route between Covent Garden and the British Museum, our reimagining of this location has now transformed this area, changing road space into usable and enjoyable green space for everyone.”
Simon Erridge, director at Bennetts Associates, said:
“This has been a significant project that we’ve been working closely with the client on for 10 years. This latest phase has seen the remodelling of the space to bring it up to date for the modern-day visitor, while remaining sensitive to the theatre’s original features. The theatre now offers a wider range of facilities for the public visiting and also expands the services and activities that the building can offer in the future.”