West End Theatre List

[markbearsf]

In New York, there is a limited list of theatres that are considered "Broadway houses" - 40 of them to be specific (until the Hudson reopens).
Is there an equivalent in the West End?

How many theatres (specifically or roughly) qualify for the Olivier awards (or are simply considered "West End" houses?) ...and are the National Theatre venues included?

[profquatermass]

Any theatre that is a member of SOLT (Society of London Theatres) is eligible. This includes the NT

www.olivierawards.com/info/faq/

[markbearsf]

Do you know how many theatres there are?

[Deleted]

There is a difference between "West End theatre" and "SOLT member" though. With the best will in the world, you couldn't count the National or the Globe or the Royal Court as being West End theatres, though they have all been Olivier-award-winning. I wish we had a foolproof system for denoting a West End theatre like they do with Broadway, as it can get confusing trying to work out what counts. Is it geographical? Is it size? Is it reputation? Is it commercial vs non-commercial? Is it SOLT members? What makes a theatre West End?

[profquatermass]

May 9, 2016 9:24:50 GMT @baemax said:

There is a difference between "West End theatre" and "SOLT member" though. With the best will in the world, you couldn't count the National or the Globe or the Royal Court as being West End theatres, though they have all been Olivier-award-winning. I wish we had a foolproof system for denoting a West End theatre like they do with Broadway, as it can get confusing trying to work out what counts. Is it geographical? Is it size? Is it reputation? Is it commercial vs non-commercial? Is it SOLT members? What makes a theatre West End?

The OP asked about the theatres eligible for the Oliviers which, as you say isn't the same. I'm guessing most of us wouldn't consider the Arts or Tristan Bates as 'West End Theatres' though actors' CVs may suggest otherwise 

I guess the SOLT theatres are the ones covered in this site (which I see includes the Lyric Hammersmith) 


www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/london-shows/

[Deleted]

I read it as the OP asking two separate (though obviously related) questions, hence the paragraph break in the original post, and hence me going off on what may have appeared to be a tangent in my reply.

[markbearsf]

Thank you Baemax.

As the OP - I was mostly interested in how many theatres there are as a comparison to Broadway - and if the strict B'way/off-BW, Tony/not schism existed in London. I mentioned the Olivier awards wondering if that was part of the criteria for saying "West End." I googled and found the SOLT membership requirement for the awards, but not a list or count.

Especially since with the B'way boom has resulted in a backlog of shows waiting for a house to open, the number of theaters there is a big factor. That, and simply walking back to the hotel down Shaftesbury Ave, I noticed so many theatres cheek-and-jowl. I posted the same question in Broadway World and someone replied that there were 39 actual West End houses.

I always want to use the correct term. (I wince a little whenever someone mentions the "soundtrack" of a show or refers to a musical as a play.) So, do I correctly surmise that:
- Although as a general blanket term for theatre in London (especially from outside) I may say "I'm going on a West End binge" like I say "a Broadway trip" even though all the shows might not strictly qualify.
- But as a reference, especially in a theatre context, if I say "West End," I'm referring to those 39 theatres in those specific blocks.

Might I also assume that there are smaller (for lack of a better term "less professional") theatres located within the West End of London which wouldn't qualify to be called "West End"

I want to avoid making others wince as I do.

Mark - who tomorrow leaves on a "crossing" to NY - and wouldn't be caught dead calling it a "cruise."

[Jon]

In terms of commercial theatres as in owned by the various theatre groups like ATG, Delfont Mackintosh etc there are 37 West End theatres with Nimax involved with a theatre that replaces the old Astoria which will open around 2020 and become the 38th West End theatre. I'm not sure if the Trafalgar Studios is considered one theatre or two since it's two performance spaces in one building,

[CG on the loose]

Personally I think of the West End houses as the central London commercial theatres and would include the two (now one pending redevelopment of the Palace) Victoria theatres even though they are geographically separated from the main swathe of 'theatreland', but exclude Vics both Old and New and the National Theatre complex.

But you're right to think there are many other, smaller venues within the same central London footprint - ranging from the positively tiny (e.g. Tristan Bates, Jermyn Street) to the slightly larger (e.g. Charing Cross, Arts) - as well as larger commercial venues outside the centre (Lyric Hammersmith, Hampstead, etc).

I'll happily take them all, however they're labelled