A scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Bridge theatre in 2025. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The GuardianView image in fullscreenA scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Bridge theatre in 2025. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The GuardianTrafalgar Entertainment acquires Nicholas Hytner’s Bridge theatreLondon Theatre Company founded in 2017 by Hytner and former National Theatre colleague Nick Starr has been sold to company that owns 20-plus venues in UK and abroad
The Bridge theatre in London, opened in 2017 by the former National Theatre duo Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, has been acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment in a sale that also includes the Lightroom venue for immersive art shows. Trafalgar Entertainment now owns the duo’s London Theatre Company (LTC).
“After nine years, it feels like the right time to be moving on,” said Hytner, who described establishing the Bridge theatre – which has a flexible 900-seat auditorium – as a “thrilling experience”. Hytner directed several of the Bridge’s hits, including its opening promenade-style production of Julius Caesar and a long-running Guys and Dolls which ended with the audience dancing alongside the actors. Away from the Bridge, Hytner recently directed Giant at the Royal Court – which transferred to the West End and Broadway – and is staging James Graham’s new play, The Standard of Living, in the West End in September.
“I couldn’t be more admiring of the artists and colleagues who have been responsible for making so many memorable productions and creating a theatre that has quickly become a favourite destination for audiences,” said Hytner. “And I’m extremely grateful to those audiences for their enthusiasm and loyalty.”
View image in fullscreenNicholas Hytner in 2017, the year he launched the Bridge theatre. Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The GuardianHytner and Starr worked together at the National Theatre for more than a decade, the former as artistic director and the latter as executive director. Starr, co-founder and outgoing CEO of LTC, said: “When we began this project, we wanted to build a theatre that felt genuinely contemporary – flexible, ambitious and open to as many people as possible. Since then, the Bridge has become home to an extraordinary range of productions and artists and has shown how adaptable and resilient theatre can be.”
Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, founders and joint CEOs of Trafalgar Entertainment, said: “The Bridge is a successful and much-loved part of London’s cultural offer, and Lightroom is establishing itself as a major London attraction. Our focus is on maintaining that momentum in both spaces. We are attuned to what the Bridge means to its audience, what is required to support its growth, development, sustainability and continued success – and proud to play a part in taking the London Theatre Company into its next phase, creating opportunities, new partnerships, and creative collaborations with producers – adding to what makes it so special.”
Panter and Squire founded Trafalgar Entertainment in 2017. It operates more than 20 venues in the UK and Australia, including Trafalgar theatre in the West End and the 1,575-seat British Airways theatre, set to open in west London next year.
Lightroom in King’s Cross has presented immersive shows about David Hockney, Vogue and David Bowie. LTC’s next production at the Bridge, which is located near Tower Bridge, is The Oresteia, written and directed by Simon Stone after Aeschylus. It replaced Stone’s version of Chekhov’s Ivanov, which was postponed to summer 2027 after a “scheduling issue” for its star, Chris Pine. The Bridge’s Olivier award-winning musical Into the Woods transfers to the West End in September.
