The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a theatre in 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 architect C. J. Phipps at a cost of £17,000 on behalf of James B. Howard and Fred. W. P. Wyndham, two theatrical managers and performers whose partnership became the renowned Howard & Wyndham Ltd created in 1895 by Michael Simons of Glasgow. The Theatre Royal: Entertaining a Nation by Graeme Smith, published 2008
With only four minor refurbishments, in 1929, 1977, 1991 and 1996, the Royal Lyceum remains one of the most original and unaltered of the architect's works."Building history", Royal Lyceum website
Opening night was 10 September 1883 with a performance of Much Ado About Nothing by the company of the London Lyceum Theatre, and starring Henry Irving and Ellen Terry.
In 1965, the building was purchased by the Edinburgh Corporation from Meyer Oppenheim to house the newly formed Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, who are now the permanent residents, leasing it from the City of Edinburgh Council."Company history", Royal Lyceum website
The Royal Lyceum has been one of the principal venues for the Edinburgh International Festival since the festival's inception in 1947, its owners renting out the building for three weeks every August for visiting companies, and often for a further week to Fringe companies.
The Royal Lyceum has primarily been known for its provision of drama. It has also presented some significant opera, from the first tours of Carl Rosa in the latter part of the 19th century, through to the early decades of Scottish Opera in the 1960s and 1970s. Some important operas received their first Scottish performance at the Lyceum, including Madam Butterfly, Manon and Die Meistersinger.Fraser, Iain and Fraser, Stephen (2013) 'Royal Lyceum Theatre' OperaScotland
The theatre was the first in Britain to be fitted with an iron safety curtain, and the first in Scotland to use electricity for house lighting.
David Greig took over from Mark Thomson as artistic director in 2016. James Brining became artistic director in 2025.
Notable productions A lavish production of The Lady of the Lake, Edmund John Eyre's dramatic adaptation of Walter Scott's narrative poem of 1810, was produced at the theatre in 1887, with spectacular scenery depicting scenes in the Trossachs, with James Howard playing Roderick Dhu and Fred Wyndham in the role of Marmaduke.Maloney, Paul, "Stages, Performers, Audiences in the Late Nineteenth Century, in Stevenson, Randall, & Walker Greg (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Scottish Theatre, Oxford University Press, pp. 268 - 271,
Rob Roy MacGregor; or, Auld Lang Syne, Isaac Pocock's adaptation of Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1817), was staged at the theatre during the visit of King Olaf of Norway to Scotland in 1962.Lumsden, Alison, "Rob Roy", in Stevenson, Randall, & Walker, Greg (eds.) (2025), The Oxford Handbook of Scottish Theatre, Oxford University Press, p. 223,
Ghosts
The theatre is believed to be haunted, and there have been sightings of a blue lady who is believed to be Ellen Terry, the actress who performed at the Lyceum's first show. In addition, a shadowy figure has been reportedly seen high above the stage in the lighting rig. Many sightings have been reported to have been accompanied by a ringing noise.
See also List of Category A listed buildings in the Old Town, Edinburgh List of theatres in Scotland Adjoining buildings Traverse Theatre Usher Hall
References
External links
Official website