A new Dorfman Theatre alongside the Thames

St Paul’s School is delighted to announce that the school theatre has been renamed the Dorfman Theatre in recognition of a £10 million personal philanthropic gift from Sir Lloyd Dorfman OP (1965-70), founder and chairman of Travelex and former pupil, parent and governor of the school.

The gift, the school’s largest-ever private donation, was given as part of a ten-year renewal campaign to enable the school to rebuild and replace the temporary buildings that had been constructed when the school moved to its current site in the 1960s, as well as to support the bursary programme.

The renaming ceremony took place on Wednesday 30 November to coincide with the opening night of the school’s senior production of Kiss Me, Kate. Sir Lloyd and Lady Dorfman attended the show, alongside their son, Charles Dorfman OP (1996-2001), who is a producer, director and writer.

Sally-Anne Huang, High Master of St Paul’s School, Barnes: ‘As a school we are indebted to the Dorfman family. They have not only supported St Paul’s but shown a substantial and long-standing commitment to UK theatre, philanthropy and extending access to the arts. It will be a source of pride for us that their family name is interwoven into our own history in the transformed facilities which will be introducing theatre to pupils and audiences for generations to come.’

Sir Lloyd Dorfman commented: ‘Our family feels privileged to be able to support St Paul’s School. Both my son Charles and I are passionate patrons, and in Charles’ case practitioners, of the arts and so a connection with the school’s theatre has a special relevance to us. This association reflects my lifelong passion for supporting learning and participation in the arts as I was able to do in working with the National Theatre and establishing the Travelex cheap ticket scheme. I look forward to the work that will be developed in this theatre.’

The GCSE Drama and A Level Theatre Studies courses at St Paul’s draw a significant number of pupils and the Dorfman Theatre offers great flexibility for performance alongside teaching, allowing the theoretical and the practical to mix with ease. Equipped with a full public performance licence, the Dorfman Theatre also adds significantly to what we can offer through our various partnership programmes and, beyond these, to the wider community. We are grateful for additional support from other Old Paulines, parents and, in particular, the Mercers’ Company.