Backstage at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre.
Written by Jacqueline
Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre is one of Scotland’s oldest and largest performing arts spaces and has hosted some of the biggest and best shows the city has ever seen. It is one of three venues owned by the Capital Theatres group and is the second largest theatre in Edinburgh (behind ATG Entertainment’s Edinburgh Playhouse). The Festival Theatre is currently home to the Scottish premiere of Hamilton, and I was lucky enough to snag a ticket for a backstage tour to learn more about the ‘Room Where It Happens’!
Theatre tours at this venue run as often as possible, with dates in May, June and July already on sale. Tickets cost £15 for a two-hour tour, usually beginning at 10am or 10:30am on a Saturday morning. Most of the backstage tours are based on the general history of the venue rather than being show-specific, but the tour I experienced had a Hamilton focus, given how in-demand the production has been for the past two months.
Our tour group consisted of around 30 people of all ages. This was definitely an ideal number as it ensured that things were not too crowded, especially in some of the smaller backstage areas. Also, it meant everyone had time to ask any questions and we could mingle over a post-tour coffee and snack afterwards (included with your ticket). The tour began promptly at 10am when our guide, Harrison (an employee of Capital Theatres for five years) introduced himself and gave us an overview of what the morning would entail. We firstly heard a bit of history about how the Festival Theatre has been the longest continuous theatre site in Edinburgh since its opening in 1830. Having said that, the venue has had its share of name changes and dark periods, even being used as a bingo hall for almost a decade!
Next, we headed directly to the stage. The Festival Theatre once boasted the largest stage in Europe, but in recent years has been overtaken by some newer venues such as Berlin’s Friedrichstadt-Palast. Despite no longer holding any records, the stage is still enormous and it was incredible to stand and look out into the auditorium that I’ve sat in so many times. We were treated to some fun stage and auditorium trivia, such as the fact that the first rows of the stall seating can be removed entirely to create additional space for musicians in the orchestra pit. This is more commonly seen for operas, although Hamilton did remove the front row of seats to slightly increase the space for the band. With regards to the Hamilton set in particular, we heard about how it is designed to start as a ship and also evoke the look of an unfinished factory or warehouse. This is to emphasise that America was far from complete back then, and still isn’t now. Looking up into the fly floor I was amazed by the number of lights that the show requires, but also the lack of set pieces being stored up there as Hamilton generally conveys set changes through specific lighting or props. Fun fact: it takes a full weekend to carry out the get-in or get-out for Hamilton, rather than just one night.
We then moved into the wings and around the backstage areas. This is an intricate maze of set pieces, props and costumes, with every inch of space used to maximum capacity. It was lovely to be able to walk around these areas at our own pace without feeling any pressure to hurry onto the next section. I absolutely adored visiting the wardrobe village and seeing the iconic blue Hamilton coat and King George III’s stunning crown up close. We also saw the wigs and passed the performers’ dressing rooms and the in-house physiotherapist. Something I found particularly interesting was the conversation we had around ‘stage makeup’. Historically makeup being used in stage productions had to be heavy and obvious to ensure that the performers’ facial expressions could be seen throughout the auditorium, and specialist makeup artists would be responsible for this. As times have progressed and stage lighting has improved, makeup no longer needs to be as drastic. As a result, many actors can now put on their own makeup before a performance, though there are exceptions for some shows with more intense looks (The Phantom of the Opera springs to mind).
Though the full tour was a great experience, my personal highlight was Harrison’s telling of the story of the Great Lafayette and the 1911 fire that decimated the building and resulted in the modern-day legal requirement to have a safety curtain in every theatre. Although the story is naturally quite upsetting, there’s such a fascinating twist at the end that really lightened the mood- but I won’t spoil that here!
Overall, this tour was a fantastic experience and definitely worth the money. I learned all sorts of trivia, even as somebody who has been involved with previous tours and events with Capital Theatres. I’ll absolutely be booking in to attend one of their venue history tours in the near future, and I would highly recommend it to both casual theatre goers or lifelong fans.
Tickets are currently sold out for the upcoming tours, but be sure to check back for any returns or additional dates.
Enjoyed this look backstage? We also have an article on when we went backstage at the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham
