Trafalgar Studios 1 & 2 (Previously the Whitehall Theatre).

Address: 14 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY

Architect: Edward A. Stone

Opened: 1930

Capacity: 646 seats

The Trafalgar Studios opened as the Whitehall Theatre on the 29th of September 1930 with 'The Way to Treat a Woman' by Walter Hackett, which transferred from the Duke Of York's. The theatre was built on a site which was previously a public house called 'Ye Old Ship Tavern' opened in 1650. The Tavern was demolished and later rebuilt on the opposite side of the road.

During the thirties, the Whitehall theatre became famous for comedy, but by the time of the Second World War, it had housed a revue like many other contemporary West End theatres. In 1942, The Whitehall Follies, featuring Phyllis Dixey, the first stripper to perform in the theatre district, opened with great pomp, and fanfare and became an immediate success.

Dixey leased the theatre and the production ran for five years. A series of farces, The Whitehall Farces by producer Lord Brian Rix, were staged over the next twenty-two years began with a play called 'Reluctant Heroes' which opened in September of 1950, and ended in 1971 when Paul Raymond bought the lease. He fell foul of Westminster Council by opening a museum without permission. During a successful Public Inquiry supported by the newly formed Save London's Theatres Campaign, and the Theatres Trust, Paul Raymond was ousted.

After considerable refurbishment that retained most of its Art Deco features, it reopened on March 5, 1986 with a successful revival of J. B. Priestley's When We Are Married.

Between 1997 and 1999, the theatre was converted into a television and radio studio used primarily to broadcast Jack Docherty's popular talk show and BBC Radio 4's Live from London. It returned to theatrical use, with such productions as The Three Sisters, Puppetry of the Penis, "Art", Rat Pack Confidential, and Sing-a-Long-a-ABBA.

After 'Rat Pack Confidential closed in 2003 the Theatre had a major, though reversible, conversion to the newly renamed Trafalgar Studios. The theatre space was converted into two Studio Spaces, one above the other, and creating a 380 seat auditoria in the original Dress Circle and extending this level down to the front of the stage. This became Studio One, and a new intimate 100 seat auditoria in the space which was formerly the Stalls area underneath the Dress Circle was Studio Two.

The new Trafalgar Studios' Studio One opened with a production of 'Othello' by the Royal Shakespeare Company on the 3rd of June 2004, and in October 2006 is currently home to 'Bent' by Martin Sherman.

Past productions at the Trafalgar Studios: