Behind the scenes at The King’s with Grant Stott

The multimillion pound project to refurbish the King’s Theatre is at the halfway stage as demolition of some parts comes to an end.

The builders rashly allowed panto star Grant Stott in wearing a hard hat to walk through the building.

He saw where the new larger fly tower, grid and loading gallery are already complete and he explored areas which will be familiar to most audiences, but which are filled with scaffolding instead of seats for the moment.

The floor under the stalls has been excavated to allow for the construction of the Pit Bar, and scaffolding has been put up to allow for restoration of John Byrne’s dome above the theatre.

Fiona Gibson, Chief Executive of Capital Theatres said: “It is incredibly exciting to be almost at the halfway point of the King’s Theatre redevelopment project. This is a particularly significant moment
because the end of the demolition work is in sight, and the new features of the theatre are taking shape. As one of our beloved panto stars, there really was no one better than Grant Stott to feature in our new film and walk our audiences through the dramatic progress taking place throughout the theatre.

“We are privileged to be the current custodians of the King’s Theatre and remain immensely grateful for the support of our funders, partners and audience
members as we preserve this magnificent heritage building for the next generation.”

Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker said: “It’s fantastic to see the King’s Theatre reaching this important milestone in the redevelopment campaign. We’re proud to have contributed £4m to the project and will continue to work closely with Capital Theatres going forward.

“Our theatres are a cornerstone of the Edinburgh’s cultural sector and they have our full backing and support. I’m sure I speak for the whole city when I say that we can’t wait to see works completed at the King’s.”

www.capitaltheatres.com/kings-future

All photos copyright Anneleen Lindsay