The major project that is the redevelopment of the King’s Theatre is almost 50% complete and in a new film released by Capital Theatres, actor and broadcaster Grant Stott leads a walking tour of the theatre, giving an exclusive look at the progress of the renovation.
Viewers can follow the popular King’s pantomime star as he walks through the theatre to get a glimpse of the building as it’s never been seen before. With the end of the demolition work in sight, the King’s is one step closer to becoming an accessible, modern venue for the first time in the building’s history. The theatre’s new roofline is beginning to take shape, with the fly tower, grid and loading gallery complete. The new fly tower is 4.5 metres higher than the original, creating more space above the stage to fly twice the weight of scenery in and out of the audience’s sight. The tower along with the new flat stage and updated engineering will enable the King’s to attract a greater variety of productions than ever before.
Areas of the theatre that will be familiar to the King’s audiences but currently look very different, including the auditorium that’s filled with scaffolding instead of seats, below which the new Pit Bar will be built. Scaffolding has also been erected in preparation for the restoration of the magnificent dome designed by the late John Byrne.
Steelwork has been erected at the back of the Upper Circle to accommodate new ladies’ and gents’ toilets, sound and lighting control rooms and new audio description and captioning rooms. This means that, for the first time in the building’s history, the King’s will have dedicated facilities to provide audio described performances for visually impaired customers and captioning for D/deaf customers.
The attic space has been stripped out to make way for a new double height Creative Engagement space, while structural work has commenced by the old Box Office in preparation for a new on-street café. Old concrete fire escapes have been demolished to make way for new staircases and lifts serving all areas of the building, providing an accessible journey from street to seat and street to stage in another historic first for the King’s.
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said “It’s fantastic to see the King’s Theatre reaching this important milestone in the redevelopment campaign. We’re proud to have contributed £4m to the project and will continue to work closely with Capital Theatres going forward.
“Our theatres are a cornerstone of the Edinburgh’s cultural sector and they have our full backing and support. I’m sure I speak for the whole city when I say that we can’t wait to see works completed at the King’s.”
Robertson Construction Central East is delivering the transformation of the King’s Theatre for Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 