Company Profile

Watford Palace Theatre opened in 1908 as a music hall called the Watford Palace of Varieties. One of the most elegant Edwardian theatres in Britain, it is a Grade II listed building.

The Palace is a major attraction in the area, and the only producing theatre in the region; over 100,000 people pass through our doors every year. We produce nine shows a year, from casting and rehearsing, to set building and costume making. Each show rehearses for four weeks and plays for up to three. The acting company changes for each production.

The programme has wide appeal, ranging from modern plays, comedies, adaptations and classics, to our traditional pantomimes. We also host one-off performances and touring productions.

The Palace Theatre enjoys a high national profile and a reputation for quality productions, some of which transfer to the West End or tour nationally. Successes include David Farr's Elton John's Glasses, which transferred to the West End and Simon Gray's The Late Middle Classes, which won the 1999 TMA Award for Best New Play.

The theatre closed in July 2002 for a major refurbishment, its most significant change in 96 years and re-opened in August 2004 after an £8.8m refurbishment.