Theatres across London’s West End will be dimming their lights at 7pm tonight (2 July) in memory of the British choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne, who died on Sunday evening aged 92.
Before this evening’s performances begin, lights will be dimmed for one minute as a tribute by the theatre industry and audience members to the legendary choreographer, who began her career as a ballet dancer and went on to work on more than 60 shows across the West End and Broadway, including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musicals Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.
Dame Gillian received a Special Olivier Award in 2013 for her contribution to theatre. Last month, the New London Theatre (current home of Lloyd Webber’s School Of Rock The Musical) was renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre – making her the first non-royal woman to receive this honour.
The tradition of dimming theatre lights has long been performed in the West End to pay respects to theatre’s most renowned contributors.
Julian Bird, Chief Executive of Society of London Theatre, said: “Dame Gillian Lynne’s contribution to theatre was inestimable. Her career, which spanned over seven decades, encompassed performance, choreography and directing. She worked across so many of the West End and Broadway’s top venues and productions, and won numerous awards and accolades. We are proud to celebrate her extraordinary legacy tonight in the West End.”