Stage is set for revival of historic city theatre

Published on Thursday 25 June 2009 23:04

CAMPAIGNERS have unveiled plans for a multi-million pound revamp of a neglected former theatre on Edinburgh's waterfront.

New images show how the old Leith Theatre building in Ferry Road would be brought back to life more than 20 years after it was last used.

Arts organisations and conservationists are behind the scheme which would see theatre, live music, circus performances, fashion shows, dance and visual art exhibitions staged in the new-look building which dates back to 1932.

The main 1,500-capacity theatre hall will be completely overhauled to accommodate four smaller performance spaces, while a new plaza and foyer will be created outside the existing building. The entire scheme rests on the city council agreeing a long-term lease for the old theatre.

Page and Park, the design practice responsible for major cultural projects like the new-look Eden Court Theatre in Inverness and the Centre for the Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, has produced the masterplan.

It is hoped the reopened Leith Theatre will eventually become a regular venue for productions at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Leith Festival and the Mela. The building was used to house major productions at the Edinburgh International Festival and other events but has been lying empty since the1980s.

Plans revealed by the Leith Theatre Trust and the Cockburn Conservation Trust state: "We aim to re-establish Leith Theatre as an asset for the local community and an internationally significant cultural hub."