Theatre to set out its stall with hundreds of new seats

City chiefs have started the hunt for a contractor to replace all of the seats in the stalls and grand circle areas of the historic council-owned venue.

Work is expected to begin next April in the first phase of a 2 million project that will see the Tollcross theatre close its doors for 12 weeks.

It has not yet been decided whether other work will take place during the closure, or during a second 12-week closure from April 2012. But any work will be much smaller in scale than the original plans for a massive 12m transformation of the century-old venue.

John Stalker, chief executive of the Festival City Theatres Trust, said: "The city is working hard to put a project together and we are delighted that something, although much less than we had hoped for, is happening. "Seating is something we have had comments about from members of the public; the current seats are pretty uncomfortable and at the end of their life. Any new seating will make a tremendous difference."

All of the 860 seats within the stalls and grand circle areas, about two-thirds of the seats in the theatre, will be replaced during the work.

It will also include changes to the existing seat layout. In a notice advertising the contract, council chiefs say that the seat style needs to use "ornamental cast metal supports appropriate to the building's age and listed status".

Full details of the design are to be provided by the company awarded the contract.

But talks are continuing about what the wider project, which has obtained 2m of council funding but could also be boosted by other funding, will involve.

Mr Stalker said: "We are waiting to hear what the rest of the project encompasses. It is a city (council) project but we will give them our views.

"On all levels, it's about audience comfort. It is not just new seating needed but also decoration, toilets and everything else.

"We have our ambition that a full refurbishment will take place but the present economic situation means that it is not likely for quite a long time."

Councillor Deidre Brock, the city's culture leader, said: "Edinburgh's King's Theatre requires essential improvements to allow audiences to continue to enjoy its amateur productions, popular yearly pantomime and Edinburgh International Festival performances amongst many other events.

"It is widely recognised that the auditorium seats have reached the end of their useful life and have been prioritised for urgent refurbishment."

A contractor is expected to be appointed by the end of this year.