The West End is to get two new theatre spaces under one roof, it has been announced.
The old Whitehall Theatre near Trafalgar Square is being divided into two to create the Trafalgar Studios.
They will play host to smaller, more intimate productions which until now have been restricted to venues outside the West End.
One space will have just 100 seats, while the larger will have 400, which is still small by West End standards.
"We are extremely proud to be bringing these two new venues to the centre of London," said Howard Panter of the Ambassador Theatre Group, which owns the theatre.
"We hope this will inject a new urgency, energy and excitement into the West End scene, attracting a younger audience."
When the larger of the studios opens in May, the first production will be the Royal Shakespeare Company's Othello, starring Antony Sher as Iago and directed by Gregory Doran.
The space closely resembles the RSC's Swan Theatre in size and design.
The RSC will announce its permanent new London home in July.
Doran said: "We are delighted to be bringing Othello here. The opening of these spaces is a very exciting moment for the London theatre.
"It has always been hard to find a space in London which replicates the Swan and to have the Trafalgar Studios is terrific."
The opening of the studios conveniently coincides with the temporary closure of the Young Vic this August. The south London venue is being revamped and will open again in autumn 2006.
The Young Vic's successful musical Simply Heavenly will transfer to the Whitehall in the summer for a West End run, and other productions may follow.
First opened in 1930, the art deco Whitehall Theatre famously played host to The Whitehall Farces, under the management of Brian Rix.
In 2000 the building was taken over by the Ambassador Theatre Group, which owns several venues in the West End and a total of 22 across the country.
