Donmar Warehouse
Sections:
History:
The Donmar Warehouse became the first official home of legendary theatrical producer Donald Albery’s Donmar Company which produced a number of small West End plays. The company, which takes its name from DONald Albery and prima ballerina Dame MARgot Fonteyne, bought the Covent Garden warehouse in 1961 and converted it into a rehearsal space for the London Festival Ballet. Built in around 1870, the building originally served as a vat room and hops warehouse for a local brewery. In the 1920’s, it enjoyed a brief stint as a film studio but for over thirty years before Donmar Productions purchased it, it had been Covent Garden market’s banana ripening depot.
From 1977 to 1981, the Donmar was adopted by the RSC as a home for its more successful Stratford productions, and throughout the 1980’s it served as a receiving house for the UK’s more innovative touring productions. In 1991, the position of Artistic Director was given to Sam Mendes and as well as making significant changes to the layout and facilities at the theatre, he also instigated the Donmar’s career as a producing house, beginning with a home grown production of Sondheim’s hit musical Assassins in 1992.
Under the tutelage of Mendes, and since 2002 Michael Grandage, the Donmar Warehouse has built and maintained a reputation as one of the UK’s leading independent producing houses with such notable shows as Guys and Dolls, Parade, Piaf, Frost/Nixon and Pirandello’s Henry IV all achieving enormous success after transferring from the Donmar.
Contact Details
Donmar Warehouse
41 Earlham Street
Seven Dials
WC2H 9LX
For all ticket enquires call 0871 789 1004
Map
Facilities
Theatre capacity:252
Theatre layout:
The Donmar Warehouse seating is arranged on two levels on three sides around a thrust stage. The seating comprises of benches and is unreserved so it’s worth getting there early and ignoring the hubbub in the bars (UK Tickets thinks the back row of the stalls is best). The Dress Circle overhang does not restrict the view from any seat in the stalls at all, although the view from corner seats in the Dress Circle may be a little obscured by a safety rail.
Air conditioned:
Yes
