Eden Court Theatre

This is an exciting theatre which departed from the contemporary single-tier fan shaped auditorium, adopting a multi-tier horseshoe arrangement proposed by Iain Mackintosh. This form was later developed to good effect at Glyndebourne.

The theatre is built on the banks of the River Ness and incorporates the old Bishop’s Palace as dressing rooms. Externally, the elements express the logic of the plan. The auditorium horseshoe is contained within what may be described as an oblate hexagon. Around this there is a cluster of lower hexagonal projections containing foyers, bars, restaurant and staircases. The juxtaposition of areas of glazing, brown brickwork, concrete with flinty aggregate and a piling up of pitched, slated roofs, makes for a warm and inviting appearance.

The auditorium calls for particular notice. Here the walls are ‘papered with people’ in boxes which are stepped at three levels. Most sightlines are superb, although there are some seats with restricted views, however the tiers are never more than two rows deep and at the sides this diminishes to one row. The intimacy of the auditorium can be increased by lowering the lighting of the upper levels. There is also additional lighting available for occasional conference use.

Entrance to the auditorium at all levels is from the rear. The theatre is designed to serve a range of uses from opera to intimate drama. The stage is a proscenium with thrust option. It is well equipped and includes a seventy musician orchestra pit. The grid has forty-four counterweight sets.

The Eden Court could perhaps be considered decoratively austere, but it is intimate, user-friendly and impressive in every way. One of the most significant post-war theatres in the UK - and certainly the best in Scotland. It is rightly listed at Grade A.