Future of King's Theatre in Edinburgh secured after Scottish Government agrees extra £3.85m for revamp

The new funding has enabled Capital Theatres, the operators of the King's, to bridge most of an £8.9m funding gap revealed last month.

The trust, which runs the venue on behalf of the council, said the new funding would allow work to start on Monday, with fundraising efforts expected to continue during two years of work at the King’s.

The refurbishment of the 117-year-old venue was held up by the Covid pandemic and then plunged into turmoil last summer when it emerged construction inflation had sent the project up to £7m over budget.

When it was revealed the funding gap had grown to £8.9m in January, Capital Theatres warned there were just 35 days to secure the future of the venue, where Olivier, Noel Coward, Maggie Smith, Simon Callow, Maria Callas, Ian McKellen, Rikki Fulton and Sean Connery have all performed.

An additional £3m from the council, which had previously pledged £4m, secured all-party support at its budget meeting this week. The extra backing from the Government, which had already committed £6.5m, was confirmed just hours ahead of a crunch Capital Theatres board meeting.

Capital Theatres chief executive Fiona Gibson said: “We’re absolutely thrilled by the generous additional investment in the redevelopment of the King’s at a level which makes it possible for us to begin construction works as planned. We are immensely grateful to the many people who have supported us on this challenging journey – we could not have come this far without you.

"Our major funders alongside the many trusts and foundations and corporate sponsors and individual donors will make the transformation of the King’s possible and save this beloved theatre for Tollcross, Edinburgh, Scotland and preserve it for future generations. Long Live the King’s!”

Scottish culture secretary Neil Gray said: “Edinburgh’s reputation as a cultural and creative hub is renowned the world over and theatres like King’s play a key role in sustaining this. This additional £3.85m funding from the Scottish Government will ensure this iconic theatre can undertake vital redevelopment and reopen for many more generations to experience the joy of the theatre.

"The Scottish Government has provided a total of £10.35m in funding for the King’s Theatre and this is testament to the value we place on the importance of its redevelopment and its future potential in supporting the arts, employment and community engagement.”

Val Walker, culture convener at the city council, said: “Despite the continued financial restraints placed on local authority budgets, I’m pleased to say we’re able to allocate additional funding for the King’s Theatre to meet the recent challenges and help close the funding gap.”

She added: "The King's has been a beloved Edinburgh theatre for over a century and we hope our support will enable it to be brought to a standard fit for the 21st century, whilst acknowledging its incredible history.”