The Gateway Theatre was a

Category C listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the Listed buildings in the United Kingdom, listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key ...

building in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, situated on Elm Row at the top of

Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the east end of the city centre to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the str ...

History

Veterinary College

The building was purpose-built by George Beattie and Sons in 1882 to accommodate W. Owen Williams' New Veterinary CollegeMackie, A.D (1965), "Forty-One Elm Row", in ''The Twelve Seasons of the Edinburgh Gateway Company, 1953 - 1965'', St. Giles Press, Edinburgh (not to be confused with the

Royal (Dick) Veterinary College The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, commonly referred to as the Dick Vet, is the University of Edinburgh's vet school. It is part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. In a joint submission to the latest UK Research ...

, which is still extant, elsewhere in the city). The college had a statuary group of animals (one horse, one cow and one dog) over the entrance, carved by John Rhind which survived until the mid 20th century. In 1904, the College vacated the building, with a professor and eleven students relocating to the veterinary faculty at

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. The college buildings were sold to William Perry in 1908, who then applied for a roof to be built over the courtyard to create a roller-skating rink.

Cinema

Perry's rink did not last long and the building was converted again in 1910, by architect Ralph Pringle, into a cinema known as Pringle's New Picture Palace. It was also for a period in 1929-30 known as The Atmospheric.

Repertory Theatre

When the cinema closed in the 1930s, the building was used as a theatre by an amateur dramatics group. During this time, it was known as Millicent Ward's Studio Theatre and the Festival Theatre, before being renamed the Broadway in 1938. Shortly after the war, the premises were gifted to the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

. The Kirk appointed the Rev. George Candlish as director and formed its own repertory theatre company based in the venue. The building re-opened as a theatre in 1946, with seating for 542. Sadie Aitken was appointed Theatre Manager and remained in that post until 1965. She was responsible for changing the name of the theatre to The Gateway.Elder, Michael (2003), ''What do You do During the Day?'', Eldon Productions, pp. 15 - 154 It was a venue for the precursor of what would become the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

, the world's largest arts festival, hosting the Pilgrim Players who performed two

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

plays,

The Family Reunion ''The Family Reunion'' is a play by T. S. Eliot. Written mostly in blank verse (though not iambic pentameter), it incorporates elements from Greek drama and mid-twentieth-century detective plays to portray the hero's journey from guilt to rede ...

and

Murder in the Cathedral ''Murder in the Cathedral'' is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot, first performed in 1935 (published the same year). The play portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral during the reign of Henry II in 1170. El ...

. Robert Kemp's ''Let Wives Tak Tent'', a translation into Scots of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's '' L'École des femmes'', was first performed at the Gateway in 1948. By 1953, the Church had handed the theatre over to an independent, professional theatre company, with Robert Kemp as Chairman of the Board. The Kirk retained control of the front-of-house, the box office and the café.Kemp, Robert (1965). "The First Seven Years", in ''The Twelve Seasons of the Edinburgh Gateway Company, 1953 - 1965'', St. Giles Press, Edinburgh The Edinburgh Gateway Company included many of Scotland's finest actors and actresses ( Tom Fleming and

Lennox Milne Lennox McLaren OBE (9 May 1909 - 23 June 1980), known professionally as Lennox Milne, was a Scottish actress and theatre producer. "Widely acknowledged to be the leading lady of Scottish theatre", Milne was a constant presence on the stage, with ...

were co-founders) and its repertoire included many plays by contemporary Scottish dramatists. Between the years 1953 and 1965, this company produced 150 plays. Molly MacEwen, who had designed the costumes for

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at ...

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

production of ''

Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaites ''A Satire of the Three Estates'' (Middle Scots: ''Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis''), is a satirical morality play in Middle Scots, written by the makar Sir David Lyndsay. The complete play was first performed outside in the playing ...

'' and the sets and costumes for Kemp's ''Let Wives Tak Tent'', both in 1948, was appointed as the company's designer. In 1958, the playwright

Robert McLellan Robert McLellan OBE (1907–1985) was a Scottish Renaissance dramatist, writer and poet and a leading figure in the twentieth century movement to recover Scotland’s distinctive theatrical traditions. He found popular success with plays and ...

claimed that the Gateway was the only theatre providing the dramatist writing authentically of Scottish life and character with actors accomplished in Scottish speech and a producer capable of guiding them.

1953-54 season

For the 1953-54 season, the company included Tom Fleming, Lennox Milne, Marjorie Dalziel, Michael Elder, Sheila Donald, John Young, George P. Davies,

Ian MacNaughton Edward Ian MacNaughton (30 December 1925 – 10 December 2002) was a Scottish actor, television producer and director, best known for his work with the ''Monty Python'' team. MacNaughton was director and producer for all but four of the forty ...

, Rona Anderson, Sheila Prentice, Margaret Hilder, Kathryn Orr, Martin Heller and Anthony Howat. James "Gibbie" Gibson was producer. The plays staged were ''The Forrigan Reel'' by

James Bridie James Bridie (3 January 1888 in Glasgow – 29 January 1951 in Edinburgh) was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and physician whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor.Daniel Leary (1982) ''Dictionary of Literary Biography: ...

, ''

An Inspector Calls ''An Inspector Calls'' is a modern morality play and drawing room play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year. It is one of Priestley's ...

'' by

J.B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

, '' What Every Woman Knows'' by

J.M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

, ''The Other Dear Charmer'' by Robert Kemp, an adaptation of ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' by Roger Weldon, ''Bunty Pulls the Strings'' by

Graham Moffat William Graham Moffat (21 February 1866 – 12 December 1951) was a Scottish actor, director, playwright and spiritualist. Moffat formed a Men's League for Women's Suffrage in Glasgow in 1907 after his wife Maggie Moffat was arrested at a prote ...

, ''Hame'' by Albert Mackie, ''The Herald's Not for Sale'' by A.B. Paterson, the double-bill ''Rory Aforesaid'' and ''The Glen is Mine'' by John Brandane, ''One Traveller Returns'' by

Moray McLaren Moray David Shaw McLaren (1901–1971) was a Scottish writer and broadcasting executive. Life Moray was born in Edinburgh in 1901 the son of Dr John Shaw McLaren FRCSE of 14 Walker Street in Edinburgh's fashionable West end He went to Merchist ...

, and '' The Heart is Highland'' by Robert Kemp.Edinburgh Gateway Company (1965), ''The Twelve Seasons of the Edinburgh Gateway Company, 1953 - 1965'', St. Giles Press, Edinburgh, pp. 43 - 56

1954-55 season

The company's Council resisted a bid by the

's Director, Sir Ian Hunter, to take over the Gateway for the period of the Festival, choosing instead to mount its own productions during August. In August 1954, the company staged a repeat production of Kemp's ''The Other Dear Charmer'', Meg Buchanan playing the maid in place of Marjorie Dalziel, and Marillyn Gray replacing Kathryn Orr in the role of Jenny Clow. The American theatre director Peter Potter joined the company as guest producer for the season, while James Gibson was working in London. The other plays staged in the 1954-55 season were ''The Dashing White Sargeant'' by Campbell Gairdner and

Rosamunde Pilcher Rosamunde Pilcher, OBE (''née'' Scott; 22 September 1924 – 6 February 2019) was a British novelist, best known for her sweeping novels set in Cornwall. Her books have sold over 60 million copies worldwide. Early in her career she was publis ...

, ''Meeting at Night'' by James Bridie, ''The Flouers o' Edinburgh'' by Robert McLellan, '' The Burning Glass'' by Charles Morgan, ''The World My Parish'' and ''Family Circle'' by Robert J.B. Sellar, ''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...

'' by Patrick Hamilton, ''The Lass wi the Muckle Mou'' by Alexander Reid, ''Christmas in the Market Place'' by Henri Ghéon, and ''Marigold'' by Robert Kemp and

Cedric Thorpe Davie Cedric Thorpe Davie OBE (30 May 1913 – 18 January 1983) was a musician and composer, most notably of film scores such as '' The Green Man'' in 1956. A high proportion of his film and documentary music and his concert pieces have a Scottish the ...

, ''Sheena'' by Albert D. Mackie, ''Mr. Gillie'' by James Bridie, and ''The Laird o' Grippy'' by Robert Kemp, in which

John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in scores of feature films with directors including Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier, generally p ...

played the leading role.

1955-56 season

Mary Helen Donald, Norman Fraser, Brian Carey,

Nell Ballantyne Nell Ballantyne (1 December 1898 – 21 February 1959) was a Scottish stage actor, stage, radio actor, radio and film actress. Ballantyne was born Nellie Lochhead Ballantyne on 1 December 1898 in Glasgow, Scotland. She was the daughter of Eliz ...

and Pamela Bain joined the company for the 1955-56 season. James Gibson rejoined the company as producer. Plays produced included ''The Conspirators'' and ''The Scientific Singers'' by Robert Kemp, '' Waiting for Gillian'' by

Ronald Millar Sir Ronald Graeme Millar (12 November 1919 – 16 April 1998) was an English actor, scriptwriter, and dramatist. He also had a noteworthy career as a political speechwriter in the Conservative Party, and was particularly known for his coll ...

, ''Our Maggy'' by D. Heddle, ''Heather on Fire'' by Moray McLaren, ''Beneath the Wee Red Lums'' and ''Bachelors Are Bold'' by Tim Watson, ''The Boy David'' by J.M. Barrie, ''Susie Tangles the Strings'' by Graham Moffat, ''Come to the Fair'' by Robert J.B. Sellar, ''Ghosts and Old Gold'' by Reid Kennedy, and ''

Juno and the Paycock ''Juno and the Paycock'' is a play by Seán O'Casey. Highly regarded and often performed in Ireland, it was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924. It is set in the working-class tenements of Dublin in the early 1920s, during the I ...

Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. Early life O'Casey was ...

''.

1956-57 season

'' The Anatomist'' by James Bridie was the Festival production in August 1956. Christine Turnbull and

Roddy McMillan Roddy McMillan OBE (23 March 1923 – 9 July 1979) was a British actor and playwright, possibly most famous for his comedy role as Para Handy for BBC Scotland's television series, ''The Vital Spark''. He also played the lead role in Edwar ...

joined the company during the 1956-57 season. Other productions included ''The Open'' by A.B. Paterson, ''Lucky Strike'' by Michael Brett, ''The Man Among the Roses'' by Robert Kemp, ''

Tolka Row ''Tolka Row'' is an Irish television drama serial that aired on RTE One from 1964 to 1968, set in a fictional housing estate on the northside of Dublin. Based on Maura Laverty's play of the same name, ''Tolka Row'' was first broadcast on 3 J ...

'' by

Maura Laverty Maura Laverty (; 15 May 1907 – 28 July 1966) was an Irish novelist, playwright, journalist, broadcaster and cookery expert known for her work on the Irish television drama serial, ''Tolka Row''. She published several novels, short stories an ...

, ''

Weir of Hermiston ''Weir of Hermiston'' is an 1896 unfinished novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is markedly different from his previous works in style and has often been praised as a potential masterpiece. It was cut short by Stevenson's sudden death in 1894 ...

'' by Robert J.B. Sellar, ''Johnnie Jouk the Gibbet'' by Tim Watson, ''The Wax Doll'' by Alexander Reid, ''A Scrape o the Pen'' by Graham Moffat, and ''Muckle Ado'' by Moray McLaren. The company split in two after ''Muckle Ado'', one part making a winter tour of the South of Scotland with ''A Nest of Singing Birds'' by Robert Kemp. The rest of the company remained at The Gateway, staging ''The Tinkers of the World'' by Ian R. Hamilton and ''MacHattie's Hotel'' by Albert D. Mackie. The full company came together again to end the season with ''

The Admirable Crichton ''The Admirable Crichton'' is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. Origins Barrie took the title from the sobriquet of a fellow Scotland, Scot, the polymath James Crichton, a 16th-century genius and athlete. The epigram-loving E ...

'' by J.M. Barrie and ''

The Playboy of the Western World ''The Playboy of the Western World'' is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. The work is considered a centerpiece of the Irish Literary Revival mo ...

'' by J.M. Synge.

1957-58 season

The Festival production in August 1957 was McLellan's ''The Flouers o' Edinburgh''. Duncan Macrae played the Nabob and Walter Carr played the servant, Jack. Evelyn Elliot, Diana Tullis and André Coutin joined the company in 1957. Plays produced during the 1957-58 season included ''Dr. Angelus'' by James Bridie, ''

Drama at Inish ''Drama at Inish'' is a comic play by the Irish writer Lennox Robinson which was first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin on 6 February 1933. The storyline of the play serves as a parody of the plots and atmosphere of the plays being performe ...

'' by

Lennox Robinson Esmé Stuart Lennox Robinson (4 October 1886 – 15 October 1958) was an Irish dramatist, poet and theatre producer and director who was involved with the Abbey Theatre. Life Robinson was born in Westgrove, Douglas, County Cork and raised in ...

, ''The Non-Resident'' by Moray MacLaren, ''The Penny Wedding'' and ''The Daft Days'' by Rober Kemp, ''Arise, Sir Hector'' by R.J.B. Sellar, ''When We Are Married'' by J.B. Priestley, ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It explores the complexities of truth and illusion through the story of a family torn apart by secrets and the intrusion of a ...

'' by Henrik Inbsen, and ''All in Good Faith'' by

. The company split again in February 1958, the touring group taking Robert Kemp's ''The Other Dear Charmer'' to the

Borders A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...

. The rest of the company staged ''All for Mary'' by Kay Bannerman and Harold Brooke, and '' Black Chiffon'' by Lesley Storm at The Gateway. The season ended with '' The Schoolmistress'' by

Arthur Wing Pinero Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (24 May 1855 – 23 November 1934) was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor. Pinero was drawn to the theatre from an early age, and became a professional actor at the age of 19. He gained experience as a ...

1958-59 season

Robert J.B. Sellar's adaptation of

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's novel ''Weir of Hermiston'' was the Festival production in August 1958. Other plays produced in the autumn of 1958 were ''Keep in a Cool Place'' by William Templeton, ''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

'' by

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a jo ...

, and ''The Warld's Wonder'' by Alexander Reid. The company then took ''The Penny Wedding'' to the

Citizens Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...

in Glasgow,

Dundee Rep Dundee Repertory Theatre, better known simply as the Dundee Rep, is a theatre and arts company in Dundee, Scotland. It operates as both a producing house with some shows co-produced by other theatres and a receiving house – hosting work from ...

and

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

as part of a Scottish Repertory exchange. On their return to Edinburgh the company staged ''Boyd's Shop'' by St. John Greer Ervine and ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...

'' by Henrik Ibsen. The Christmas production in 1958 was ''Miracle at Midnight'', a nativity play by Tom Fleming. The first play staged in the New Year was ''The Forrigan Reel''. Later in 1959, the company had a short summer run, reviving ''The Heart is Highland'', ''Muckle Ado'', ''The Open'' and ''Keep in a Cool Place''.

1959-60 season

There was no Festival production at The Gateway in 1959, as company members were fully engaged in Guthrie's final production of ''

'' at the

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning 'church'. The term ''the Kirk'' is often used informally to refer specifically to the Church of Scotland, the Scottish national church that developed from the 16th-century Reformation ...

Assembly Hall An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the s ...

. Richard Mathews joined the company in 1959. Plays produced in the 1959-60 season included ''

French Without Tears ''French Without Tears'' is a comic play written by a 25-year-old Terence Rattigan in 1936. Setting It takes place in a cram school for adults needing to acquire French for business reasons. Scattered throughout are Franglais phrases and sc ...

'' by

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

, ''The Keys of Paradise'' by Ronald Mavor, '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' by

Joseph Kesselring Joseph Otto Kesselring (June 21, 1902 – November 5, 1967) was an American playwright who was best known for writing '' Arsenic and Old Lace'', a hit on Broadway from 1939 to 1944 and in other countries as well. Biography He was born in ...

, ''The Master of Ballantrae'', '' The Ghost Train'' by

Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, known early in his career for writing the 1925 play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life for the British television sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–77 ...

, ''

The Late Christopher Bean ''The Late Christopher Bean'' is a comedy drama adapted from ''Prenez garde à la peinture'' by René Fauchois. It exists in two versions: an American adaptation by Sidney Howard (1932) and an English version by Emlyn Williams (1933). Williams's i ...

'' by

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flintshi ...

, a revival of ''Miracle of Midnight'', and an adaption of '' Rob Roy'' by Robert Kemp.

1960-61 season

Moultrie R. Kelsall became the company's Chairman in 1960.Kelsall, Moultrie R. (1965), "The Last Five", in ''The Twelve Years of the Edinburgh Gateway Company'', St. Giles Press, Edinburgh, pp. 31 - 41 The plays produced during the 1960-61 season were ''Mary Stuart in Scotland'' by

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

, ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' by William Shakespeare, ''Master John Knox'' by Robert Kemp, ''The Lesson'' and ''The New Tenant'' by

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; ; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre#Avant-garde, French avant-garde th ...

, '' The Rainmaker'' by N. Richard Nash, ''Frost at Midnight'' by

André Obey André Obey (; 8 May 1892 at Douai, France – 11 April 1975 at Montsoreau, near the river Loire) was a prominent French playwright during the inter-war years and into the 1950s. He began as a novelist and produced an autobiographical novel about ...

, ''Listen to the Wind'' by Angela Ainley Jeans and

Vivian Ellis Vivian John Herman Ellis, CBE (29 October 1903 – 19 June 1996) was an English musical comedy composer best known for the song " Spread a Little Happiness" and the Paul Temple theme " Coronation Scot". Life and work Ellis was born in Hampste ...

. ''My Three Angels'' by Sam and Bella Spewack, ''

The Skin of Our Teeth ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' is a play by Thornton Wilder that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It opened on October 15, 1942, at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on November 18, ...

'' by

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...

, ''The Comic'' by Maurice Fleming, and ''The Country Boy'' by John Murphy.

1961-62 season

The plays produced during the 1961-62 season were ''Let Wives Tak Tent'' by Robert Kemp, ''Papa is All'' by Patterson Greene, ''The Switchback'' by James Bridie, ''

All My Sons ''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan ...

'' by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

, ''It Looks Like a Change'' by Donald MacLaren, ''The Man from Thermopylae'' by

Ada F. Kay Ada F. Kay, also known as A.J. Stewart, (5 March 1929 – 13 June 2024) was a British writer with a particularly complex personal history. She grew up in Lancashire but lived much of her adult life in Scotland. Life and work In her earlier lif ...

, ''Foursome Reel'' by Andrew Malcolm, ''That Old Serpent'' by John Prudhoe, ''Don't Tell Father'' by Harold Brooke and Kay Bannerman, '' Hot Summer Night'' by

Ted Willis Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis (13 January 1914 – 22 December 1992) was an English playwright, novelist and screenwriter who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. He created several television serie ...

, ''The Sleepless One'' by

Vincent Brome Vincent Brome (14 July 1910 – 16 October 2004) was an English writer, who gradually established himself as a man of letters. He is best known for a series of biographies of politicians, writers and followers of Sigmund Freud. He also wrote nu ...

, and '' Pygmalion'' by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

1962-63 season

John Cairney John Cairney (16 February 1930 – 6 September 2023) was a Scottish stage, film and television actor who found fame through his one-man shows on Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Service, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William McGo ...

joined the company in 1962, playing

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...

in Robert McLellan's ''Young Auchinleck''. The other plays produced during the 1962-63 season were ''

The Good Soldier Schweik ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' by

Jaroslav Hašek Jaroslav Hašek (; 1883–1923) was a Czechs, Czech writer, Humorism, humorist, Satire, satirist, journalist, Bohemianism, bohemian, first anarchist and then communist, and commissar of the Red Army against the Czechoslovak Legion. He is best k ...

, ''

'' by Sean O'Casey, ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 List of Maverick ...

'' by

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...

, '' The Birthday Party'' by

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

, ''The Perfect Gent'' by Robert Kemp, ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' and ''Othello'' by William Shakespeare, ''Noah'' by André Obey, ''The Little Minister'' by J.M. Barrie, '' An Italian Straw Hat'' by Eugene Lebech and Marc-Michel, ''Bus Stop'' by

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

, ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mo ...

'' by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

, and ''

Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...

'' by

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

1963-64 season

In 1963, Victor Carin was appointed as the company's Director of Productions. The plays produced during the 1963-64 season were ''All in Good Faith'' by Roddy MacMillan, ''The Hypochondriack'' by Victor Carin, ''

Ring Round the Moon ''Ring Round the Moon'' is a 1950 adaptation by the English dramatist Christopher Fry of Jean Anouilh's '' Invitation to the Castle'' (1947). Peter Brook commissioned Fry to adapt the play and the first production of ''Ring Round the Moon'' was ...

'' by

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; ; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ...

, ''I'm Talking About Jerusalem'' by

Arnold Wesker Sir Arnold Wesker (24 May 1932 – 12 April 2016) was an English dramatist. He was the author of 50 plays, four volumes of short stories, two volumes of essays, much journalism and a book on the subject, a children's book, some poetry, and ot ...

, ''Photo Finish'' by

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

, ''Treasure Hunt'' by M.J. Farrell and John Perry, ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' by William Shakespeare, ''Tobias and the Angel'' by James Bridie, ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot in ...

'' by

Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to: *Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt'' * Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer *Brandon Thomas (American football) ...

, ''

Schweik in the Second World War ''Schweyk in the Second World War'' (German language, German: ''Schweyk im Zweiten Weltkrieg'') is a play (theatre), play by Germany, German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht. It was written by Brecht in 1943 while in exile in California, and is a ...

'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

, ''

Someone Waiting ''Someone Waiting'' is a 1953 thriller play by the British writer Emlyn Williams. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool before transferring to the Globe Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 156 performances between 25 Nov ...

'' by

, and ''

Arms and the Man ''Arms and the Man'' is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw, whose title comes from the opening words of Virgil's ''Aeneid'', in Latin: ''Arma virumque cano'' ("Of arms and the man I sing"). The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Av ...

'' by

1964-65 season

The plays produced during the 1964-65 season were ''The Golden Legend of Shultz'' by James Bridie, ''The Heart is Highland'' by Robert Kemp, ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays ...

'' by

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian e ...

, '' The Fire Raisers'' by

Max Frisch Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity (social science), identity, individuality, Moral responsibility, responsibility, morality, and political commi ...

, ''Marching Song'' by

John Whiting John Robert Whiting (15 November 1917 – 16 June 1963) was an English scriptwriter and actor. Life and career Born in Salisbury, he was educated at Taunton School, "the particular hellish life which is the English public school" as he descr ...

, ''

Present Laughter ''Present Laughter'' is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 but not produced until 1942 because the Second World War began while it was in rehearsal, and the British theatres closed. The title is drawn from a song in Shakespeare's ''Tw ...

'' by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

, ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' by William Shakespeare, ''

The Plough and the Stars ''The Plough and the Stars'' is a four-act play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey that was first performed on 8 February 1926 at the Abbey Theatre. It is set in Dublin and addresses the 1916 Easter Rising. The play's title references the Sta ...

'' by Seán O'Casey, ''The Scythe and the Sunset'' by

Denis Johnston (William) Denis Johnston (18 June 1901 – 8 August 1984) was an Irish writer. Born in Dublin, he wrote mostly plays, but also works of literary criticism, a book-length biographical essay of Jonathan Swift, a memoir and an eccentric work on c ...

, ''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (), often shortened to ''Becket'', is a 1959 stage play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in ...

'' by Jean Anouilh, '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' by

John Dighton John Gervase DightonCollections"John Dighton"''British Film Institute''. Retrieved 30 August 2020. (8 December 1909 – 16 April 1989) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Dighton was born in London to Basil Lewis Dighton, of West Ke ...

, ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a three-act play written by American playwright Thornton Wilder in 1938. Described by Edward Albee as "the greatest American play ever written", it presents the fictional American town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 ...

'' by

, ''

Heartbreak House ''Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes'' is a play written by Bernard Shaw during the First World War, published in 1919 and first performed in November 1920 at the Garrick Theatre, New York, followed by a West ...

'' by George Bernard Shaw, '' The Circle'' by

Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

, and ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry com ...

'' by R.C. Sheriff. STV Gateway Studio Exterior Day

End of the company

Edinburgh Corporation The City of Edinburgh Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Dhùn Èideann'') is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up are ...

was acquiring the

Royal Lyceum Theatre The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

to establish a civic theatre in 1965, the Gateway, then back in use as a cinema, closed once more. It was then purchased by

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now legally known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchisee for Central Belt, Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation si ...

in 1968. It was converted into the Scottish Colour Studio.

Queen Margaret University's School of Drama and Creative Industries

In its final public incarnation, it was one of three sites that comprised the

Queen Margaret University Queen Margaret University is a public university located wholly within the county of East Lothian on the outskirts of Musselburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Scottish Queen Saint Margaret (1045–1093). The university can trace its ...

(QMU) campus and was the last part of that university within the

City of Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. City of Edinburgh may also refer to: *City of Edinburgh (council area), a unitary district established in 1996 **City of Edinburgh Council The City of Edi ...

. It was bought by the university in 1988 and converted back into a theatre for the expansion of their Drama School conservatoire and the dramatic arts courses Queen Margaret offered. Alterations, by Law and Dunbar-Nasmith, were completed in 1994 at a cost of £5m. The theatre, and its purpose-built facilities (such as voice studios, movement studios, radio and tv studios, an acting studio etc), helped consolidate QMU's reputation as one of the UK's leading Drama Schools attracting students and staff from across the world. Moreover, the theatre began to get a reputation as a top venue for national and international productions during the

;consequently, being named as Scotland's International Drama Centre in 1999. Extensive refurbishment work took place in 1998, funded with £1.5 million of

National Lottery National Lottery may refer to: *National Lottery (Ireland), the state lottery of Ireland *National Lottery (United Kingdom), the lottery franchise in the United Kingdom *South African National Lottery, established in 2000 *A number of countries con ...

money. Many leading actors and theatre practitioners were involved in supporting the Gateway and the Drama School such as Tom Fleming, Dame Judi Dench,

Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She did extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as in film and television. In 2020, she was listed at No. 29 o ...

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English actor. Known as a character actor on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Olivier Award and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for two BAFT ...

, Sir Antony Sher,

Jimmy Logan James Allan Short, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE, RSAMD, FRSAMD (4 April 1928 – 13 April 2001), known professionally as Jimmy Logan, was a Scotland, Scottish performer, theatrical producer, impresario and Theatre director, ...

Augusto Boal Augusto Boal (; 16 March 1931 – 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner, drama theorist, and political activist. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movem ...

among others. In 2004, Professor Maggie Kinloch, Director of both the Gateway Theatre and the University’s School of Drama and Creative Industries, launched Scotland’s Theatre Gateway which was an initiative with the

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council (), was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the Scottish Government as well as National Lottery funds ...

to promote Scottish talent during the

. In 2005, the University was forced to close the theatre after a safety inspection declared it unsafe, with an estimated £3 million cost to make it so. This deprived the city of both a major Fringe venue and its principal drama school. In the immediate aftermath, it left three theatre companies - Scottish Dance Theatre, Theatre Cryptic and

Vanishing Point A vanishing point is a point (geometry), point on the projection plane, image plane of a graphical perspective, perspective rendering where the two-dimensional perspective projections of parallel (geometry), parallel lines in three-dimensional ...

- without a base for that year's Fringe. Discussions were entered into as to whether to carry out the repairs to the main auditorium, or to relocate to the university's Craighall campus, which was opening in 2007. The possibility of using the

Brunton Theatre The Brunton Theatre is a mid-scale performing arts venue in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. It is part of a wider complex, incorporating council offices, and called Brunton Memorial Hall. The building is textured concrete and glass, and ...

in Musselburgh was also discussed. Part of the Drama School transferred to the university's

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

campus, while the Gateway continued to host QMU drama students in the Pend studio space until 2008. In 2006 the University obtained planning permission for demolition of the building to create residential accommodation. The building finally underwent conversion to accommodation in 2012. The site is now a student housing block, valued at £8m.

References

Bibliography

* Mackie, A.D., Kemp, Robert, Milne, Lennox, Fleming, Tom & Kelsall, Moultrie R. (1965), ''The Twelve Seasons of the Edinburgh Gateway Company'', 1953 - 1965, St. Giles Press, Edinburgh * * Elder, Michael (2003), ''What do You do During the Day?'', Eldon Productions, *

External links

Programmes of the Edinburgh Gateway Theatre

Conservation Statement, June 2006
{{Coord, 55, 57, 35, N, 3, 10, 56, W, type:landmark_region:GB-EDH, display=title Theatre in Scotland Theatre companies in Scotland Theatres in Edinburgh Former theatres in Scotland Scottish Renaissance