Trafalgar Studios to merge spaces and relaunch as Trafalgar Theatre in 2021

The owners of the West End’s Trafalgar Studios have confirmed they are pressing ahead with plans to merge the venue’s two spaces into a single auditorium, which will be renamed the Trafalgar Theatre.

Following a multimillion-pound refurbishment, it will reopen in the spring, in line with Covid-19 security guidelines, with a revamped auditorium and front-of-house spaces and a larger stage.

Earlier this year, The Stage revealed that Trafalgar Entertainment had been granted planning permission to combine the theatre’s 380-seat main auditorium and 100-capacity studio into a single 626-seat space, reverting back to its original configuration.

However, Trafalgar Entertainment, which owns and operates the theatre, said at the time it had applied for planning permission before the pandemic, it had “not made any definitive decisions” about continuing with the plans.

Now, joint chief executives Rosemary Squire and Howard Panter have confirmed that they are going ahead with the project, and that the West End venue will be relaunched as Trafalgar Theatre when it reopens early next year.

As well as combining the two spaces, the restoration project will reinstate the venue’s original art deco style, with new seats, a new foyer and stalls bar, and improvements to the toilets.

Seating at the Trafalgar Theatre will be split across two levels: stalls and dress circle.

In a joint statement, Panter and Squire said: “We need to be responsive to the demands of an ever-changing theatre landscape and consider the expectations of a modern London theatre-going audience.

“The refurbishment of the Trafalgar Theatre has created a larger auditorium space and a significantly improved customer experience.”

They added: “The transformative period we are all currently in has presented us all with great challenges that as a company we are working to try to overcome. We intend to continue to adapt, innovate and invest in the future.”

The redevelopment is being overseen by Foster Wilson Architects, which has previously led projects at the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, Barbican Concert Hall, the Apollo Victoria Theatre and the Southampton Mayflower.

Trafalgar Entertainment was also recently awarded the contract for a 55-year lease of Sydney’s 1,200 seat Theatre Royal and is currently building a members’ club cinema complex in Chiswick, London.