Scotland’s theatre sector has been given a symbolic boost with the news that Edinburgh’s Leith Theatre has been removed from Theatres Trust’s 2026 Theatres at Risk Register, after almost a decade on the endangered list. However, the national advisory body warns that three other Scottish venues remain at risk, and one has now deteriorated so badly that demolition is proposed.
Leith Theatre: from endangered to funded revival
Leith Theatre is one of only two UK venues to be taken off this year’s register, which charts theatre buildings under threat of closure, redevelopment or severe decay. The 1930s building had long been seen as a sleeping giant of Edinburgh’s cultural scene, with its listing highlighting both the scale of the restoration challenge and its potential value to the wider community.
The turning point came last year, when Leith Theatre Trust secured £4.5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards a major capital project to bring the venue back into full use. With design teams now appointed and a phased restoration programme in place, the Theatres Trust no longer considers the building “at risk”, although significant work is still required to deliver a sustainable future.
Joshua McTaggart, chief executive of Theatres Trust, said the theatre’s removal shows how the register can be a catalyst for change. “We are delighted to say that Abbeydale Picture House and Leith Theatre are no longer considered at risk,” he said, noting that being listed helped “raise awareness to build local support and help unlock funding for these special theatres.” “Removing them from the Register is not the end of the journey and there is still work to be done to ensure their long-term resilience.”
While Leith’s progress is being celebrated, Theatres Trust confirms that three Scottish venues remain on the 2026 Theatres at Risk Register: Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre, Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh and Dundee’s King’s Theatre. Each building combines local cultural significance with pressing questions over long‑term investment, governance and viable future use.
These theatres sit within a wider UK list of 39 at‑risk venues, many of them local authority‑owned, mid‑scale buildings outside major city centres. McTaggart warned that theatres built in the 1970s, including several in Scotland, are now “facing a higher likelihood of challenges that could lead to long term or even permanent closure”, as ageing infrastructure, concrete issues and rising costs all converge. “Sadly, these buildings are just the tip of the iceberg,” he added, urging owners and councils to seek advice “before concerns become crises.”
One Scottish theatre lost to demolition plans
The picture is darker for King’s Theatre in Kirkcaldy, which has been taken off the register not because it has been saved, but because the building’s condition has deteriorated to the point where demolition is now proposed. The BBC reports that “time has run out” for the venue, making it one of four theatres across the UK removed from the list this year due to plans to knock them down rather than repair them.
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For campaigners, the loss of Kirkcaldy’s King’s sits in stark contrast to the revival of Leith Theatre, highlighting the fine margins between successful rescue and irreversible decline. It also reinforces the Trust’s message that early intervention, clear vision and sustained funding are essential if more Scottish theatres are to avoid slipping past the point of no return.
First launched in 2006, the Theatres at Risk Register was created to shine a spotlight on theatre buildings under greatest threat and galvanise support for securing their future. Over the past two decades, more than 80 theatres UK‑wide have been restored, revived or replaced, with Scotland featuring among the campaign’s notable success stories and ongoing challenges.
As the register reaches its 20th year, Theatres Trust is positioning venues like Leith Theatre as proof that Scotland’s historic and community theatres can move from “at risk” to actively renewed – provided government, funders and local partners stay the course. For Motherwell, Musselburgh and Dundee, the hope is that this year’s list becomes a starting point for the same kind of transformative journey, rather than an endpoint.
