Dame Judi Dench will become only the second non-royal woman in history to have a West End theatre named after her, with the Shaftesbury theatre to be rechristened the Judi Dench theatre from February 2027.
The honour, described by the actor as “truly overwhelming”, recognises her “unparalleled contribution to British theatre and the performing arts”, the theatre said. It is one of the largest independent theatres in London and the only West End venue with a dome that opens.
“Shaftesbury theatre to be renamed Judi Dench theatre from February 2027, only second non-royal woman honoured.”
Dench, 91, has a long association with the Shaftesbury. She was part of Ray Cooney’s Theatre of Comedy Company, which held part-shares in the venue. Don Taffner of DLT Entertainment, which produced the sitcom As Time Goes By – in which Dench starred – also bought shares in the theatre.
“The Shaftesbury theatre has always held a special place in my heart,” Dench said. “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.”
The renaming follows a renovation that will include a restoration of the building’s dome and backstage. 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.
It remains extremely rare for a theatre to be named after a woman. The first West End theatre to do so was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s New London theatre, renamed after the Cats choreographer Gillian Lynne in 2018. Lynne was 92 at the time. The Shaftesbury itself was originally called the New Princes theatre, but its name was changed in 1962 to honour the original Shaftesbury theatre, which was destroyed in the Blitz.
This is not the only naming honour Dench has received recently. A suburban street in Swindon was named Dench Close as part of a new estate that used actors associated with the James Bond films. Dench played M in the Bond franchise.
The theatre said Dench was “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.”