Eden Court Theatre

Infobox Theatre
name = Eden Court Theatre

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address = Bishops Road
city = Inverness
country = Scotland
architect = Law Dunbar Naismith
owner =
capacity =
type = Regional theatre and Cinema
opened = 1973
yearsactive =
rebuilt = 2007 by Page / Park
closed =
othernames =
production =
currentuse = Touring and local productions
website = www.eden-court.co.uk

Eden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room facilities and additional office space. The theatre's restaurant and bar facilities have also been totally overhauled and improved.

History

The Eden Court Theatre opened in 1976 on a site next to the Ness river and incorporated the gothic Bishop's Palace residence (from which it took its name) into a new building designed by architects Law Dunbar and Naismith. The theatre was at that time a revolution to Inverness, and the wider Highland Region. It provided modern theatre performance space for the first time since the early '30s. Inverness had previously had a number of theatres including the Theatre Royal, previously situated on Bank street which burnt down in 1934 [http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_photograph.jsp?item_id=10166 "The Highland Council - Highland History & culture"] and the Empire Theatre on Academy Street. This theatre had originally opened as The Central Hall Picture House in 1912, but after the Theatre Royal burnt down, it was converted to a fully functioning theatre and reopened as the Empire around 1934. The building was designed by A. Ross & Son and was eventually demolished in 1971. Many famous names performed at this popular venue - Harry Lauder, Renee Houston and Calum Kennedy to name a few. Today the modern British Telecom building stands in its place. A theatre by the name of The Playhouse also existed in Inverness situated in the Eastgate area of the town centre.

Present Day

Eden Court reopened in November 2007, having undergone a complete transformation. Upon its reopening it became the largest combined arts centre in Scotland. [http://www.eden-court.co.uk/re-development/index.php "Eden Court redevelopment website"] With the reconstruction complete the theatre now has two auditoriums, the main auditorium, renamed the Empire Theatre has a capacity of just under 1000. The second auditorium, named the One Touch Theatre has a capacity of approximately 270. The two new cinemas, La Scala and The Playhouse, have capacities of 125 and 78 respectively.

The Empire Theatre, La Scala and Playhouse are named after the former venues of those names (the first La Scala was a cinema in Strother's Lane which closed down in the 1990s). The One Touch Theatre is named after the OneTouch Ultra diabetes monitor, produced by local employer LifeScan.

The refurbished theatre also includes the Jim Love Studio, named after the late "Inverness Courier" editor.

Awards

The theatre has won an award from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It won the Community Benefit prize at the 2008 awards. [http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/664752?UserKey=0 "Aberdeen Press & Journal Newspaper, 2nd June 2008"]

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.eden-court.co.uk Eden Court Theatre Official Website]