Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London, established in 1932. Originally known for its Shakespearean productions, the theatre now features a wide variety of performances, including musicals, operas and plays simplified for children Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London, with 1,304 seats.
- Venue
- Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Address
- Inner Circle, Regent's Park, London, Westminster, NW1 4NP, England
- Town
- London, GB
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London, established in 1932. Originally known for its Shakespearean productions, the theatre now features a wide variety of performances, including musicals, operas and plays simplified for children Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London, with 1,304 seats. It is situated in Queen Mary’s Gardens in Regent’s Park, one of London’s Royal Parks. The theatre’s annual 18-week season is attended by more than 140,000 people each year. In 2017, the theatre was named London Theatre of the Year in The Stage Awards, and received the Highly Commended Award for London Theatre of the Year in 2021. Many famous people have performed at the theatre. One of the first was in 1936 when Vivien Leigh played Anne Boleyn in Henry VIII, three years before she found fame in Gone with the Wind. Subsequent actors and actresses include Anna Neagle, Eileen Atkins, Bernard Bresslaw, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon, Kate O’Mara, Lesley Garrett, Richard E. Grant, Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Bonneville, Damian Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Sheridan Smith. Judi Dench, who has had a long relationship with the theatre, is currently Patron. The Open Air Theatre's 2026 season includes the world premiere of Sherlock Holmes, a new mystery by Joel Horwood; A Life in Four Seasons, Vivaldi's masterpiece reimagined in an electric new dance work; William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream; a brand-new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS; and Anansi the Spider by Justin Audibert in a Unicorn Theatre and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production. 2026 also sees the return of Family Takeover Day, Live Music Week, and various artist development programmes. In 1932, the New Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre) was left without a show after the early closure of a play by Benito Mussolini. Producer Robert Atkins and theatre critic Sydney Carroll presented a ‘black and white’ producti