Donmar Theatre • London • UK

From Donmar Warehouse | Theatres Trust:

Originally a brewery vat room with hop storage and stabling underneath, the building was an 1870s extension of the Woodyard Brewery founded in 1740. The brewery closed in 1905. The spacious vat room, after briefly being used as a film studio, became a banana ripening warehouse.

Ian Albery, manager of the Donmar Hire and Sales company, acquired a lease of part of the old brewery building adjacent to the banana warehouse in 1960. Donmar provided technical and rehearsal services for theatres in the West End and the many shows produced by his father Donald Albery. The name Donmar was the amalgam of Donald Albery’s first name and his wife’s second name, Margaret.

Donmar had many new shows scheduled to rehearse in 1961 including the major musical Blitz! that needed full scale scenery to be constructed for rehearsals. Ian Albery heard a rumour that the adjacent banana warehouse was closing and secured the remaining 18 months lease of the banana warehouse in the old brewery vat room.

Within weeks the Donmar Rehearsal Theatre opened. The Rehearsal Theatre was used for over 15 years by many West End producers – with a few private performances to escape censorship. Companies included the RSC, London Festival Ballet and the Beatles. In 1977 it was converted to the Donmar Warehouse Theatre by Donmar and RSC. […]

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