Navigation tree
Navigation
- Home
- Theatre News
- London Shows A-Z
- Buy Tickets
- Kids & Family
- Events
- Olivier Awards
- tkts
- Stats & Facts
- Access
- > Stats & Facts
- > Decade by Decade
When The Society of London Theatre was established in 1908, it marked the start of Theatreland as we know it. Since then, the West End has seen many changes and faced numerous challenges. Here, we take a look back at the 10 decades since 1908, charting the highs, the lows, the people and the plays that have made London’s Theatreland the thriving industry it is today.
-
1908-1917
23 Apr 2008
On 20 February 1908, Britain’s first actor knight, Sir Charles Wyndham, presided over a lunch meeting at the Hyde Park Hotel to form an association with 20 of his actor-manager colleagues in London. Read more
-
1918-1927
23 Apr 2008
The second decade of London’s Theatreland was an uncertain time. It began with World War One seeming to sound a death knell for the industry before Spanish flu forced half of London’s theatres to close. Read more
-
1928-1937
23 Apr 2008
When the Thames broke its banks in January 1928 so began a decade of mixed fortunes for London’s West End. Read more
-
1938-1947
23 Apr 2008
Unsurprisingly, the period between 1938 and 1947 was a testing time for London’s Theatreland, dominated, as was everything, by World War II. Read more
-
1948-1957
23 Apr 2008
After years blighted by war, London theatre had its best business for 10 years in 1948, partly due to the effect of the London Olympics. Read more
-
1958-1967
23 Apr 2008
This may have been the decade in which the Theatrical Management Association launched the imaginatively titled ‘Go To The Theatre’ campaign to try counteract a perceived decline in audiences, but this period was of major significance in the history of London theatre. Read more
-
1968-1977
23 Apr 2008
The end of the 60s and the start of the 70s was an era of change for the world, the country and the theatre industry. Read more
-
1978-1987
23 Apr 2008
The late 70s and early 80s was a watershed time for women in power; Margaret Thatcher became the first female British Prime Minister and Verity Hudson was the first female president of the Society of London Theatre. Read more
-
1988-1997
23 Apr 2008
Perhaps more than ever, theatre was affected by, and reflected, world events in this decade. Read more
-
1998-present
23 Apr 2008
When Hollywood star Nicole Kidman stripped naked on the stage of the Donmar Warehouse in 1998 in The Blue Room, she caused a sensation and sparked off a new trend in Theatreland. Read more
- «
- <
- >
- »
Bookmark with: