Capital Theatres – Page 2 – The NEN

Raw Material and Capital Theatres present James IV – Queen of the Fight

Raw Material and Capital Theatres, in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, have announced a new large-scale production James IV – Queen of the Fight that will come to stages across Scotland in autumn 2022.

Scotland, 1504, seen fresh through the eyes of new arrivals, Ellen and Anne, two Moorish women who were expected to take their place at a royal court … but not this one.

Both women now have to fight to find and keep a place in the dazzling, dangerous world of the Scottish Court of James IV. It’s a world where war is never far away, words of love and promises of peace are not what they seem and where poets might turn out to be more dangerous than any assassin.

Rona Munro’s vividly imagined trilogy has already brought to life three generations of Stewart kings who ruled Scotland in the tumultuous fifteenth century to the acclaim of audiences and critics from Scotland to Auckland.

The original trilogy opened at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2014 before touring Scotland and internationally, winning several awards. They were acknowledged as a landmark event in Scottish and UK theatre. Now comes James IV with Laurie Sansom directing once more.

Co-produced by Raw Material, the award-winning, independent, producing company based in Glasgow, and Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity based in Edinburgh, the production will open at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh in the autumn of 2022 before touring Scotland.

Rona Munro said: “The first three James Plays – James I – The Key Will Keep the Lock, James II – The Day of the Innocents and James III – The True Mirror, were among the most exciting and the most satisfying theatre productions I’ve ever been part of.

“To be able to continue this work, with Laurie and with this team is, for me, to continue that excitement. My larger ambition is to extend the Stewart history of Scotland through James V, Mary Queen of Scots and to conclude with James VI who became James I of England.

“My hope is that I can make this history more accessible, make those invisible in history visible again and provide a representation of the most potent and telling truth of history- it was made by people like us.”

Laurie Sansom said: “It’s a great privilege to be returning to the world created by Rona in the first trilogy of James Plays.

“It was probably the most challenging and rewarding creative project I have worked on, and it’s now thrilling to be realising a long-held ambition to continue the story with the support of Raw Material, Capital Theatres and the National Theatre of Scotland.”

Fiona Gibson, CEO of Capital Theatres said: “I’m truly excited to be co-producing the next James Play with the highly talented duo that is Raw Material along with the support of National Theatre of Scotland.

“Gillian and Margaret-Anne have an eye for that special story that audiences just won’t want to miss. As Scotland’s largest theatre charity, we are delighted to support independent producers and enable them to create new work for our stages.

“With this announcement we are also revealing a new artistic thread which will continue to enrich our work at Capital Theatres; broadening out our programming by taking a more active role in a select number of co-productions; allowing us to collaborate with a range of fantastic producing partners such as Raw Material and play a central role in the creative life of Scotland’s theatre sector.

“Having had a sneak peek during the initial development phase of James IV, we can’t wait to see what Rona and Laurie finally create.”

Gillian Garrity & Margaret-Anne O’Donnell, Raw Material said: “We are beyond thrilled to be working with Capital Theatres on this new production of James IV – Queen of the Fight by Rona Munro.

“As independent producers we are acutely aware of the need for high quality Scottish plays that can perform on some of our largest stages. This past year has been challenging across all parts of our sector and we look forward to heralding the return of our creative artists to venues and stages with the best stories and plays that will entertain and delight audiences across Scotland and beyond.

“Through a new co-producing partnership with the incredible team at Capital Theatres led by Fiona Gibson, a script by Rona Munro, direction by Laurie Sansom and support from the National Theatre of Scotland we are raring to go and very much looking forward to touring James IV to audiences across Scotland in autumn next year.”

Jackie Wylie, Artistic Director of National Theatre of Scotland said: “We are hugely excited to be supporting the next stage in Rona Munro’s ambitious and thrilling historical theatrical saga. We know that audiences will be delighted to have the opportunity to return to the Scottish court and to find out what happens next to Rona’s vividly imagined Scots Royals.

“It’s brilliant to have Laurie Sansom at the helm and to welcome him back to Scottish theatre. We are also proud to be supporting an exciting new producing partnership between Capital Theatres and Raw Material which promises to bring much to audiences, artists and the sector”

When The Sun Meets The Sky

Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, in association with the Traverse, Scotland’s new writing theatre, present a new audio project aimed at people living with dementia, their loved ones and carers: When The Sun Meets The Sky.
Leaders in arts and dementia engagement, Capital Theatres presents the audio play in lieu of the annual Care Settings Theatre Tour which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following the success of Sundown Stories, the audio play is developed in very close collaboration with Creative Contributors – people with lived experience of dementia.
The audio play will be available on Capital Theatres’ YouTube channel and the Traverse 3 website from Tuesday, 4 May. Transcriptions and closed captions will be available online, with DVDs, CDs and large print versions available for those without Internet access.
To enhance the experience of the audio play, 70 sensory resource boxes will be produced as well as guides to make-your-own at home.
If they are interested in the audio play and accompanying sensory resource boxes, care homes, families and friends of people living with dementia are encouraged to get in touch by emailing dawn.irvine@capitaltheatres.com.
An online public event on 6 May will give audiences an exclusive behind-the-scenes access to When The Sun Meets The Sky creation process.

Capital Theatres is very pleased to announce its new project developed in partnership with Traverse Theatre which is aimed at people with a lived experience of dementia and older people experiencing isolation and sensory deprivation.

Delivered to care homes in and around Edinburgh as well as to individuals who are living in the community, the audio play was devised in lieu of the annual Capital Theatres’s Care Settings Theatre Tour which had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it also follows on the success of Sundown Stories, a series of short, calming stories written by and for people living with dementia.

Set in iconic Edinburgh locations – from summertime in the Meadows after the war, to a Beatles gig in the ABC on Lothian Road, Christmastime on the Mound in the 80s and ending up in the Port O’Leith after the turn of the millennium, When The Sun Meets The Sky tracks Maggie through the decades as she discovers herself, her city and tries to get to the bottom of a mystery that’s eluded her since childhood.

From the Traverse Theatre, Jack Nurse, Artist in Residence (Creative Development) and Robbie Gordon, Creative Development Producer, led the creative aspect of developing the play, working very closely with Creative Contributors – people living with dementia, their family and friends, carers and ex-carers.

Creative Contributors were instrumental not only in developing the script for the play by sharing their personal stories but also informed casting, contributed artwork and had cameo roles in the play.

Dawn Irvine, Learning and Participation Co-ordinator (Dementia Friendly Projects) said: “Undoubtedly, the global pandemic has put an unimaginable strain on care homes and those living with dementia, their families, carers and friends.

“Due to the lockdown restrictions, we weren’t able to deliver our usual creative engagement programme so decided to produce something that can be enjoyed remotely and included craft activities and sensory resources to be enjoyed by residents and staff.

“We are very pleased to now be able to share the audio play with public: a quality, creative experience that is shaped by and for people living with dementia. We hope that through this project they will feel encouraged to share their own personal stories and ultimately, feel more empowered and connected to those around them which is more important now than ever before.”

Linda Crooks, Traverse Theatre Executive Producer said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Capital Theatres on this project that speaks powerfully to our commitment of finding creative and meaningful ways for our artists to engage with our audiences and our city with work that seeks to bring communities together during these isolating times.

“COVID-19 has had an undeniable impact on those living with dementia, their carers, family and friends. Created for and with people living with dementia in Edinburgh, we hope that When The Sun Meets The Sky will offer listeners those much needed moments of connection, while also sharing a beautiful story that’s very much rooted in our city.”

Kathryn Bailey Activities Coordinator at the Elms Nursing Home said: “The residents at the Elms have benefitted from the thoughtful collection of dementia-friendly activities produced by Dawn Irvine and the team at Capital Theatres.

“Covid restrictions presented challenges which they overcame with creative alternatives including audio-visual Tea Parties, Sundowning Stories and, most recently, a radio play.

“Residents have positively benefited from all activities and were delighted to be included by the writers of the radio play’s research and to proof-read the drafts of the play as they developed.

“These activities have prompted meaningful conversations, reminiscence and joy in the moment. One of our residents, Joyce Miller, inspired the development of climbing lamp post idea and has worked on a sketch of the scene by adding colour and pattern in a pointillism style.”

Capital Theatres has over 5 years of experience in working creatively with persons living with dementia, the creation of dementia friendly performances as well as trained staff who are knowledgeable about dementia inclusive practice and dementia enablement.

Traverse Theatre is Scotland’s leading new writing theatre and expert in theatre production – recently also in audio play and podcast production.

During the Research & Development phase of the project, Capital Theatres’ team carried out extensive consultations with care homes staff, people living with dementia and their loved ones with whom they have developed a relationship over the years through various projects. The feedback was extremely positive.

Interviewees were very keen on increasing the level of creative engagement in their everyday life – something that has substantially diminished over the past 12 months due to the lockdown restrictions.

They were highly supportive of a radio play as an opportunity for people to engage in either large or small groups or individually as well as support those with visual impairments to enjoy creative work not reliant on sight.

They also appreciated that radio play could be enjoyed with minimal need for care staff intervention and is a resource that can be used over and again.

The episodes of the audio play can be enjoyed individually or as part of a larger, connected story. Delivered in a relaxed, conversational manner with no loud noises or loud music, the audio play focuses on real stories and narration that is easy to follow, without hindrance of sub plots or many characters.

The audio play will be available to experience for free on the Capital Theatres’ YouTube channel and Traverse Theatre website from Tuesday, 4 May. In order to make it as accessible as possible, Capital Theatres’ team has produced a transcribed version, a large print version and will provide CDs and DVDs to those without Internet access.

The audio play will be distributed among Edinburgh and Lothians care homes and people living with dementia in their own homes. Capital Theatres and Traverse Theatre would like to encourage those who are interested in experiencing the project to get in touch by emailing dawn.irvine@capitaltheatres.com.

To further enhance the experience, Capital Theatres has produced a number of sensory packs which will be distributed to care homes and individuals alongside the play.

These packs will include items relating to the stories that can be touched or smelled like a small bottle containing an essence of a smell of freshly cut grass. The packs will also provide a list of conversation starters to encourage listeners to delve deeper into the themes explored in the play and share their own experiences. The team has also produced an easy guide to making your own sensory pack at home.

The cast of When the Sun Meets the Sky includes popular stage and tv actor Irene Allan, known for her roles in Taggart and Doctors – Maureen Beattie, Mason Clarke-Whale, a second year BA Acting student at RCS, River City and Taggart-regular Tam Dean Burn, playwright and actor Robbie Gordon, actor, musician and singer Rebekah Lumsden and Rehanna Macdonald, known for her work with Richard Burton Company and Stellar Quines, among others.

A free, digital, public event taking place on Thursday (6 May) will give those interested in learning more about the process of creating When The Sun Meets The Sky an exclusive access to the behind-the-scenes.

Featuring Dawn Irvine, Dementia Friendly Co-ordinator at Capital Theatres, from the Traverse Theatre, Robbie Gordon, Creative Development Producer and Artist in Residence, Jack Nurse as well as Ian Laurence, one of the Creative Contributors, this special digital event will be hosted on Capital Theatres’ website.

Tickets are available to book now under this link: Zoom Event: Adapted for Isolation – Capital Theatres

When The Sun Meets The Sky was funded by Creative Scotland Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund and D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.

Capital Theatres is recruiting for recovery

Capital Theatres is looking to appoint three key individuals to its team – Director of Finance & Business Services, Director of Development & Head of Creative Engagement.

Under the leadership of a new Chief Executive Fiona Gibson, Capital Theatres is moving into an exciting new strategic phase as it spearheads the cultural and economic regeneration of its communities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is now recruiting for three key positions to help it move successfully forwards, including a new post for Head of Creative Engagement, further developing its increasing focus on community engagement and developing artistic talent, and a new Director of Development who will lead the fundraising campaign to support the redevelopment of the King’s Theatre as well as a variety of creative projects.

It’s current Director of Finance, Iain Ross is set to retire after 11 years with Capital Theatres and so the third role is set to steer the organisation financially as it charts its way through recovery and seeks to expand its creative vision.

Director of Development; an important role in the future strategic direction of the organisation, the post will be responsible for devising and implementing a creative and innovative fundraising strategy, of which a key priority will be the King’s Theatre Redevelopment Campaign.

Building on the success already achieved in the early phases of the capital appeal, the new Director will lead the public launch of a high-profile capital campaign, which will see the century-old, iconic landmark in Edinburgh transformed and restored it to its former glory, ensuring its future for generations to come.

Head of Creative Engagement; a new role for a special person who can grow and develop all aspects of the Creative Engagement programme, centring on Capital Theatres’ strategic ambition to co-create high quality projects that make a real difference inside the local communities it serves.

The role will also lead on increasing community engagement around the King’s Theatre Redevelopment Campaign, develop the Studio as a ‘go-to’ venue for emerging artists and new work, pioneer alternative performance experiences for audience members whose needs are not met by traditional models and evolve the organisation’s award-winning engagement activity with people living with dementia.

Director of Finance and Business Services: Resilience and longevity of the theatres is paramount and the Director of Finance & Business Services is pivotal to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organisation.

The role will manage the financial business case for delivery of the King’s Theatre redevelopment project, along with financial decisions support for the broader organisational strategy including collaboration and co-production with cultural consortia and artistic partners, revenue growth through trading and the cashflow planning and reporting requirements of public and private fundraising.

More information on the roles and details on applying are available at https://www.capitaltheatres.com/about/jobs

More support for Capital Theatres

Three charitable arts organisations will receive a share of £3 million of additional funding as part of the ongoing emergency coronavirus (COVID-19) support for culture.

Capital Theatres – which operates the Festival Theatre, the King’s Theatre and The Studio in Edinburgh – will receive £800,000.

Aberdeen Performing Arts – which runs His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Music Hall and The Lemon Tree – will receive £1.4 million.

Eden Court Highlands – Scotland’s largest single-site arts venue – will receive £800,000.

The funding is part of the £185 million package of targeted COVID-19 funding announced by the Scottish Government last month.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This funding will help to secure the future of three of Scotland’s important independent performing arts charities, protecting jobs and addressing some of the financial pressures they are facing.

“These venues all receive UK and international touring work of major scale, make a significant contribution to the economy and support a network of arts organisations, artists and creatives at the heart of our cities and regions.

“The Scottish Government has allocated more than £120 million of additional funding to support culture and heritage since the start of the pandemic and we will continue to listen to the needs of the sectors.”

Chief Executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts Jane Spiers said: “This funding will go a long way towards helping us survive, thrive and play our part in the cultural and economic recovery of the North-East.

As an arts charity with a high reliance on earned income and over 500 show cancellations to date through 2021 and into 2022, it provides us with a vital lifeline.

“This new funding recognises the unique scale of the challenge facing large scale theatres and concert halls, the significance of culture to the region’s economic future and the vital role Aberdeen Performing Arts plays in civic, cultural and community life.

“We wouldn’t be here today without all the financial support we’ve been able to access to date from the Scottish Government, from our local authority and generous donations from audiences. It means more than words can say. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back when it’s safe to do so.”

This additional support takes the overall emergency COVID-19 funding from the Scottish Government to £2.38 million for Aberdeen Performing Arts, £2.07 million for Eden Court Highlands and £1.55 million for Capital Theatres.

More emergency funding for Capital Theatres

Flagship venues are to receive funding as part of the ongoing emergency coronavirus (COVID-19) support for cultural and heritage organisations. The news comes as Scotland is allocated £97 million from the UK Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

Capital Theatres – which operates the Festival Theatre, the King’s Theatre and The Studio in Edinburgh – will receive £500,000 in addition to £250,000 already awarded through the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund to help weather the effects of the pandemic.

The Burrell Renaissance Project in Glasgow has been awarded £750,000 to help cover increased project costs caused by the COVID-19 crisis and V&A Dundee will receive £1 million of support.

The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to support culture and heritage sectors as they recover from the impacts of COVID-19. So far almost £98 million of emergency funding has been allocated.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Culture is vitally important to all of our lives, and the Scottish Government is determined to do everything within our powers to see the sector through this crisis. This includes providing financial support to our flagship cultural venues, as well as the work already underway to help smaller organisations and individuals within the culture sector.

“This latest funding announcement brings the Scottish Government’s total COVID-19 support package for our culture and heritage sectors to just under £98 million. We know further support will still be needed, and the major issues presented by the pandemic are not going away, which is why we will continue to work in partnership with the sector to support them to not only survive the pandemic but to thrive in future.”

CEO of Capital Theatres Fiona Gibson said: “Today’s emergency funding announcement from the Scottish Government for Capital Theatres is greatly appreciated. It is the short-term financial lifeline that we have campaigned tirelessly for in recent months.

“We would very much like to thank the Scottish Government for their support and recognition, acknowledging the crucial contribution our theatres provide to the local, national and cultural sector economies. This will enable us to continue supporting our core staff, freelancers and communities alike.”

Scottish Government emergency COVID-19 funding for cultural and heritage sectors also includes:

£12.5 million for Performing Arts Events Venues Relief Fund
£2.2 million for Grassroots Music Venues
£4 million for Museums Recovery and Resilience Fund
£10 million for the Events sector
£3.8 million for National Trust for Scotland to protect jobs
£15 million for a Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund
£5 million to address hardship faced by creative freelancers
£5 million to support artists developing new creative work that will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s recovery from COVID-19
£3.5 million for independent cinemas
£3 million for youth arts, including the Youth Music Initiative
£21.3 million for Historic Environment Scotland
£5.9 million to support heritage organisations through committed grants
£270,000 for the New Lanark Trust World Heritage site
£4 million for historic environment recovery
£1 million for Scotland’s Science Centres

And in England, 35 of the country’s leading cultural organisations and venues will be the first to receive grants between £1 and £3 million from the UK Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced this morning.

£75 million will protect some of the nation’s most significant stages, from the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe and the internationally renowned Sadler’s Wells to major theatres like the Old Vic, Sheffield Crucible, Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Theatre Royal Plymouth.

These famous organisations have been essential stepping stones for some of the UK’s brightest stars including Adrian Lester, Abi Morgan, Mark Rylance and David Tennant.

More than £500 million has now been allocated from the Culture Recovery Fund to nearly 2,500 cultural organisations and venues of all sizes, including cinemas, heritage sites, museums, circuses, festivals and comedy clubs across the country, to help them plan for reopening and restarting performances and programmes.

The certainty and security provided by these grants will also help to support organisations as they plan for the future and create opportunities for freelancers.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As part of our unprecedented £1.57 billion rescue fund, today we’re saving British cultural icons with large grants of up to £3 million – from Shakespeare’s Globe to the Sheffield Crucible.

“These places and organisations are irreplaceable parts of our heritage and what make us the cultural superpower we are. This vital funding will secure their future and protect jobs right away.”

All four nations are benefiting from the UK Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, with £188 million barnetted to the Devolved Administrations to run their own process – £97 million for Scotland (see above), £59 million for Wales and £33 million for Northern Ireland.

This funding will enable them to increase the support already available to the arts and cultural sectors in each nation.

Curtains Up: transformation at Sick Kids

A transformation has been afoot at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children this week.

Capital Theatres’ Learning and Participation Coordinator Cat Sheridan has been working with Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity’s (ECHC) arts team at the hospital to tempt those who can climb out of their beds to transform their space into one filled with their own stories and imagination.

A continuation of a brilliant established relationship between Capital Theatres and ECHC throughout 2020, Curtains Up is a brand-new project which brings a bit of old school overhead projector fun to bedsides, creating unique and playful scenes on the inside of hospital curtains.

The children created original drawings which have been projected and traced onto their hospital bed curtains, proudly displaying their art to their families and the rest of the ward. Curtains Up gives children autonomy over their environment while staying in hospital, creates a child centric environment and fosters creativity between families and staff.

Mackenzie and Cat Sheridan working together on Curtains Up

Cat Sheridan, Learning and Participation Coordinator at Capital Theatres, said: “We are hugely excited to be back working in partnership with Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity on this project.

“It has been a real treat for me to deliver on the wards, working with fantastic staff and being greeted by so many smiles. The joy is in seeing children and their families grow in confidence, take charge and have so much fun! Our aim is to encourage creativity and boost their sense of well-being. All through transforming something as simple as curtain with a bit of imagination.”

Fiona O’Sullivan, Deputy Director of Children’s Wellbeing, said: “The visits from Capital Theatres always prove hugely popular with children and young people in the hospital so we are very excited to welcome them back for the Curtains Up project.

“Decorating their hospital space is a fantastic and fun way for children to get creative and make their bedside environment feel a little less scary and more like their own home.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Capital Theatres for getting involved with our vital arts programme as it’s projects like this one that enable ECHC to continue to transform the lives of children and young people in hospital.”

Lesley-Ann, play specialist, said: “It was such engaging activity for the older age groups to do. It’s something thing different and was so nice to see them engage with it so much. Nancy went away with big a smile on her face, she was totally loving it!”

Nancy and her mother

King’s Ransom: Capital Theatres thanks public for ‘incredible show of support’

Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, has thanked the public for its incredible support of the theatres through its Crowdfunder campaign, an urgent appeal for support launched last month.

The Crowdfunder closed at noon yesterday having raised £86,900 from 1670 people, more than doubling its original target of £35,000.

Capital Theatres, which operates Edinburgh’s much-loved King’s Theatre, Festival Theatre and The Studio had asked for donations to help ensure its three city centre theatres can re-open when it is safe to do so, and to ensure continued access to creativity and the arts for the most vulnerable communities during COVID-19.

The money raised through this outpouring of love and affection for the organisation and its theatres will be put to great use protecting the core staff of the theatres, maintaining the heritage buildings and preparing for a March re-opening should government restrictions, public safety and science allow.

A series of rewards proved extremely popular with supporters, especially opportunities to get behind the scenes with the tech team at the theatres, enjoy a glass of fizz with Elaine C Smith or a chat about theatre voices with Ian Rankin over zoom, an illustrated limited edition poem about the King’s Theatre by King’s Ambassador Alexander McCall Smith, and the opportunity to appear in the next panto!

Fiona Gibson, CEO of Capital Theatres said: “All of us here at Capital Theatres are very humbled by the response from the public to our appeal. We know we still have a long way to go to reopen our doors, but an incredible show of support like this, with wonderful comments and memories shared, clearly demonstrates what our theatres mean to so many.

“It gives us all the passion, energy and determination we need to ensure we survive this crisis through bringing back great shows to our stages when we can and to support our community throughout. A huge, huge thank you to everyone who made this possible with your incredibly generous donations. We can’t wait to welcome you back over our doors when it’s safe for us to do so.

“A huge thank-you too to our King’s Ambassadors, our national companies Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet and to Birmingham Royal Ballet as well as our corporate partners for their in-kind support of the campaign, and to all of our stakeholders for their beautiful words of encouragement and support.”

Other members of the Capital Theatres staff team added their thanks as news of the scale of donations was shared.

“I was blown away watching all the rewards get snapped up and our total just soar and soar. It truly brought home a sense of belonging to, and our value in the community both at home and afar! I’m looking forward to seeing all of you soon. Thank you for your support!” commented Mark Pringle, Head Flyman

Cat Sheridan, Learning and Participation Coordinator, said: “I am so overwhelmed by the incredible support for Capital Theatres and our ‘Raise The Curtain’ programme, without which none of our digital engagement sessions, with our wonderful participants, would be possible.

“Every donation given means we can bring enjoyment and inspiration to everyone who participates in our digital activities, but particularly to people living with dementia, care experienced children and young people, Edinburgh’s Special Needs Schools, children in hospitals, and young trans activists in the LGBTQ+ community.”

And Joanna Miller, Head of Marketing added: “We have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of love for the theatres from the 1670 donors and the generosity of our Friends, customers, Edinburgh’s arts community and the city’s residents. This money will help us to provide entertainment and inspiration during this current pandemic whilst our venues are closed. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Capital Theatres is currently actively campaigning to receive emergency Government funding at the same level as other publicly supported theatres, which would allow the theatres to continue to play a vital part in Edinburgh’s year-round thriving arts scene and support the local and national economy.

A petition calling on the Scottish Government to recognise the scale of emergency facing Capital Theatres on Change.org has secured 12,667 signatures to date and is still open for those looking to lend their voice to its campaign.

The money raised through the Crowdfunder is a fantastic support for Capital Theatres. Those who missed the Crowdfunder but would like to support the theatre charity’s work can still donate at www.capitaltheatres.com

#SaveOurTheatres and #AfterTheInterval

Just a few of the comments received on the Crowdfunder page:

Lynne said: “I love the panto very much and was always going to donate but the chance to BE IN the panto was too good to pass up! Wishing you all the best.”

Martin said: “A building, team and company I love. They have welcomed, supported, cajoled and helped me develop as an amateur stage manager.️”

Jennifer said: “Life is so poor without live arts and culture. I miss you very much and am desperately hoping you survive this ongoing lengthy crisis.”

Linda said: “Theatres give so much joy and pleasure and we really need to know they will survive this terrible pandemic. Here to support you in your time of need.”

Evelyn said: “No question our theatres are worth preserving, and the artists and technicians working in the theatre should be supported, not only because the theatre is their livelihood, but also because the arts are actually vital to our well-being (and make life so much more interesting!). I have missed the fun and buzz of live performances (not to mention the cancelled festivals!) and I look forward to the day the doors open again!”

Mairi said: “The Festival Theatre holds a special place in my heart; I’ve been coming here since it opened in 1994 and it is one of the things I have most missed over the last six months.”

June said: “We can’t let this happen – everything is a venue in the Festival, but if we are still to be internationally renowned as a city of culture we must have theatres of international standard, with their own Edinburgh heritage. (And there is no panto in the world like it!)”

Susan said: “My whole family has been coming to The Kings panto for nearly 30 years, never missed it once! Would be gutted if my kids couldnt carry on the tradition! Our best night of the year! Good luck! X️️”

And as Jo succinctly said: “Long live the King’s!”

Lottery cash to keep capital’s theatres afloat

Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, has received £168,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support its three venues – Festival Theatre, King’s Theatre and The Studio, through this period of closure.

This vital funding, which will help maintain the iconic buildings in a safe condition, has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

This funding from the Heritage Emergency Fund will go towards covering essential costs such as electricity, gas, IT, insurance and maintenance of the theatres whilst they are closed. It will also go towards a small element of staff salaries for those who are responsible for ensuring the venues are secure and maintained whilst closed, and who will plan how we can adapt our venues to safely reopen our venues when we are allowed to do so.

At least 90% of Capital Theatres’ income is generated from ticket sales and trading income, meaning that the sudden closure meant an immediate loss of the two main sources of income.

To date Capital Theatres has refunded 52,900 tickets with a value of over £2.5m. The postponement of the panto until 2021 will result in a further £2.3m loss of income.

It is currently campaigning to receive emergency support to the same level as other publicly supported theatres which would allow Capital Theatres to play its part in the renewal solution for Edinburgh and Scotland.

Beyond its 3 key venues the organisation provides local community health and wellbeing benefits through an extensive programme currently adapted to run virtually, delivers a key element of Edinburgh’s year-round cultural offer for local citizens and retains 230 jobs in the city’s cultural sector.

Kate Smith, Director of Development at Capital Theatres said: “Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, is responsible for the Festival Theatre, King’s Theatre and the Studio. When we closed our venues in March due to Covid-19 we saw a 90% reduction in our income from loss of ticket sales.

“This vital funding from the Heritage Emergency Fund will help maintain our buildings in a safe condition. On behalf of everyone at Capital Theatres we would like to thank National Lottery Players.”

The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund. £50million was made available to provide emergency funding for those most in need across the heritage sector.

The UK-wide fund aimed to address both immediate emergency actions and help organisations to start thinking about recovery.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as Capital Theatres during this uncertain time.”

Like Capital Theatres, other charities and organisations across the UK that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million of repurposed money from The National Lottery.

This money is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and span the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors.

Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes, including heritage of local and national importance. By playing The National Lottery, people up and down the country are making an amazing contribution to the nationwide-response to combatting the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across the UK.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund is now closed for applications.

To find out more about how The National Heritage Emergency Fund is supporting the sector at this time please visit:

https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/responding-coronavirus-covid-19

To find out more about the National Lottery Good Causes, visit:

www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/coronavirus-pandemic-response

King’s Panto cancelled (Oh yes it is!)

But the gang will be back next year!

It is with great sadness and a huge feeling of disappointment that Capital Theatres today announces that this year’s King’s panto, Sleeping Beauty has been rescheduled until November 2021.

In line with the King’s panto producer, Qdos Entertainment’s announcement on Monday 3 August, the uncertainty around ongoing restrictions and maintaining social distancing means that it is not possible for us to open on 28 November 2020 as planned. All customers who have purchased or reserved tickets will have them automatically transferred to 2021. Capital Theatre’s box office will be in touch with those customers over the coming weeks.

Sleeping Beauty was to have opened at the King’s Theatre Edinburgh on Saturday 28 November 2020 and run until Sunday 17 January 2021.

Starring Allan Stewart, Andy Gray, Grant Stott and Jordan Young, the spellbinding fairytale was last performed as the King’s pantomime title in 1993 and has only been performed three times in its 114-year history. Sleeping Beauty will now run from the 27 November 2021 until Sunday 16 January 2022 and become the last pantomime to be staged at the King’s before the theatre undertakes its major refurbishment in the summer of 2022.

As Scotland’s biggest and best-selling panto, with over 90,000 theatregoers attending the King’s pantomime each festive season, the show represents nearly 30% of Capital Theatres’ annual income and the postponement will result in the massive loss of £2.3m at the worst possible time for the theatres.

Fiona Gibson, Chief Executive of Capital Theatres said: “The impact of the global pandemic has been devastating on all theatres, and it has become a reality that to keep everyone safe and the organisation secure, mounting a full-scale production without social distancing in the current cycle would be challenging.

“There are only 3 occasions in its 114 year history that a King’s panto has not taken place, the last time being 1968 ….so 2020 will be another landmark moment for all the wrong reasons!

“We know this will be as much of a blow to you, our fantastic and loyal audiences, as it is to both the cast who love bringing you such joy every year, and to our tremendous staff who love making it happen. For so many it is the cornerstone of their festive celebrations.

“I still remember to this day, at the age of eight, my parents taking my brother and I through to Edinburgh to visit relatives and as a festive treat we all went to the King’s to see Mother Goose, with Stanley Baxter at the helm – we were mesmerised, and that was the start of my long love affair with the theatre.

“Capital Theatres is Scotland’s largest theatre charity and the impact of this decision is devastating. The panto alone brings in nearly 30% of our income each year. Since we closed our doors on the 16 March we have had no source of trading income, have refunded millions of pounds in tickets and cancelled, rescheduled or postponed scores of performances.

“Without doubt the loss of the Kings Pantomime is our biggest blow to date.”

Michael Harrison, Managing Director of Qdos Entertainment said: “I was studying in Edinburgh when I saw the first ever pantomime Qdos produced at the King’s Theatre.

“I think I saw it four times because I just loved the genre and I knew that Allan was someone very special. As one of the longest running pantomimes in the country, and certainly one of the most popular it is incredibly difficult to step away from it this year and resign ourselves to a year without that wonderful atmosphere and love between the audience and performers on stage – that is pretty unique”

Panto dame Allan Stewart added: “I can’t imagine a Christmas without a Kings Panto. But in the words of the Terminator … ‘We’ll be back’!”

Andy Gray said: “Very sad that we won’t be trying to wake Sleeping Beauty this year…. but it’s been a strange year 2020 for us all hasn’t it?

“I tell you this … We look forward to seeing you all in 2021! Stay safe…. and wash your hands!”

Edinburgh’s very own panto baddie Grant Stott added: “Just like everyone who loves our annual Panto at The Kings Theatre Edinburgh, I am absolutely gutted at the prospect of no show this year – it will be my first Xmas away from the Kings since 1999.

“However, even baddies can be optimistic and I am already looking forward to staging Sleeping Beauty in 2021 – which, in the circumstances, now promises to be one of the most special Pantos ever staged at The Kings!”

Jordan Young said: “I’m incredibly disappointed that Sleeping Beauty won’t be at the Kings this Christmas. The most important thing is safety for everyone, staff and audience alike.

Last year was my first year in the Kings Panto and I loved every single second. I can’t wait to be back on that stage next year with the team and deliver the show that everyone will be wanting and deserve.”

Capital Theatres continues to be hugely grateful to all those people who have been able to take gift vouchers or donate their tickets as opposed to refunds which helps to protect your theatres for the future.

Fiona Gibson added: “We truly believe that Capital Theatres can be a key part of the solution for Edinburgh getting back on its feet. Only by continuing to thrive can we help sustain the vitality of the arts, the cultural ecology, the economy and the wellbeing of the community in our wonderful city and surrounding areas.”

If you feel you can help further, please consider making a donation via the website at capitaltheatres.com.

Shows at all Capital Theatres venues are currently programmed into 2021 and 2022 and tickets are available to buy online.

Edinburgh Theatres to close

A STATEMENT FROM CAPITAL THEATRES

We would like to reassure our customers that we are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and adhering to guidance issued.

The advice of the Scottish Government is that events involving more than 500 people should not take place, with effect from Monday 16 March 2020. This applies to mass events across all sectors – including sporting events, cultural events, and religious gatherings.

Capital Theatres can announce that we will be cancelling or postponing all performances at the Festival Theatre, The Kings Theatre and The Studio throughout March and April as an initial measure. This will come into effect from Monday 16 2020 at 12 noon.

Customers who have tickets for performances during March and April will automatically receive a full refund over the coming weeks. Our box office staff will contact customers directly if there are any issues, please bear with us as we work through the refund process at this challenging time.

We are currently working to reschedule cancelled performances to dates in the autumn and will keep all customers up-to-date as quickly as possible regarding this.

Please refer to our website and social channels for further updates over the coming weeks.

We greatly appreciate the support of our audiences at this testing and anxious time. It is a fast-moving situation; we are monitoring it closely and will keep you posted. We are hopeful that things will get back to normal soon and we hope to see you return in the not too distant future, stay safe.