West End and Broadway to dim their lights tonight as tribute Sir Peter Hall

Venues in the West End and on Broadway will dim their lights tonight (Friday 15th September) in memory of  the late Sir Peter Hall,  British director and theatre impresario.

Before the evening’s performances commence tonght , audience members and industry professionals will recognise one of the greatest names in British theatre while lights are dimmed for one minute as a mark of respect. The tradition, which is performed to honour theatre’s most prestigious and loved contributors, will take place across the West End at 19:00 (BST) and on Broadway at 19:45 (ET).

Peter Hall’s extraordinary career spanned more than half a century. In 1960, aged 29, he founded the Royal Shakespeare Company which he led until 1968. In 1973 he was appointed Director of the National Theatre and oversaw the move from the Old Vic to its current home on the South Bank.

After leaving the National Theatre in 1988, he formed the Peter Hall Company (1988 – 2011), and in 2003 became the founding director of the Rose Theatre Kingston. His productions were acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic and his work spanned theatre and opera. Peter Hall was Artistic Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera (1984 – 1990) and worked at many of the world’s leading houses including The Royal Opera, the Metropolitan Opera and Bayreuth.

Sir Peter Hall received the Society of London Theatre’s Special Award at the 1999 Olivier Awards. In 2011 he received the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre at the 2011 UK Theatre Awards.