Why has the cost of an Edinburgh theatre revamp soared?
But by the end of 2018, leading architects Bennetts Associates had been appointed and had unveiled designs for the new-look venue, with the project then priced at £20m.
Read more:
The revamp was aimed at securing the long-term future of the King's, with key elements include a new stage, long-awaited improvements to backstage facilities and a new fly tower.
Other planned additions included a ground-floor café-bar and box office, and an overhaul for the top of the building to create a new a studio space for workshops, classes and events.
A new fly tower has been installed at the King's Theatre in Edinburgh as part of its ongoing revamp. (Image: John Robb)
Within months of the designs being unveiled to widespread approval, the project had been plunged into uncertainty by the Covid pandemic.
Capital Theatres was forced to put the revamp on hold indefinitely while it grappled with the impact of prolonged Covid restrictions on both the King's and the Festival Theatre, which it is also responsible for.
The revamp of the King's Theatre is already running three years later than planned. (Image: John Robb)
Although the cost of the project had increased to £25m by the start of 2022, it appeared to be firmly back on track by then after the Scottish Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Edinburgh City Council had all made significant funding commitments.
Work was meant to get underway in September 2022, after the final performances during that year's Edinburgh International Festival.
But before the end of the 2022 festival, Capital Theatres was being forced to rally support from performers including Alan Cumming, Brian Cox and Gabriel Byrne for a new campaign to bridge a growing funding gap threatening the viability of the project and the future of the King's.
Soaring construction industry costs and inflation would see the price tag soar to £35.6m by the start of 2023, when Capital Theatres warned the project was at risk of being abandoned and the King's forced to close completely unless it could bridge an £8.9 million funding gap.
With a new budget of £35.6m set, work was able to begin within weeks after the Scottish Government and Edinburgh City Council committed £3.85m and £3m respectively, while the UK Government had confirmed a further £2m worth of support by the end of 2023.
However hopes of the venue reopening by the summer of 2025 were dashed last October when it emerged that some of the work had proven to be much more complicated than anticipated.
Key factors included the discovery of "bedrock" much closer to the surface of the area earmarked for one of the new lifts, the complexity of the demolition of previous staircases and the old fly tower, a number of design changes and the need to bring in a new sub-contractor.
Nine months after Capital Theatres announced that the planned reopening of the King's had been put back to the spring of 2026, it has still not revealed a new estimated cost of finishing the project - or how much it needs to raise to get the revamp back on track.
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(Image: Anneleen Lindsay) Key elements include installing a new stage, backstage facilities, fly tower, lifts and stairwells, creating a new ground-floor café-bar and box office, refurbishing bar and foyer areas, and converting space in the top of the building into a studio space for workshops, classes and events. However plans to reopen the building for summer, including a run of Edinburgh International Festival shows, were scrapped last October due to the programme of works taking much longer than planned. The announcement also meant that the annual King's pantomime would not be returning to the King's as planned this Christmas. Key factors included the discovery of "bedrock" much closer to the surface of the area earmarked for one of the new lifts, the complexity of the demolition of previous staircases and the old fly tower, a number of design changes and the need to bring in a new sub-contractor. 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However the project was significantly delayed by the Covid pandemic and soaring construction industry costs. Stars including Brian Cox, Alan Cumming and Gabriel Byrne launched a campaign to bridge the previous £8.9m funding gap, which was resolved in time to allow work to start in February 2023. A spokeswoman for Capital Theatres told The Herald: 'Significant progress has been made to fulfil the key objectives of the project. 'The scaffolding on the east side of the building has been taken down, with the newly extended fly tower now visible in all its glory. In the heart of the theatre, all partition walls for the stage basement have now been constructed. 'The installation of the new stage floor is now underway. The auditorium and plant room are also steadily taking shape and, once completed, the internal scaffolding will be removed to reveal the full extent of these newly developed spaces. 'The project features a brand-new street-level café to support the role of the King's as a thriving community hub. The new internal café floor has been installed, and the external groundworks have been completed. The recently dug-out basement has now been re-enclosed following the installation of steel beams and metal decking. 'All of this enables the forthcoming construction of the external café structure, the enlarged basement-level toilets and the kitchen to support the new café and bars. 'The brand-new creative engagement studio is currently a hive of activity, with work underway to install partition walls, plumbing for new toilets, ventilation and electrical fittings. ' The feature window on a staircase to the north side of the building is now fully installed. This allows natural light to flood the stairwell on the north side of the building. The walls of the new stairwells have been dry lined, with tiling on the wall into the auditorium currently underway. The stairs themselves will be installed over the summer. 'Expert conservation work on John Byrne's iconic dome design has been completed, ensuring that this significant piece of public art is protected.' When the most recent delays for the project were announced last October, Capital Theatres chief executive Fiona Gibson said it was being handled with 'the utmost care and dedication to ensure the long-term success of the theatre.' She said at the time: 'The King's Theatre restoration project is not just a refurbishment. 'It is a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of one of Edinburgh's most beloved cultural landmarks. We are committed to achieving our vision to deliver a fully accessible, high-quality venue that will serve future generations.' The Capital Theatres spokeswoman told The Herald: 'There are ongoing discussions with all of our funders to close our existing funding gap. We cannot give a more precise update at this stage because this is commercially sensitive.' The city council said it was unable to discuss any details of the negotiations it has been having on the King's project. However council leader Jane Meagher said: 'The King's Theatre is an Edinburgh institution and integral part of our cultural landscape, entertaining generations of residents and visitors for more than a century. 'As one of only a handful of surviving Edwardian theatres still operational in the UK, this painstaking and much-needed redevelopment will preserve its unique heritage while also modernising its spaces and improving accessibility for all. 'We continue to offer our full support to the project and, like many, I can't wait for 'The Old Lady' to reopen her doors and welcome audiences back for the next 100 years, and beyond.'
