Peacock Theatre

The Peacock Theatre stands in the City of Westminster on Portugal Street, close to Aldwych. It is a West End theatre housed within the London School of Economics campus. The 999-seat venue hosts lectures, public talks, conferences and political speeches during the day. In the evenings it becomes a dance theatre under an arrangement with Sadler’s Wells, presenting contemporary dance, ballet and pop concerts. The stage measures about 36 feet by 33 feet. The site has held a theatre since the 17th century, beginning as Gibbon’s Tennis Court. Mrs Hughes became the first identified woman to act on a London stage here in 1660. The building later served as a drama school, a meeting house and even a tripe-boiling house before burning down in 1809. In 1911 Oscar Hammerstein I opened the London Opera House on the same spot. After financial failure it became a variety house, then a cinema, before being rebuilt in 1960 as the Royalty Theatre. Today the Peacock Theatre is a shared space. By day it functions as part of the LSE, while evenings belong to Sadler’s Wells dance productions. The theatre is also known for its urban myth of a ghostly dolphin called Flipper. Remnants of the old dolphin tank and lifting equipment remain beneath the stage. Visitors can attend dance performances, conferences and award ceremonies in a setting that blends academic life with the arts.