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Iconic West End theatre to be renamed after Judi Dench in honour of actress's legacy
The Olivier and Tony Award winner says the theatre "has always held a special place" in her heart.
John Phillips/Getty Images
- Olivia Garrett
Published: Tuesday, 16 June 2026 at 2:52 pm
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Dame Judi Dench's nearly 70-year acting career is being honoured today with a legacy that will last lifetimes.
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The West End's Shaftesbury Theatre is set to be officially renamed the Judi Dench Theatre from February 2027, in celebration of the actress's prolific contribution to British theatre.
Reacting to the news, Dench called it "truly overwhelming", and said the theatre has "always held a special place" in her heart.
The Oscar-winning actress shares a connection to the venue as the Theatre of Comedy – a company of actors and authors she helped found in the '80s – had part shares in the theatre.
She also has close links to the theatre's owners the Taffner family as their company produced her popular series As Time Goes By.
Chairman Donald Taffner Jr said: "Dame Judi has been a close friend of the DLT family for so long, particularly from her involvement with As Time Goes By, and we will always treasure the time she made in her busy schedule to make the programme.
Shaftesbury Theatre in London.
"We have such fond memories of Judi at the Shaftesbury from the meetings for the Theatre of Comedy members to when her husband was performing in a number of the Theatre of Comedy productions.
"Aside from business, my parents would often talk about how much they enjoyed spending time with Judi and Michael in both NY and London. We are therefore delighted to recognise her extraordinary talent and extensive contribution to many in the renaming of our theatre."
Chief executive Eleanor Lang said: "We are so excited to rename the Shaftesbury Theatre in honour of Dame Judi. Not only does she play an important role in our history, but she is an iconic figure of the stage and screen landscape.
"We don’t celebrate brilliant women enough in our West End theatre names, so we are delighted that her name will be forever in lights above our doorway."
Dame Judi Dench. Channel 4
Dench has performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre many times and is known for her love of the stage, from Shakespeare to musical theatre.
In the announcement, she went on to say: "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 Shaftesbury Theatre is a grade II-listed building. Built in 1911 and originally named New Prince’s Theatre, it was the first steel frame theatre in the West End and is the only London theatre with a dome which opens.
In 1962 the theatre was renamed Shaftesbury Theatre due to the original Shaftesbury Theatre (further along Shaftesbury Avenue) being destroyed in the Blitz.
The venue is currently showing the musical Avenue Q until early 2027.
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Olivia Garrett
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