Two theater owners are teaming up on a new venture. The Shubert Organization, owner of 17 Broadway theaters, and Trafalgar Entertainment, a popular London theater owner and producer, are partnering on a new life for Trafalgar’s Olympia Theatre, which will comprise not only performance venues but also restaurants and hotels.
The theater, which is currently under a 70-year lease with Trafalgar, is due to welcome audiences in 2027. Once the space is ready, the Olympia will be the largest new theater of its scale to open in London since the National Theatre in 1976. The £1.3 billion redevelopment plan for the Olympia, a 140-year-old exhibition venue, is to make it into a dynamic cultural and entertainment destination for London, just down the road from the Royal Albert Hall.
This historic partnership between the Shubert Organization and Trafalgar Entertainment marks the first time in 100 years that the Shubert Organization has directly partnered and invested in London venues.
The stage of the Olympia’s new theater is being designed to accommodate the most ambitious of theatrical productions, and yet its wrap-around auditorium will confer the most intimate audience experience for a venue of its scale.
The design of the Olympia Theatre will center on audience comfort. Crafting the venue without the spatial and landmarking restraints of traditional West End venues, the new plan will allow for catering to the needs and enjoyment of contemporary audiences. Including high-speed lifts and multiple entry points for easy access, generous bar space at every level and four exclusive premium lounges and private seating boxes, the theater will comprise 1,600 square meters of lobby space and dramatic views across the London skyline. Audience seating will be 10%-35% wider than average West End seating, with legroom between rows that is a minimum of 10%-20% wider than average in the West End. There will also be restrooms available at every level, with 80+ toilets in total.
Once completed, the transformed Olympia will comprise exhibition and conferencing spaces for up to 20,000 people, a 4,000-capacity live music venue (operated by AEG Presents), hotels, offices, a co-educational senior school featuring a state-of-the-art community theater, hospitality and restaurant spaces, as well as the Olympia Theatre venue. The Olympia will also benefit from a number of key partnerships, including with the BRIT School, the UK’s leading performing and creative arts school.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Shubert to be part of shaping the future of London’s cultural landscape,” said Robert E. Wankel, chairperson and CEO of the Shubert Organization, in a statement.
“Theater-making is an increasingly global endeavor and the connection between Broadway and London has never been stronger,” added Jeff Daniel, president of the Shubert Organization. “Our investment in the Olympia Theatre reflects Shubert’s deep commitment to world-class storytelling, wherever it takes place.”
“For Trafalgar Entertainment to have such an important company as the Shubert Organization with us operating the exceptional new Olympia Theatre, creates an appropriately global and exciting partnership,” added Howard Panter, joint CEO and creative director of Trafalgar Entertainment.
The Olympia Theatre will become Trafalgar Entertainment’s 21st venue across London, the UK and Australia. The venue is being developed by Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International and co-designed by Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC.
