In December 2024, theatre photographer and historian Mike Hume found a glass bottle hidden above the stage at the King’s Theatre. Sealed in October 1906, shortly before the venue first opened, it contained a simple manifest: the names of the architects, plasterers, and apprentices who built the auditorium.
Now, as the King’s prepares to reopen its doors this August following extensive redevelopment, Capital Theatres wants to compile a modern equivalent.
The public has just over two weeks to submit their memories of the building and hopes for its future. Selected entries will form part of a new time capsule. Contributions can be made online or deposited physically into a glass bottle installation currently sitting in the Festival Theatre foyer until the window closes on 6 June.
In December 2024, theatre photographer and historian Mike Hume found a glass bottle hidden above the stage at the King’s Theatre.
Fiona Gibson, Chief Executive of Capital Theatres, pitched the project as an opportunity for audiences to leave a lasting mark on the venue.
“Whether it’s a favourite show, a special time you stepped on stage yourself, a first visit that sparked a love of theatre, or even a hope for what the King’s could be in the future – every story matters,” Gibson said. “It’s a chance to leave your message for generations to come, just like those who helped build the theatre did for us over a century ago.”
Accessibility at the Core
The King’s Theatre has operated as a building site since February 2023. Structural changes include a raised fly tower, extended by 4.5 metres to accommodate larger productions, and a level stage designed to better support dance and circus acts.
The venue’s management is leaning heavily on improved accessibility as a core selling point of the revamp. The updated layout introduces step-free access from the street to the stage, three new lifts, increased wheelchair spaces, and a Changing Places toilet facility.
Personally speaking, I’m very excited for the new, all-day cafe space that promises a safe haven for the theatrically minded (and others) – a facility the city has lacked since the Trav Bar bowed out from being a generally available hostelry. So bring on the reopening!
To that end, theatre company Slung Low has been contracted to develop the official August reopening celebrations.
“At every moment of the process, it’s been clear that the King’s truly deserves and lives its reputation as the people’s theatre,” said Alan Lane and Kully Thiarai of Slung Low. Well, until June 6th, the people can claim that space in a truly unique way. Will you be leaving your own message in a bottle?
Featured Image: Fiona Gibson and Grant Stott – Hope in a Bottle Image by Neil Hanna
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