Our community is at the heart of the Bloomsbury Theatre’s identity, and we have been working to maximise the theatre’s potential for our students and for our whole UCL community. To support this vision, Estates Management Commitee has taken the decision to transfer the management of the Bloomsbury Theatre from Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science (LCCOS) to Students’ Union UCL, part of a plan to further develop an inclusive, vibrant arts centre with student voice at its centre.
This transition is designed to enhance student engagement with the theatre, aligning with UCL’s Student Life Strategy. This will support an increase in our extra-curricular offer across a range of creative programmes and help us to meet the demand for student performance opportunities. It will also help us to continue to operate a professional West End standard theatre with strong commercial credentials, and provide enhanced opportunities for engagement with staff, alumni and the local community.
Our vision is to create London’s only student-led theatre, home to artsUCL - the SU’s sector-leading extracurricular arts offer. This will build on the excellent work already being done, positioning the Bloomsbury Theatre as a key pillar of students’ experience at UCL and a compelling reason for students choosing to study here.
The transfer supports the ambitions set out in UCL’s Student Life Strategy to enhance the student experience at UCL by continuing to expand the SU’s effective model of engagement, creating opportunities for students to try new activities, develop their skills, feel a stronger sense of belonging, and immerse themselves in exceptional experiences tailored to their needs.
The Bloomsbury Theatre is used by performers, students, staff, cultural organisations and our wider community to showcase theatre, music, dance and comedy. First opening in 1968, it has welcomed household names and been a home for students to develop their arts skills and experience, with many world-leading UCL alumni crediting the theatre as being crucial to their UCL experience and their future career. The transition of management will build on this success.
Following a consultation with all staff, the Bloomsbury Theatre staff team transferred to Students’ Union UCL on 28 April 2025 with overall management transitioning on 1 August 2025. We would like to thank teams across the university for the collaborative and constructive way that they have worked together throughout this consultation process.
In the coming months, the theatre will run broadly along existing operating structures while beginning to identify opportunities to enhance student access. We aim to optimize space usage and develop flexible models for creative and performance-based participation, all whilst maintaining a strong commercial offer.
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