A sneak peek: Shaftesbury Theatre’s award-winning redevelopment

This work has been overseen by architects Bennetts Associates, which has also worked on redevelopments of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh. And, of course, it doesn’t come cheap. The costs so far have exceeded £10 million, and there are three more phases of work to go – all of which have to be done while shows are ongoing.

Having previously worked on the construction of the new Hampstead Theatre, Williams, a former stage manager, is no stranger to the demands of capital projects.
But working on the Shaftesbury, which is owned by American company DLT Entertainment, has involved managing large-scale ambitions on a necessarily tight budget. “If your theatre is part of a group, you can support a theatre being dark for an extended period,” he says. “If we close, we haemorrhage money, so I have to work in a different way.”

This has meant that something as logistically demanding as installing a new flytower must be done in “bite-sized bits”, he explains. Four huge reinforced concrete piles, which form the foundation of the tower, were installed during an eight-week closure in 2013. The tower itself, which is housed in a striking weathering-steel, rusted metal facade that also includes office space and a new costume department, was connected in just a fortnight.

‘We’ve made it one of the most sought-after theatres in the West End’

The project, which has been recognised by awards from bodies including the Royal Institute of British Architects, means the flying rig can now support weights of up to 35 tonnes, up from 12 previously. This, says Williams, makes the theatre fit for today’s productions. “Sets are getting heavier and more technically demanding. My fundamental philosophy is to make sure the space is as adaptable as you can make it. The stage is our shop floor, our workspace – so it is central to everything we do.”

It’s easy when looking at West End theatres to see them as mere variations of each other, but they all come with their own distinct history, design and artistic sensibilities. In the Shaftesbury’s case, one striking aspect is that it was among the first to be built using a metal framework. Williams, a boyhood fan of Meccano, describes it fondly as a scaled-up version – its steel beams held together by countless rivets, like a classic steam liner.

In practical terms, this not only makes it strong – in the early years, capacities could reach 2,500, with people squashed into bench seating in the upper circle – but also improves sight lines, as no pillars are required for additional support. There is also an extraordinary opening dome above the chandelier in the ceiling, a sort of elaborate sunroof that opened up – legend has it that if rain falls during a show, it evaporates by the time it reaches the stalls.

But the new air con ensures audiences won’t need to risk getting wet, and, fortunately for their backs, those aforementioned benches are long gone. Still, Williams recognises that the current seating is badly in need of an upgrade. Several (very comfortable) examples of the replacement flip seats are already in place in the stalls, where they can easily be removed to accommodate wheelchairs. The ambition, he says, is to replace every seat within the next two years.

Other plans on the slate include installing a new entrance, directly above the underground stalls bar, overhauling the foyer, cleaning the exterior brickwork and erecting a digital billboard. Camden Council is also in the process of re-landscaping the surroundings to green-up this high-trafficked area. This will create an opportunity for the Shaftesbury to have outside seating and offer a cafe service throughout the day, bringing it in line with other theatres that are increasingly recognising the importance of daytime footfall. There are also plans to install LED lights, which will make a significant energy saving.

Then there are the toilets – an essential yet oft-maligned element of any West End theatre. A significant portion of our tour is spent admiring the new loos in the grand circle, housed in an area once occupied by a staircase (when the theatre was constructed, Williams explains, each level had its own outside access to avoid the different tiers of society intermingling). There are also new toilets in the royal circle and stalls levels, all of which have an increased number of stalls and water-saving, flush-free urinals.

However, for all the grand designs, Williams is well aware of the need for downtime. “We can’t just keep on going and going, otherwise you can get building fatigue,” he says. So, there will be breaks between the phases, which aren’t projected to be completed for at least five years.

He is tight-lipped on the next occupant of the venue after & Juliet, which closes in March, but says he hasn’t been short of options. “Without wishing to sound boastful, I think we’ve made it one of the most sought-after theatres in the West End. I’m constantly inundated by people wanting to bring shows here. If there’s one thing I’m most proud of in my nearly 20 years here, it’s that.” 

Shaftesbury Theatre

Owner: Theatre of Comedy Company, trading as the Shaftesbury Theatre – part of the DLT Group of companies
Chief executive: James Williams
Capacity: 1,416
Number of employees: Approximately 90 – the production companies have a similar number, so generally there are 180 working in the theatre on any one day
Turnover: £18 million to £19 million subject to production success

For more: shaftesburytheatre.com