Obituary: Paul Iles, former Festival Theatre manager, 59

PAUL Iles, the man who led the opening of the Festival Theatre, has died at the age of 59 following a brave battle with cancer.

Mr Iles was appointed general manager of Edinburgh's Festival Theatre in 1992.

He had learned his trade in a variety of roles - stage management, publicity, house management, business management - in the early 1970s at English regional repertory theatres, including the Northampton Repertory Theatre, the Victoria Theatre, Salford, the Watermill Theatre, Newbury and the Oxford Playhouse.

Mr Iles, who lived in Thistle Street, was well respected in the world of theatre, having worked up and down the country after moving to the UK from Australia.

While working in Australia Mr Iles's roles included general manager of the State Theatre Company at the Adelaide Festival Centre and founding producer of the North Queensland Theatre Company, a new touring company set up by seven local authorities.

Mr Iles was keenly aware that the opening of Edinburgh's Festival Theatre would add another 1,900 seats for sale each night. It was apparent from the outset that a theatre with such a wide remit would struggle to be financially self-sustaining, something that Mr Iles had consistently argued.

He oversaw the 22 million refurbishment of the former Empire Theatre - now the Festival Theatre - and worked on the project from 1992 to 1996.

In 1996 he resigned, and revenue funding for the theatre was increased to a level that he had earlier suggested. He was effectively dismissed for being right.

Mr Iles went on to become a consultant and applied his expertise to a range of theatrical assignments.

He remained in Edinburgh, conducting his consultancy from his flat, which contained more than 6,000 theatre books, business records and posters.

Among the memorabilia was a letter from a former lord provost complaining about receiving an invitation addressed to him and his partner rather than his wife, which was proudly displayed in the lavatory.

Mr Iles also found time to complete two research degrees at Glasgow University, as well as being active on many public bodies. He served nine years as the Scottish trustee of the Theatres Trust, the advisory body for theatre buildings, and was a member of the Scottish Arts Council for three years.

At the time of his death, he was associate director of the Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, and principal lecturer in arts management at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

Several months after starting his treatment for cancer, Mr Iles said that while he was no great fan of dying, he had no fear of death - adding that he'd "had a good life".

Mr Iles passed away in Edinburgh on April 30.