Lloyd Webber-owned West End theatres to fundraise for music therapy charity

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Audiences at the London Palladium will be encouraged to donate to Nordoff and Robbins. Photo: LW Theatres

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LW Theatres is backing a fundraising campaign for a leading music therapy charity at its venues, under what is being billed as a "powerful" new partnership.

The London Palladium, His Majesty’s Theatre and Theatre Royal Drury Lane are among the venues that will now encourage audiences to donate to the charity Nordoff and Robbins, which trains music therapists.

QR codes at shows and dedicated messaging in programmes and on screens, along with point-of-sale donation prompts, are hoped to drive theatregoers towards giving money to the charity.

LW Theatres has also pledged to provide accessible experiences for Nordoff and Robbins clients – which include those coping with illness, disability and social isolation – at shows including Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre.

In addition, 18 members of staff at LW Theatres will take part in the 2026 Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise more money for the charity.
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The link-up marks a strengthening of Lloyd Webber’s pre-existing support for Nordoff and Robbins. In 2011, his theatre group donated £250,000 to the charity, and the money was used to help maintain a music therapy centre at the BRIT School, which was soon renamed the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Unit.

Jules Arnott, co-chief executive of LW Theatres, said she had seen first-hand the "extraordinary impact" of Nordoff and Robbins’ work".

"Music sits at the heart of what we do every day, so extending this partnership across our theatres, to our audiences and to our 900‑strong team, feels both natural and deeply meaningful," Arnott said.

"We’re incredibly proud to stand alongside such an inspiring charity and support their truly transformative work.”

Sandy Trappitt, Nordoff and Robbins’ director of fundraising, added: "This powerful partnership with LW Theatres comes at a critical time for Nordoff and Robbins. We could nearly fill all of their theatres twice over with the people we supported with music therapy in the past year alone, but the demand for music therapy is increasing rapidly, and so are the costs of running our services.

"We are working hard to train future music therapists and make sure high-quality music therapy is a key part of health and social care services, so we’re incredibly grateful to LW Theatres for this much-needed support and opportunity to be seen by new audiences."