Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma to star in Macbeth at the home of the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh

Pop-up theatre will have 955 capacity

The home of the Royal Highland Show is to play host to award-winning screen star Ralph Fiennes when he stars in a major new production of Macbeth.

A vast pop-up theatre with a capacity of 955 is to be created at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston for a two-week run of the show in January.Edinburgh is one of just three UK locations which will play host to the show, which will see the Tony and BAFTA-winning actor appear alongside Oliver-winning actress Indira Varma as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Described as “a gripping tale of greed, murder, deception and superstition,” the show will depict the pair as a couple corrupted by their relentless lust for power.”

Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma will be appearing in Edinburgh in a new stage production of Macbeth. Picture: Oliver Rosser

The new Macbeth will reunite Fiennes and Varma with English theatre director Simon Godwin, who is artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, after all three previously worked on the play Man and Superman at the National Theatre in London.

The “intimate” production, which will have 18 performances in Edinburgh, is said to have been designed to “break free from the confines of traditional theatres.”

Custom-built spaces are also being created for the production in Liverpool, London and Washington.

Tickets for the Edinburgh run will cost between £10 and £120, with more than 1000 seats held at a reduced price and ringfenced for school parties.

Director Simon Godwin with Macbeth stars Indira Varma and Ralph Fiennes. Picture: Oliver Rosser

The new show will be the first major theatre production staged at the Ingliston complex since it was last used by the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012. The Polish theatre company TR Warszawa staged their own version of the Shakespeare classic.

The Ingliston site, which is currently hosting the Royal Highland Show, has embarked on a major expansion of its cultural events programme. The site played host to the revival of the Connect music festival and a series of big top gigs last summer. Connect will return this August before open-air shows with Lewis Capaldi and The Killers.

The new version of Macbeth is being brought to the Royal Highland Centre by long-time Fringe producers and venue operators Underbelly, who are co-producing the show. Underbelly is also a co-producer of the new West End production of Cabaret, which is staged in a specially-created “Kit Kat Club” at the Playhouse Theatre.

Underbelly director Charlie Wood said: “The ambitions for the show were not to do it in a theatrical environment and make it very accessible to people, particularly to a younger audience, which is why we are holding back tickets for school groups.

A pop-up theatre will be created at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston for a new production of Macbeth starring Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma.

"The producers, Simon Godwin and Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma wanted to make sure it played across the UK and not just do it in London.

“The original idea was to put it on in a disused warehouse, but the scale and design of the production is such that we’ve moved it to a larger space at the Royal Highland Centre.”

Mark Currie, director of operations at the Royal Highland Centre, said: "We are thrilled to be the exclusive Edinburgh venue for the brand-new production of Macbeth.

"It is a great addition to the Royal Highland Centre’s portfolio and the production will be a terrific example of how versatile our site and spaces can be.

"We can’t wait to see the production come to life and welcome everyone to Ingliston in January.”