When I slipped through the stage door for a preview of the King’s Theatre ahead of today’s official reopening, the first thing that struck me was the floor. That’s right, after a multi-year, multimillion-pound restoration, my eyes are on the floor.
Specifically, the fact that you can now walk from the dressing rooms to the wings without a single stair getting in the way.
Most of the audience filing in tonight, and in the many nights to come, will never see this level-access backstage corridor, but for the performers who actually inhabit this building, it is arguably one of the most vital transformations made during this relentless 109-week, £35.6 million redevelopment—a massive logistical feat delivered by more than 1,370 people across over 160 organisations. It sets the tone, in my mind, for the new King’s: a fiercely protected Edwardian architectural soul, carefully re-engineered, for a modern, accessible era.
Stepping directly onto the famous boards, the scale of Capital Theatres’ ambition becomes clear. The notoriously raked floor is finally flat. As Chief Executive Fiona Gibson told me earlier this year, taking the rake out is a “big change” that finally opens the door to major dance and physical theatre companies. Above us, the fly tower has been extended by 4.5 metres, allowing touring companies to get much larger, more demanding sets in and out with maximum efficiency.
People might not realise just how slim the wings are in the King’s. Community groups including EDGAS, Southern Light, and the Bohemians were actually in the building just the night before my tour to test front-of-house systems and doubtless standing in these very spaces. Precisely where they will hide their expansive casts when showtime comes, after years spent in the expansive Festival Theatre, will doubtless be on their minds already.
But looking out into the house beneath the brand new BIZET lighting rigs – which replace the banks of redundant kit previously pointed-stagewards – the sheer technical muscle of the space is undeniable.
Opening the Doors to Tollcross
Moving away from the stage and into the front-of-house reveals a building that has been completely opened up. Looking in from the new steel and glass canopy overseeing Leven Street, you instantly notice the work done to make the main entrance level; the original stone stairs have been meticulously reworked to make those grand doors accessible to folks in wheelchairs or with mobility problems for the first time in history.
When I slipped through the stage door for a preview of the King’s Theatre ahead of today’s official reopening, the first thing that struck me was the floor. That’s right, after a multi-year, multimillion-pound restoration, my eyes are on the floor.
Specifically, the fact that you can now walk from the dressing rooms to the wings without a single stair getting in the way.
Just inside, architects have made one tiny extension to what was the box office, making way for the kitchen in a new, all-day café – otherwise the King’s footprint is unchanged. “Communities coalesce around food,” Gibson told me before, and Capital Theatres have certainly put their money where our mouths are to make the space practical for users – be they journalists like me needing a spot to file copy, or folks who buy more than one coffee every ninety minutes. It will hopefully provide a daytime haven for the theatrically minded, a facility the city has lacked since the Trav Bar became a showtime-only operation.
We’re told by Capital Theatres’ Emma Goodacre that hardly anything has actually left the building; it has overwhelmingly either been restored, reused, or recycled. But what has been structurally obliterated is the theatre’s 1906 class segregation. Gone are the disjointed stairways that made it impossible to go from the ground floor to the top circle without changing routes.
That relic, designed to keep the occupiers of the cheap seats out of sight of the posher patrons below, is mercifully banished. Now, a shimmering, aquamarine staircase cuts through the building. This is where you’ll find the brass plaques for those who ‘bought a step’ to support the King’s redevelopment. I think some might have hoped for a slightly more obvious legend for their cash, but I’ll leave that to the buyers to judge for themselves.
For those unable, or unwilling to make that climb, there are three new elevators seamlessly integrated into the historic architecture. The contractors had to battle with unforgiving Edinburgh bedrock to fit these transformative pieces of infrastructure, but the results are most definitely worth the struggle.
Preserving the Howard & Wyndham Heritage
There are practical quirks to the new layout. While total facilities across the building have actually increased from 36 to 48, the first-floor circle general toilets are gone, replaced by a single accessible loo. This will likely cause some difficulties until patrons get used to having to schlep up or down at intermission. Also gone is the little ‘Queen’s toilet’, supposedly installed because visiting aristocracy wanted convenience away from everyone else. In its place sits a cute small museum.
Framed in modern scaffolding, it honours the theatre’s complex origins. As the only surviving working theatre designed by architects Swanston and Davidson, it’s a brilliant nod to history, displaying a copy of the very first programme for Cinderella from December 1906, and acknowledging how the original contractor, William Stewart Cruickshank, took over the operating rights when the owners ran out of money. The venue does, however, balance its obligations to the building’s history with essential modern needs, now boasting the only Changing Places toilet in Tollcross. Not only will this be a vital resource to its local community, it also represents Capital Theatre’s absolute dedication to making the theatre accessible to all. Brava!
Reimagined Bars and Hospitality at the Tollcross Venue
Whether before or during intermission, you’ll find every single bar transformed. Digging out the subterranean Pit Bar meant hitting solid bedrock early on – requiring 1,600 wheelbarrows of rubble to be cleared out by hand, and a massive hurdle Gibson admitted caused “a range of sleepless nights.” But the excavation worked. The Pit Bar is a much easier place to get a drink, housing the refurbished counter of the former Tudor Bar. I will admittedly miss the old tucked-away basement boozer that was always the quietest place in the King’s pre-curtain, and the lack of seating down here means this will be more of a conveyor than a hanging-around space, I suspect.
Higher up, the Dress Circle bar is a vastly improved, larger space, bringing the Cruickshank room – the former wood-panelled boardroom of the Howard & Wyndham empire – fully integrated into the hospitality footprint. The attending Circle bar is, however, no longer 360 degrees; I will miss being able to buy a pint without losing sight of the doors back to my seat, but the staff certainly won’t miss the need for eyes in the back of their heads.
With overall hospitality capacity across the venue more than doubled – jumping from 200 to 405 people – the real revelation is at the top. The newly gargantuan Upper Circle bar might just be the nicest hospitality space in the building. Open, airy, wood-floored and with a single, enormous bar, it is also attended by pristine new conveniences (we got the full tour) and some great views.
Time Capsules and the Civic Future
Right at the very top sits the brand-new Nairn Family Trust Creative Engagement Studio. Complete with exposed rafters, a sprung dance floor, and mirrors, it’s a physical manifestation of the theatre’s drive to be a civic space. Look closely at the walls high above the suite, however, and you can still see the brickwork outlines of the old entrance to the long-lost upper-upper circle – ‘the gods’. Back in 1906, when the theatre packed in 2,500 patrons compared to today’s plush 1,125, the stairs to those highest, and rather dangerous perches had their own entrance – around the side, and out of sight. What a change then to have the top of the building occupied by a space available, and accessible to the community – it will doubtless be in huge demand.
This civic shift is echoed by the newly launched People’s Archive, which shares spaces with the new box office and a physical time capsule sealed for this reopening. It’s a beautiful full-circle moment, mirroring the 2024 discovery by historian Mike Hume, who found a 1906 glass bottle hidden above the stage containing the names of the original plasterers. As Emma revealed on our tour, it was actually during the repair of the historic plasterwork that a worker first noticed the central panel above the stage was hollow, prompting speculation that something was hidden behind it. Had it not been for these extensive works, the time capsule would likely have been lost forever. Gibson called finding that bottle “just a gift,” and reading the messages going into the new one proves this building is about far more than bricks and mortar.
Inside the Refurbished Auditorium: 21st-Century Tech Meets Heritage
Taking a last look inside the auditorium before leaving, it’s hard not to be struck by just how thoroughly the space has been renewed. The Upper Circle seating is transformative: high backs and slightly more generous legroom mean no more vertiginous leaning, and the new brass ‘P’ rails at each row are incredibly handy. I suggested to Emma that the Upper Circle is now easily as plush as the other two floors – but that I hoped that ticket prices up here wouldn’t rise to match. She laughed, promising to bring it up with management and ensuring the press release blames me if they like the idea.
This dedication to making the space not only gorgeous but accessible is writ in every subtle change. There’s a bank of seats with raisable arms for wheelchair transfers, wheelchair spaces in the now accessible dress circle. There are even extra-wide seats available to book from the box office as required.
With overall hospitality capacity across the venue more than doubled – jumping from 200 to 405 people – the real revelation is at the top. The newly gargantuan Upper Circle bar might just be the nicest hospitality space in the building.
Earlier in the tour, Emma led the way to control rooms overlooking the theatre, and from where the light, sound, and special effects wizardry now common in marquee touring productions are conjured. Beautiful, air-conditioned spaces, they are most definitely of the modern era, but looking back from the stalls, the change is more stylistic than futuristic. The back walls of each level are now gorgeous, finished articles; the sleek slivers of glass behind which those tech magicians will live sit elegantly behind the much-improved lighting/tech rigs.
Long-time readers will know what a stickler I am for sound quality – and thank the Lord – the King’s also has a brand-spanking new PA system. Some audio engineer with good taste was testing it out with Billy Ocean, and it sounded so very good. Ok, so the Edinburgh International Festival will occupy the space first, but when Operation Mincemeat arrives in November, I think we’re all in for a treat.
Yet, for all these changes and upgrades, the space feels exactly as you remember it. John Byrne’s glorious ceiling mural – meticulously restored on a towering platform by his daughter, Celie – soars over the space, weird and wonderful as ever. The familiar patterned carpets have been meticulously revived, and the stained-glass doors are gleaming; the stage is still within touching distance of the front row. When the King’s panto finally returns to this space this Christmas, the King’s will enfold it into its intimate, yet grand embrace with open arms. Sure, the place has a definite ‘new theatre’ smell after years of remodelling and the application of several metric tonnes of paint, but the Old Lady of Leven Street is still herself: not new, but renewed. See you there.
Featured Image: King’s Theatre Reopening Audience, July 2026. Photo: Anneleen Lindsay
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