Gielgud Theatre
Venue Information
- How to book (Phone)
- 0344 482 5137
- [email protected]
- Guide dogs
- Access dogs are allowed inside the auditorium. Staff can also dog-sit for three dogs per performance in the Manager’s office.
- Wheelchairs
- Entrance to the auditorium is through the third side EXIT door on Rupert Street. Ask a member of staff to open this for you. One 12cm step up to the front of the Dress Circle. Venue suitable for scooters. B5 + B30 are wheelchair spaces. Companions to be seated in B6 + B29. Seats on the end of row B also act as transfer seats.
- Sound amplification
- Sennheiser Infra-red System with 15 headsets + 2 which attach to hearing aides - collect your headsets from the Cloakroom: name and address required. The best reception is in the front area of all levels of the auditorium. Induction loop at the Box Office.
- Audio description
- One 10cm step up into the foyer, through swing doors. Box Office on the right. There is a sofa in the foyer. Handrails on both sides of staircases. All steps are highlighted. Dress Circle up 3 steps (2 steep steps between rows). Ramp available to give level access to front of Dress Circle. 20 steps down to the Stalls and 30 up to the Upper Circle from an entrance on Shaftesbury Avenue to the right of the main foyer entrance. The upper circle also has two steep steps between each row.
- Street to foyer
- Steps & Ramp
- Foyer to seat
- 20 to Stalls. 30 to Grand Circle.
- Level access
- Dress Circle & Foyer Bar
- Lift / stair lift / ramp
- Ramp to Dress Circle
- Bars
- 3 licensed bars. No steps to the Foyer bar from the wheelchair space (along a side corridor). Moveable seats. Foyer bar 3 steps up from the foyer. Stalls bar 4 steps down from the back of the stalls, with fixed seats.
- Food
- Light snacks available
- Toilets
- Mens and Womens throughout. There are accessible toilets located in the Foyer near the Bar.
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Yes
- Accepts Theatre Tokens
- Yes
Since 1906, the Gielgud Theatre has been home to many traditional and modern classics.
Known originally as the Hicks Theatre, the 986 seater opened with a production of The Beauty Of Bath in 1906, a play co-written by Seymour Hicks. In 1909, its name was changed to the Globe, before being renamed as the Gielgud in 1994, to distinguish itself from the newly opened Shakespeare’s Globe and as a homage to Sir John. John Gielgud made his first of 15 appearances at the theatre in 1928.
Productions at the theatre have included three of A A Milne’s plays in the 1920s (the Winnie The Pooh author who was also a popular playwright) and While The Sun Rises – a wartime comedy romance which ran for 1154 performances, boosting morale throughout 1944 and 1945. Notable performances include Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell in The Importance Of Being Earnest in 1939, directed by John Gielgud, and Judi Dench’s first appearance with the Royal Shakespeare Company in over ten years in All’s Well That Ends Well in 2004.
In 2006, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres took over operational control of the Gielgud, and presented a series of acclaimed productions including The Crucible with Iain Glen, Frost/Nixon with Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, Equus with Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths and Macbeth with Patrick Stewart. More recent successes include Yes, Prime Minister which played at the theatre twice and Graham Linehan’s highly entertaining stage adaptation of the classic Ealing comedy The Ladykillers.
In 2013, the National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time transferred to the Gielgud, closing in 2016. The production won 7 Olivier Awards in 2013, at the time equalling the record held by Matilda The Musical.