Give rebranded Actors Centre back to actors, say Mark Rylance and others

London venue with long history of offering training and networking has become Seven Dials Playhouse

For more than 40 years it was a place where actors - from legendary stars to those struggling for a first break - could socialise, network and learn new skills. Among its patrons and members were Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Alec Guinness, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Bates and Julie Walters.

But last November, the Actors Centre - a registered charity in the heart of London's West End - was rebranded" by its new chief executive, Amanda Davey. It is now the Seven Dials Playhouse, a 100-seat theatre that describes itself as truly inclusive ... relevant, dynamic and exciting".