Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre says it has 35 days to secure funding or risk bringing the curtain down on more than a century of productions.

The Victorian venue in the Tollcross area of the city missed out on this week’s Levelling Up funding from the UK Government which has left it nearly £9m short of the funds it needs to complete an ambitious refurbishment programme.

Theatrical knights Laurence Olivier, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are among those who have performed at the 1,300-seat theatre.

It opened in 1905 and closed in August 2022 to prepare for vital work to begin, but Capital Theatres say the cost has risen from £26m to £36m as a result of inflation and changing trade agreements.

If the money is not secured before the building is due to be signed over to the contractors, Capital Theatres said spiralling costs could result in the theatre closing for good.

It is working with the Scottish Government, Edinburgh Council and the UK Government to prevent closure.

Fiona Gibson, CEO of Capital Theatres said: “This really is the last chance saloon for the King’s. 

“It’s been a long road planning and fundraising for the capital redevelopment of the King’s Theatre to turn it into both a thriving community hub, fully accessible to audiences and performers, and a world-class venue while maintaining its history and heritage.

“We’ve examined our options and we cannot reduce the project cost any further by value engineering and to delay the redevelopment could lead to even higher costs in the long term, putting the entire project at risk.

“If the money is not found in the next few weeks, the last opportunity for us to greenlight the project, the King’s could close its doors forever.”

She added: “We know what a difficult time this is to be asking for additional funding with so much financial need in every area of civic life, but as custodians of this beloved theatre, we have to fight for its survival.” 

Val Walker, culture and communities convener for the city council, said: “While we’re disappointed not to have been successful in this round of the Levelling Up fund, we look forward to continuing dialogue and exploring any opportunities open to help secure the future of the Kings Theatre.”