 The Festival Theatre building on Nicolson Street inEdinburgh. | |
 Interactive map of Edinburgh Festival Theatre | |
| Former names | Empire Palace Theatre Empire Theatre |
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| Address | 13/29 Nicolson Street |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Coordinates | 55°56′48.12″N3°11′10.24″W / 55.9467000°N 3.1861778°W /55.9467000; -3.1861778 |
| Operator | Capital Theatres |
| Capacity | 1,915 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 7 November 1892 |
| Reopened | 1911, 1994 |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheEdinburgh Festival Theatre (originallyEmpire Palace Theatre and later shortened toEmpire Theatre) is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street inEdinburgh, Scotland. It is used primarily for performances ofopera andballet, large-scale musical events, and touring groups. After its most recent renovation in 1994, it seats 1,915. It is one of the major venues of the annual summerEdinburgh International Festival and is the Edinburgh venue for theScottish Opera and theScottish Ballet.
The present theatre's location is Edinburgh's longest continuous theatre site, for there has been a theatre in that location since 1830. From being Dunedin Hall, the Royal Amphitheatre, Alhambra Music Hall, the Queen's Theatre,Pablo Fanque's Amphitheatre, and Newsome's Circus, the site became theEmpire Palace Theatre, the first of the famousMoss Empires’ chain, opening on 7 November 1892. Designed by the great British theatre architect,Frank Matcham, (who built theLondon Coliseum, among others) its décor was lavish, with elephants with Nubian riders, nymphs and cherubs in abundance on the plasterwork, and it seated 3000 people on four levels.
For the following twenty years all the top artists of the day played at the Empire Palace until, on 9 May 1911, there was a disastrous fire on stage. While all 3000 theatre goers escaped safely in about 2.5 minutes,[1] there were eleven backstage deaths, including illusionistSigmund Neuberger, who was then taking his final bow as The Great Lafayette; his body double; and the lion from his act. Film of the aftermath of the fire is held by the National Library of Scotland.[2] The theatre reopened three months after the fire.
Nevertheless, given the long term competition from the growth of film as a popular medium, the theatre had to be re-equipped to present bigger and more spectacular shows. Reusing some of Matcham's original design concepts, the theatre reopened on 1 October 1928 with the first production, the musicalShow Boat. Between 1928 and 1963 the Empire was a variety, musical and opera house, often including ice shows.
Big names likeHarry Lauder,Charles Laughton,Fats Waller,Joe Loss, andLaurel and Hardy appeared, while English comediansMax Wall,Morecambe and Wise andHarry Worth established themselves at the Empire.
In addition to the music hall and popular entertainers who appeared at the Empire, the theatre became a principal venue of the Edinburgh International Festival between 1947 and 1963. It was particularly associated with international ballet and, during the first Festival in 1947,Margot Fonteyn danced inThe Sleeping Beauty, while in subsequent years, performances by theOld Vic theatre company, theRoyal Ballet and theRoyal Opera were presented.
However, for nearly thirty years after 1963 the theatre became a bingo hall, only temporarily serving as a Festival venue. In the early 1970s the venue shortened its name to simply theEmpire Theatre and hosted live music events. Bands did not appear until after 11pm - once the bingo players had gone.Emerson, Lake & Palmer (18 December 1971),[3]Free (14 September 1972),[4]Wishbone Ash (9 December 1972)[5] andFocus (11 May 1973)[6] were among the acts appearing. Finally, after its third major remodeling, the Empire Theatre reopened in June 1994 with a glass-fronted structure for the new entrance (created by Law & Dunbar-Nasmith Architects), as the now-renamedEdinburgh Festival Theatre. In 1997, the theatre manager and artistic directorStephen Barry was appointed to shape the rejuvenated venue's future.[7] With the restoration of the Empire Theatre's former 1928 glory, plus a dramatic mix of art nouveau, beaux arts and neo-classicism, and including adequate acoustics, the new theatre serves the artistic needs of the community.
Duncan Hendry, Chief Executive of Festival City Theatres Trust, which later became Capital Theatres, from 2012 to 2019,[8] broughtWest End productions such asWar Horse andHamilton to the Festival Theatre for the first time. He persuadedCameron Mackintosh to bring shows such asMiss Saigon,Mary Poppins, andLes Misérables to the theatre too.[9]
The theatre is said to be haunted by a tall, dark stranger rumoured to be the famous illusionistSigmund Neuberger, a.k.a. The Great Lafayette, who was one of those who burned to death in the fire at the Empire in 1911.[10]
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