London’s Duke of York Theatre renamed to honour playwright Tom Stoppard

London’s Duke of York Theatre has been renamed in honour of the late playwright Sir Tom Stoppard.

The move coincides with the opening of a new production of Stoppard’s Arcadia, directed by Carrie Cracknell, which has today (1 July) transferred from the Old Vic to the West End.

Physical signage will be changed in the coming months, said the theatre, which opened as the Trafalgar Square Theatre in 1892 before being renamed the Duke of York’s Theatre in 1895. This meant the venue was inadvertently named after the Queen’s second son, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was given the title in 1986 up until last year, when he took a step back from royal life amid continued scrutiny over sexual abuse allegations from Jeffrey Epstein survivor Virginia Guiffre.

The playwright’s children Ollie, Barny, Will, and Ed Stoppard said in a joint statement that they are “moved and delighted” by the “fitting tribute” to their father.

“The West End was close to his heart, and we feel sure he would be thrilled and humbled in equal measure by this great honour,” they added.

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His widow Sabrina Stoppard said: “Tom was in his element whenever he had a play on in the West End, so I am thrilled to bits that this theatre will be named after him.

“It means that his memory will live on, not just through his plays, but also through this building.

“I know he would have felt deeply moved and profoundly honored by this extraordinary tribute.”

The family also gave their thanks to the theatre’s owners, ATG Entertainment, and Sonia Friedman Productions, who have made the change happen.

During his five-decade career, the Dorset-born Tom Stoppard won a record five Tony Awards for Best Play and three Olivier Awards for works including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Leopoldstadt and The Real Thing.

He also won an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay for Shakespeare in Love.

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Producer Friedman said: “I had the privilege of producing many of Tom’s plays, including at this theatre, and more importantly, of calling him a dear friend.

“We shared countless coffees opposite the theatre, and I can just imagine him looking up at his name on the building, utterly tickled pink.

“I hope The Tom Stoppard Theatre inspires new generations to discover the curiosity, humanity, wit and extraordinary imagination of his work, and in doing so, understand why he secured his place among the true giants of theatre.”

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It comes just weeks after Dame Judi Dench was left “overwhelmed” by the decision to rename the Shaftesbury Theatre in her honour – and as venues, streets and pubs with ‘Duke of York’ in their name face a quandary over whether to rebrand themselves.

The Duke of York Theatre was originally renamed in honour of the then future king, George V.

In line with the tradition of naming a monarch’s second son as the Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was given the title in 1986, on the day of his wedding to Sarah Ferguson.

Andrew has been embroiled in scrutiny over his ties to convicted paedophile Epstein and allegations by Guiffre, who died in 2025.

Guiffre said she was sexually abused by Andrew and sued the former royal through a US court in 2021. Andrew, who has always vehemently denied the allegations, reached an out-of-court settlement with Guiffre the following year.