A trip to the theatre (sort of)

Leith Theatre opened in 1932, the building and the neighbouring library were a gift from the City of Edinburgh to thank Leith locals for “agreeing” to become part of the city.

The buildings were damaged by a bomb dropped during an air raid in 1941 and the theatre was out of action for a number of years until it could be repaired.

In the sixties and seventies it was a popular music venue, hosting acts such as AC/DC, The Rezillos, Slade, and The Wombles.

It closed again as demand for such a venue fell and for several decades the auditorium was used for storage (ironically for items for other Edinburgh theatres).

In 2017, the space hosted the Hidden Door Festival.

Since then the process of restoring the theatre has begun and it’s been used for several gigs (including Young Fathers and Jesus and Mary Chain) and as a set for film and TV productions (the lack of seats in what was once the stalls makes it ideal).

Restoration is still ongoing - you can spot some of the evidence of this in several pics) but they’re running occasional talks and tours, one of which I attended today.

The main pic is taken from under the stage looking into the long covered over orchestra pit.

Apologies for the huge number of extras on this one - I narrowed it down as much as I could!