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Theatre in EdinburghTheatre in Scotland is exciting! And for the visitor, whether from the UK or elsewhere, the fact that the most exciting, new theatre is to be seen in just two cities, both of which together are more manageable - and cheaper! - than London, is a major bonus. So let's start our tour of British regional theatre in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, and then move the few miles west to Glasgow. Edinburgh Edinburgh is a small city, a wee gem! You can walk all the way around the centre in a day: Princes Street and the New Town, with its wonderful Georgian houses; then up to the Castle and along the Royal Mile, through the Old Town with its wynds and closes, down to Holyrood House. The fitter visitor can talk a walk to the top of Arthur's Seat, the volcanic cone which dominates the city, whilst those of a less athletic and perhaps more intellectual bent can turn right at the bottom of the Royal Mile and take a stroll along to Dynamic Earth, with its mini-Millennium Dome outward appearance and its fascinating exhibitions and interactive displays. In Edinburgh - less than half a mile from Princes Street, just off Lothian Road with its pubs, bars, clubs and discos, next to the Usher Hall and opposite the Sheridan Grand - is one of my all-time favourite theatres anywhere, the Traverse. It's a very modern theatre, with everything except the box office undergound (just like Dynamic Earth, in fact). Traverse One is the main house, with a steeply raked auditorium and a very flexible stage space, whilst Traverse Two is small, with raked seating on two and a half sides of the stage (the other half, by the way, is the entrance/exit door). It also has the most uncomfortable seats of any theatre I have ever been in anywhere! The management is aware of this and stenuous efforts are currently underway to find the money to replace them. Roll on, say I! The Traverse is very much a new writing theatre, showcasing the best of Scottish playwrights in its own productions and bringing in new writing companies from Scotland, Ireland and all over the world. It is one of the real centres of excellence during the Edinburgh Fringe but what visitors at that time often fail to realise is that, although the number of companies and plays increases during those three weeks in August, the variety and quality of work remains constant throughout the year. But the Traverse isn't the only Edinburgh Theatre. Just round the corner is the Royal Lyceum. Perhaps a little more conservative than the Traverse, the Lyceum is nonetheless a theatre worthy of any capital city anywhere in the world. Again, high quality productions are the norm. Across town in Nicholson Street is the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, its very modern glass front contrasting with the more dour, typically Edinburgh buildings surrounding it. The Festival Theatre is a receiving house, presenting a mixed bag of drama, dance and music, not just from the UK but from all over the world. Again standards are high and the theatre only takes the best: not for it the succession of feeble one-night stands which many another touring house has to present to keep from going dark. The last of the big four is the Playhouse, well away from the others, beyond the New Town and on the way to Leith. Also a receiving house, it's the theatre to which the big touring musicals go. Les Mis has played there, as had Phantom. There are other theatre venues in Edinburgh - the King's, the Netherbow, Theare Workshop and the Church Hill spring to mind, and there is the Bedlam Theatre, which belongs to Edinburgh University and claims to be the only theatre in the UK wholly run by students. And, of course, during the Edinburgh Fringe, well over a hundred places across the city become theatre venues. Definitely those three weeks in August are the best time for a theatre visit to Edinburgh - the choice of what to see is bewildering! - but theatre-lovers will enjoy Scotland's capital at any time of the year. NEXT>> Theatre in Glasgow Articles Indices: |
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