Piccadilly Theatre

At its grand opening in April 1928, the Piccadilly Theatre was one of the largest theatres to be built in London, as its souvenir brochure claimed, 'If all the bricks used in the building were laid in a straight line, they would stretch from London to Paris'. The opening production starred one of the most acclaimed actresses of the period, Miss Evelyn Laye.

In its early days, the Piccadilly operated as a cinema and made entertainment history when it premiered the very first talking picture to be shown in Britain, The Singing Fool with Al Jolson. He also opened the Jazz Singer in 1928 and appeared afterwards on-stage to sing Mammie. The Piccadilly has presented most forms of stage entertainment from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (with its original Broadway cast) to A Night with Dame Edna. There have been a variety of Royal Shakespeare Company productions including Edward II starring Ian McKellen, and Henry Fonda also made his West End debut in the solo play, Clarence Darrow and Y.

The 1990s witnessed an expansion in musicals, ballet and dance, notably the most successful commercial ballet season ever to play in the West End, with Adventures in Motion Pictures' Swan Lake. The Piccadilly has been home to a season of plays directed by Sir Peter Hall, starring famous names such as Judi Dench, Michael Pennington, Julia MacKenzie and Eric Sykes. It has also hosted the smash-hit musical Spend Spend Spend starring the Olivier award-winning actress, Barbara Dickson, the sell-out run of Shockheaded Peter, Noises Off starring Lynn Redgrave, Ragtime, the transfer of the National Theatre's acclaimed production of Jumpers, Jailhouse Rock, Guys and Dolls, Grease the Musical and is currently home of Ghost The Musical. Viva Forever! the Spice Girls musical is coming to the Piccadilly in November 2012.

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.

 

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 ATG's Creative Learning website