The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a City of Edinburgh Council owned venue built in 1883. It is home to the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company which produces large-scale main stage drama. The Company’s principal activity is the production and presentation of a broad range of theatre in the producing a subscription season of 7 plays from September to May each year and a children’s show at Christmas. It receives core funding from the Scottish Arts Council and is a Revenue Funded Client of the City of Edinburgh Council.

The theatre plays host annually to the Children’s Festival in May and the Edinburgh International Festival in August, and hosts a number of visiting companies throughout the year.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company is a large scale theatre company based in Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre. The company aims to present world class theatre that is accessible for the people of Edinburgh and the Lothians, and to contribute to the wider UK and International theatre community. 7 shows are produced throughout the year (including a Christmas show). The season runs from September through to May. They play host annually to the Children’s Festival in May and the Edinburgh International Festival in August, and host a number of visiting companies throughout the year.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre Company was founded in 1965. It is a producer of large-scale main stage drama. The Company’s principal activity is the production and presentation of a broad range of theatre in the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh (a City Council owned venue built in 1883), producing a subscription season of 7 plays from September to May each year and a children’s show at Christmas. It receives core funding from the Scottish Arts Council and is a Revenue Funded Client of the City of Edinburgh Council. The company plays to approximately 100,000 people per annum. Mark Thomson became Artistic Director/Chief Executive in April 2003.

Annual programme:

Madman Sings to the Moon by Mark Thomson: Sept-October

Othello by William Shakespeare: October-November

Sleeping Beauty by Stuart Paterson November-January

Look Back in Anger by John Osborne January-February

Girl with the Red Hair by Sharman Macdonald February-March

Anna Karenina by John Clfford March-April

Laurel & Hardy by Tom McGrath April-May

Plus extremely limited Visiting Co’s slots in May/June

International Children’s Festival – May – Shell Connections Youth Theatre Festival –June

Edinburgh International Festival - August

BUSINESS PLAN - KEY OBJECTIVES

- To establish the Royal Lyceum theatre Company as a producing company with an international reputation.

- To broaden and enrich the repertoire of work produced towards a programme that is exciting, surprising and relevant to a contemporary Edinburgh and Scotland and its peoples, and beyond.

- To increase the life and profile of its productions by co-production, touring and West End transfers.

- To seek to broaden its audience base geographically, demographically and in terms of age.

- To influence and play a full role in the development of the National Theatre of Scotland and the Scottish theatre community in line with the commitment of the Executive.

Implicit within the five key objectives of the draft Business is the aim to build the brand and profile of the company’s work to extend the lifespan of productions, build audiences and increase the demand for work and to generate necessary income. Subsequently there is a need to articulate a clear strategy to develop policies for exploitation.

The strategy is :

- to identify suitable partners to collaborate and co-produce

- to raise Royal Lyceum Theatre Company profile and “showcase” opportunity by increased press and marketing

- to cultivate partnerships with receiving theatre managements via TMA and improved networking

- to produce a programme that is exciting, surprising and relevant to the audience

- to work with like-minded co-producers

- to increase activity with the British Council to develop international collaborations and partnerships.

The theatre would welcome approaches from overseas artists, but in terms of visiting companies there is an extremely limited availability outwith the producing season.