Edinburgh Theatre Guide: Beyond the Festival

Edinburgh is best known in theatre circles for August, when the city's population swells and thousands of performances take place across hundreds of venues as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. But Scottish theatre runs all year, and Edinburgh's permanent venues offer a strong and varied programme long after the festival posters come down. This Edinburgh theatre guide covers the main venues, what each one does best, and what to expect from a visit at any time of year. The Edinburgh Playhouse on Greenside Place is Scotland's largest seated theatre, with a capacity of approximately 3,000. It was built in 1929 as a cinema and concert venue and has been operating as a theatre since the 1970s. Its scale makes it the natural home for major touring productions in Scotland, including large-scale musicals that have previously run in the West End. For anyone travelling to Edinburgh to see a touring production of a show they might otherwise see in London, the Playhouse is the most likely venue. Productions of Hamilton (whose London home is the Victoria Palace Theatre), Wicked and comparable West End titles have all played there on national tour. The auditorium has three seating levels: Stalls, Royal Circle and Grand Circle. The depth of the Stalls can create a steep rake, so mid-Stalls seats in the centre block tend to offer the most comfortable sightlines. The Festival Theatre on Nicholson Street opened in 1994 on the site of the former Empire Theatre, which had operated there since 1892. It is Edinburgh's main venue for opera and ballet, and serves as the Edinburgh base for both Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet when they tour. The capacity is approximately 1,900, making it the city's second-largest theatre, and the stage is one of the largest in Scotland, allowing for full-scale productions that would struggle to fit elsewhere in the city. Outside opera and ballet, the Festival Theatre hosts touring drama and musical productions, and its technical capacity means it can accommodate elaborate staging. The theatre is accessible by bus from the city centre and is close to the University of Edinburgh campus, making it easy to combine with a day in that part of the city. The King's Theatre on Leven Street has been operating since 1906. It is an Edwardian baroque building with a seating capacity of around 1,300, and it occupies a different position in Edinburgh's theatre landscape from the Playhouse and Festival Theatre: smaller, more intimate and with a programme that runs heavily towards touring drama, comedy and pantomime. The King's is Edinburgh's panto venue of choice, with its annual Christmas production drawing audiences from across the city and beyond. Outside the festive season, the programme typically includes touring plays, musicals and visiting productions. The theatre is in the Tollcross neighbourhood, within reasonable walking distance of the city centre and well served by buses. The Royal Lyceum on Grindlay Street is Scotland's leading producing theatre, meaning it creates its own productions rather than receiving touring shows. Founded in 1965 and housed in a Victorian building from 1883, the Lyceum has a seating capacity of around 658 and a reputation for high-quality Scottish and international drama. For visitors interested in seeing original theatrical work made in Scotland, rather than a touring version of a West End show, the Royal Lyceum is the most important venue in Edinburgh. Its programme tends to mix world premieres of Scottish work with productions of classics and international plays. Check the Royal Lyceum's own website for the current season. The Traverse Theatre on Cambridge Street has an international reputation as one of the most significant new writing theatres in Britain. Founded in 1963, the Traverse has two studio spaces: Traverse 1 (approximately 250 seats) and Traverse 2 (approximately 100 seats). Almost everything it produces is new work, often by Scottish or international playwrights, and it has an exceptionally strong track record of premiering plays that go on to transfer to London and elsewhere. During August, the Traverse becomes one of the anchor venues for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, hosting some of the most talked-about productions of the festival season. Year-round, it is the place to go in Edinburgh for theatre that takes risks. The Traverse is close to the Lyceum and the Usher Hall, making the area around Grindlay Street and Cambridge Street a strong base for a theatre-focused visit to the city. August in Edinburgh is unlike any other time of year in any other city. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest arts festival, running for three weeks in August and spreading across more than 300 venues across the city. The range of work is enormous: professional touring shows, emerging companies, comedy, spoken word, circus, and everything else. For theatre specifically, the Fringe has launched some of the most significant productions of recent decades before they moved on to London and beyond. The Edinburgh International Festival, which runs concurrently, is a more curated programme of international orchestral, opera, dance and theatre, based primarily at the Usher Hall and the Festival Theatre. The two events are distinct in their programming philosophy, with the Fringe being open to any applicant and the International Festival relying on invitation. Planning a visit during August requires advance booking for accommodation and often for the most popular shows. Outside August, Edinburgh is a much quieter and more straightforward city to visit, and theatre tickets for the permanent venues are generally available closer to the performance date. Edinburgh is well served by rail from across the UK. Avanti and LNER operate direct services from London Euston and King's Cross respectively, with journey times of around four to four and a half hours to Edinburgh Waverley. Waverley is close to the city centre and within reasonable reach of all the main theatre venues by foot or taxi. Edinburgh Airport handles flights from London (approximately one hour) and many other UK cities, with a tram link running directly to the city centre. For touring productions that visit Edinburgh after West End runs, BritishTheatre.com is a useful reference for understanding shows before they tour. If you are planning a London trip around a show before or after seeing it on tour in Edinburgh, tickadoo is a reliable way to check West End availability and compare seats. For tickets to Edinburgh's permanent venues, book directly through each theatre's own website. What are the main Edinburgh theatre venues? The principal venues are the Edinburgh Playhouse (major touring musicals), the Festival Theatre (opera and ballet), the King's Theatre (drama and pantomime), the Royal Lyceum (producing theatre) and the Traverse (new writing). Each has a distinct identity and programme. What is the difference between the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival? The Fringe is an open-access festival: any company can participate, and the range of work is vast. The Edinburgh International Festival is a curated programme of invited international productions in music, opera, dance and theatre. Both run in August and overlap in dates, but they are separate events with separate box offices. When is the best time to visit Edinburgh for theatre? August offers the extraordinary variety of the Fringe and International Festival, but requires advance planning for accommodation and tickets. Year-round, Edinburgh's permanent venues have strong programmes from September through to June, with December particularly busy for pantomime and festive productions at the King's Theatre. Do West End touring shows come to Edinburgh? Yes. The Edinburgh Playhouse and the Festival Theatre both receive major touring productions, including musicals that have previously run in the West End. BritishTheatre.com is a good resource for understanding shows before they arrive in Edinburgh. For London West End tickets, tickadoo covers current availability.