The Bloomsbury Theatre was officially opened in 1968 as The Central Collegiate Building for University College London (UCL). The theatre is now closed for refurbishment and is due to re-open in 2018.
Prior to closure, the main theatre had gained a reputation in a number of fields, from small scale opera work to innovative stand-up comedy. Drawing on its University base, the theatre had developed a reputation for science-based comedy and broader science events. It also provided an early stage for some of this country’s greatest comedy talent including Lily Savage, Eddie Izzard, Jo Brand, Jeremy Hardy, Mel and Sue, John Shuttleworth and Sooty! More recently top name comedians such as Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Carr and Harry Hill have chosen Bloomsbury Theatre as a venue for their DVD recordings. The Bloomsbury also hosted many music events such as the Zombies, Adele, Paul Simon and Ray Davies. The Bloomsbury Theatre was built to support student activity and prior to closure hosted 12 weeks a year of student productions from University College London.
The Bloomsbury Studio opened in 2015. It is a flexible flat-floored performance space for up to 70 people. The studio has already become a popular venue for stand-up comedy, spoken word, music and small-scale performance. The studio regularly hosts events from University College London including Bright Club, student productions, and research-related events.