Trafalgar Studios

The Trafalgar Studios was formerly The Whitehall Theatre until 2004. It was remodelled and changed into a two theatre venue. As it’s name would suggest the studios are situated near Trafalgar Square, on Whitehall. It is a unique development with two intimate, flexible and dynamic performance spaces –Studio 1 and Studio 2.
Studio 1 is the larger of the two spaces with 380 seats. It opened on June 3, 2004. Smaller Studio 2 has a seating capacity of 100, and opened in 2005. I’ve only been top Studio 1, but was impressed with the layout. The seats are banked quite steeply, meaning that every seat in the auditorium has a clear vision of the whole stage. There were no arm rests, but the size of the seat was ample, so for me this was not an issue.
There is a bar in the foyer, as well as the Studio bar in the basement. There is also a huge Wetherspoon pub next door.
The Trafalgar studios really are a great venue for small productions, giving an intimate access between the performers and the audience. I really like this place. It’s a great addition to London’s thriving West End theatre scene.

Classy, cosy theatre. Like they should be. But can get pretty hot, even when you’re not in the spot light.

I booked tickets for ‘The Ruling Class’ back in December as a Christmas present for my boyfriend and we had both been looking forward to it for months. The tickets I had bought were in Box B and we’re marked as having a ‘slight restriction due to side view’, but I put that down to the nature of boxes being at the side of the stage.
When we arrived we were lead to the box but did not have our seats pointed out to us as the attendee was obviously embarrassed to show us our seats — a raised bench that was apparently 3 seats in one despite being tiny, narrow and slanting forward making sitting on it near impossible without sliding off.
Since this was meant to be a special occasion I went back to the attendee and pointed out that the sitting on that seat was near impossible due to its slope and were there any other spare seats/​solutions. She called her manager who came and told me there were no other options — when I asked if would not be possible to at least bring in another chair he rolled his eyes at me.
How they can not mark on their floorplan or alert you that you will not be getting a proper seat it beyond me. The fact that the manager reacted so rudely only made a bad situation worse.
The play was great but the theatre was lacking.

They’re two small theatre venues located seconds from Trafalgar Square. I went to see ‘Miss Havisham’s Expectations’ there and did enjoy the performace. Although the staff are extremely welcoming, I thought the drinks at the bar were overpriced. Would definitely go there again, though.

I’ve been in both studios in this theatre had a blast both times.
Mostly the productions were excellent, and the theatre itself is quite lovely. More intimate than others, which puts the audiences much closer to the stage than usual West End theatres. The location is also very convenient: it’s right beside Trafalgar Square and a 2-​minute walk from the tube stop.
I saw Julie Madly Deeply (a one woman show that narrates the life of Dame Julie Andrews, my favourite musical actress of all time); and Richard III, the recent production of Shakespeare’s play starring Martin Freeman (yes I’m a Sherlock fan), which is still playing and I highly recommend it if you’ve got a chance to go. They are very different productions but both very enjoyable: music, lighting and most importantly the stage acting were impeccable.
The theatre got very crowded when I went to see Richard III because of a slight delay. There was just no place for all the audiences to wait in the lobby. The queue to the lavatories (both upper and lower levels) were also frustratingly long. But overall it didn’t affect the pleasure of seeing the excellent productions going on in these studios. I’d definitely return if they keep running interesting shows like the ones I saw.

We saw a fantastic performance of Richard III at Trafalgar Studios tonight. Vibrant, surprising, and unusually witty. Martin Freeman was stellar as the power-​hungry Richard. And as we managed to grab front row tickets, we left the theatre with a nice souvenir of stage blood splatters all over our clothing, which made for some hilarious encounters with concerned and terrified passersby on the way back.
The theatre itself feels quite intimate, you’ll never be too far away from the stage. I’m only giving this three stars because of the seating though, which I found exceptionally uncomfortable. They’re as narrow as the usual London theatre seats, but because they’re bench-​style, you don’t even have the luxury of an arm rest. That means that if your partner/​husband has a shoulder/​arm width significantly wider than the seats, you’re going to be very uncomfortable. There is no lumbar support either in these seats, they’re like sitting against an upholstered plank, which is less than pleasant when you’re there for 2 – 3 hours.
All in all, glad I got to see the play, but not sure if I would return to the theatre unless they either changed the seats, or something I REALLY wanted to see was playing.

The Trafalgar Studios is about as central London as you’re gonna get and the theatre they put on is interesting and good. They showcase a lot of new work which I also love!

I’ve just been to see The Hothouse here excellent production & cast, although Simon R-​B stole the show and John Simm seemed woefully relegated to a supporting role. (But then I think Simm is such a great actor, I’d probably lament any show where he wasn’t centre stage)
I enjoyed the theatre; it is clean and modern, the staff were friendly, and the layout of seats and performance space creates an intimate and engaged dynamic between the audience and actors.
However, I have to strongly agree with the negative comments on the seats. Thin cushioning and ramrod straight backs. At £65 a go, I expected to have a seat that didn’t leave me distracted from the drama as I shifted around trying to get comfortable. I also expected to get a seat all of my very own, without the big guy next to me spreading quite so much. Please, arm rests don’t just give you somewhere to put your elbows, they tell people where their seat stops and someone else’s begins! Just because I’m small and am not using all of my seat all of the time, it doesn’t mean I don’t want the option of being able to uncross my arms and legs at some point.
Bottom line; go for the shows but maybe bring cushions.

I really love this little theatre. Always puts on great plays.
Went to see ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ last night. One of the best plays i have ever seen. Pure genius!
It has been extended due to popular demand and i understand why.
My advice: beg, borrow or steal to get your hands on a ticket! You will not regret it!

Came here to see a performance of Macbeth with James McAvoy in the leading role. The performance was really pretty awesome — sort of a post-​apocalypse, militant crust-​punk take on Shakespeare. Pretty interesting and very high energy performance.
The theater itself isn’t overly impressive as far as décor. But I really enjoyed how the play made full use of the theater — action in the catwalks, actors reading lines from within trap doors on the stage, even an impressive battle scene where the back of the stage opens to the street outside and Macbeth’s army charges in from out of the theater.

This review will not be about James McAvoy.
I repeat, this review will not be about James McAvoy.
Okay, fine, this review is going to be partially about James McAvoy, but only in a small capacity as it relates to the overall Trafalgar Studios experience.
Went here last night to see the very much buzzed-​about rendition of Macbeth (which featured, to everyone’s surprise, James McAvoy).
Scored my ticket online, during the last-​minute sales for Monday night performances that they do on the first of every month. Since this show has been sold out since the first hour of its announcement, I think this is a great way to let other people get a chance to go who weren’t trolling the internet the first second tickets went on sale in January. The best part? The tickets during these flash sales are all £15 — whether you sit in the very back, or the very front like I did (I’ll get to that in a minute…).
Trafalgar Studio 1 (there are 2 in total, apparently the floorplan is different in the other one so I can’t comment) is set up like you would expect a television studio to be – though it’s, obviously, not intended for TV production. The venue is pretty small, with a capacity of around 350 people in total, and with extremely gradated rows of seats for these visitors to perch upon. The seats themselves are pretty basic and a little too upright, and the rows are also very close to one another, due in part to the overall lack of space in the theatre. However, since you’re literally sitting on the edge of your seats (no pun intended — you really are!) throughout the performance, it ends up being even more gripping. Well, at least Macbeth was. There are also seats available ‘onstage’ (so behind what you would traditionally think of as the stage format, though this particular performance ended up being a 360 degree one, and there was no concept of ‘back’ and ‘front).
Since said ‘stage’ is just, essentially, a boxing ring-​sized piece of floor at the centre of the theatre, there is no boundary between the actors and the audience. This means that they get really up close and personal. Since we were in the front row, the following things happened: James McAvoy spat on my shoe (not rudely, he just spits a lot when he speaks), a book thrown across stage hit me in the leg, and a dagger that also got thrown across stage hit the woman next to me in the leg (I’m definitely grateful I got the book). Also, did I mention that James McAvoy spat on my shoe? That’s how close the actors get to the audience.
The stage/​studio is deceivingly simple to the eye — it literally looks like a gritty slab of concrete with some metal grates on the bottom, and a rusty ladder leading upstairs to a small walkway above the stage. However, there are all sorts of trap doors and unexpected stage exits, a water tap and sewage grates in which the water can drain away, and pyrotechnic equipment overhead. Gritty, but impressive. I know they did a remodel recently, so these may be some of the features added in.
In general, due to the fog machine used heavily during this performance, the impeccable acting and projection that seemed to go far above all of our heads — presumably, even the audience in the furthest row back, and the overall eerie and removed feeling of the play we watched, there was a real sense of intimacy between the audience and the actors, yet we had a ‘proper’ theatre experience with a fourth wall. Although, I’d be happy for James McAvoy to break that again… he can spit on my shoe anytime.

Saw Yes, Prime Minister here and what a blast! We were seated four rows back and were so close to the stage that we felt almost integrated into the set! The sound and lighting were excellent, the highly raked seats gave what looked like a good view for all and the play itself was hysterical. Its intimacy and modern fit out make this a theatre to relish. Top marks thanks a lot!
As an addendum, we’ve just been to see The Hothouse and the theatre delivered on its promise yet again. The seating is a little cosy but this really is a great venue to see stellar performances by acclaimed actors, right up close and personal. (In fact, some of the audience were actually on the stage itself. You don’t get closer than that to award winning masters such as John Simm and Simon Russell Beale!!)

Really intimate, cosy theatre (we were in Studio 2 for Precious Little Talent — fantastic production). I really liked the shared seats (surprisingly comfy) and the size of the stage — worked very well for the play we saw.
Bottles of water at the bar were £2.00 — acceptable prices for London theatres I reckon.

I’ve only been to Studio 2, which is an intimate (approx 100 seats?) theatre. Trafalgar/​Donmar put on great shows. Whether I have enjoyed a particular production or not, I have appreciated the space.
On the seats — I actually like these but then I’ve only been in 2-​seaters with friends and for short productions. The Almeida has the same seats.

Great location by Trafalgar Square on Whitehall, this small theatre takes on interesting productions from a variety of influences including the Donmar Warehouse. There are 2 studio theatres with a steep incline so every seat has a good view. Well, almost every seat — our first seats in Studio 1 were literally to the side of the stage and in the overspilling spotlight.
I’m not sure if it was just for this production (Educating Rita — excellent, by the way) but the stage is raised about 4 foot from floor level here, so in these few seats by the front you do have to crane the neck a bit. After interval we moved towards the back of the theatre to free seats and were amazed that the view was still really good. The only bad thing was the seats, small and uncomfy and I definitely had numb-​bum after the first 20 minutes or so. Staff in the foyer bar were nice and they had jovial snacks like packets of Maltesers and mini pringles. All up a small and friendly-​feeling production house for great plays.

Hmmm. I suppose I am rating for both the venue and the entertainment? In that case, three stars.
The venue itself is centrally (and obviously) located. It’s clean and comfy and the seats are all good. They have ice cream during the intermissions and it’s totally worth the £3 — plus the guy who sold me mine was so sweet.
The entertainment? Errrrrr, weeeelllllll… I suppose it depends on what suits your fancy. The show I saw was WAY too crude for my taste but I have been known to be slightly prudish at times so maybe it was just me. And that’s only based on my one visit.

We attend the Trafalgar Studios to see Entertaining Mr Sloane and I have to say I cannot fault it.
It’s not the biggest of the West End Theatres but I feel it must have had a recent make over as the interior is very well laid out.
We were in row F and had a very clear view of the stage — as I feel did everyone else. The seats are laid out in such a manner that no one is too far away from the stage and there are absolutely no obstructions. (Unless you count Ewan McGregor who was sat in the audience!).
The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable and the bar prices were reasonable compared to other central London theatres.
I think this is a very nice theatre, in a great location.

Trafalgar Studios presents a mixed bag of theatre, primarily in development. I can’t say that I’ve been too impressed by much of what has come out of there but from time to time it astounds. Owned by a major commercial theatre enterprise it’s a pretty impressive proposition: a large scale West End theatre space — with a phenomenal address — dedicated to the development of new, untested works. Every once in a while they hit and when they hit they tend to test out the waters with a transfer to one of their many other theatres (these include much of the West End and a great number of regional theatres throughout England). When things fail they are tucked tidily away into the remainder bin, never to be heard of again, which is typically all for the better.

I think this is the place I saw The Dumb Waiter with Lee evans and Jason Isaacs. Very small seats, so you are forced to brush thighs with strangers, and the auditorium felt like a nuclear bunker, all pillars and tilt, a bit like the Renoir at Brunswick Square. One of those seventies places. Bit hot as well. Sort of place where you get deep vein thrombosis.

I went to the Trafalgar studios for the first time this weekend to see Riflemind (bad reviews but I liked it) And I totally agree with the previous reviews, the seats were seriously uncomfy, but it was deceptive; when you first sit down you think they are really comfy, and it gradually dawns on you that you are, in fact, wrong!
That said it is a little hidden gem, a really sweet theatre wich has been done up really nicely. They seem to have quite a fast turn around of shows, and quite a wide variety. Also on Mondays tickets are £10, which is worth knowing as they are normally £45! Definately somewhere I’ll be going again