The Royal Avenue Theatre opened on the 11th March 1882 with a revival of Offenbach's Madam Favart. The prefix Royal was soon dropped from the theatre's name, but comic operas, burlesques and the like remained the staple fare for several years. For much of this time, Arthur Roberts, a popular star of the music halls, led the company at the Avenue.

In the early 1890s the emphasis changed to drama and in 1894 Miss Horniman, the tea heiress, later a pioneer of the repertory movement, anonymously sponsored the actress Florence Farr in a season of plays. Sadly, the first production failed but Miss Farr persuaded her friend, a certain George Bernard Shaw, to finish his play, Arms and the Man, as a speedy replacement and his first West End production. It was successful enough to allow him to drop his music criticism in favour of play writing. Since then, the beautiful Playhouse has hosted the likes of WS Gilbert, legendary actress-manager Gladys Cooper, the BBC, The Almeida Theatre Company, The Peter Hall Company, and Janet McTeer. In January 2003, Maidstone Productions became the new independent owners of the Theatre. Maidstone Productions, belonging to London and Broadway producers Ted and Norman Tulchin, has been behind a string of hit productions on both sides of the Atlantic, including Gagarin Way, Eden and Vincent in Brixton in the West End; Yazmina Reza's The Unexpected Man, as well as Donald Margulies' Dinner with Friends, which won the Pulitzer Prize. This was in addition to Turgenev's Fortune's Fool on Broadway, starring Alan Bates and Frank Langella, both winning Tony Awards for best actor and best supporting actor.

In March 2003, the Ambassador Theatre Group took over the stewardship of the Playhouse Theatre and is responsible for the theatre's management and programming, working with Maidstone Productions and the team at the theatre. Recent productions include Richard Eyre's production Vincent in Brixton starring Clare Higgins and Journey's End directed by David Grindley. The theatre is currently home to Dreamboats and Petticoats.

Visit ATG’s West End Theatre Hire website which contains a wealth of information on West End theatres available for hire, including floor-plans, technical specifications, photos, catering options, costs, previous testimonials and location maps. If you’re unsure which venue would suit your requirements, the site also provide suggestions for venue hire, according to your needs. Please do get in touch by clicking ‘contact us’, and our Events team will be happy to discuss hosting your event in one of our beautiful West End theatres.

Visit http://westendtheatrehire.atg.co.uk

In the West End of London the Ambassador Theatre Group have 12 theatres. Our Creative Learning Team work to create bespoke workshops and courses with Teachers and Group Leaders from across the UK, often to coincide with a visit to see a West End performance. Our programme includes activities relating to the shows being presented in the theatres as well as opportunities to explore theatre-making more generally and to build personal skills. In partnership with our Group Sales department, we offer regular workshops for schools on the long-running shows Blood Brothers, Wicked, Legally Blonde and The Woman in Black amongst many other productions. In addition, we offer regular events exploring the options available to young people interested in a career in theatre.

For more information visit www.atgcreativelearning.co.uk.