Traverse Theatre

About Traverse Theatre

	10 Cambridge Street, Edinburgh West EH1 2ED
	01312281404
	Traverse Theatre Website
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Listed Under Attractions - Live Music Venues Attractions - Theatres

The Traverse Theatre began life in 1963 as a theatre club in an abandoned brothel in Edinburgh's Lawnmarket. The theatre is so named because its first Artistic Director, Terry Lane, mistakenly believed that the staging arrangement is called 'traverse'. He later realised that it is 'transverse' but it was already too well known to change it.

In its first year of operation, a theatre conference was organised by director Jim Haynes, John Calder and Kenneth Tynan. Within three years of existence, the tiny theatre club had produced 110 productions, including 28 British premieres and 33 world premieres.

At the end of the 1960s, the Traverse moved to a larger space in Edinburgh's Grassmarket, with flexible seating configurations. The first performance in this venue was on 24 Aug 1969. In its early days the theatre included exhibition space for the visual arts, until 1966 when it was taken away to establish what became the Richard Demarco Gallery.

In 1992, the Traverse moved to its current location at Cambridge Street. A £3.3 million purpose-built two theatre space with bar café was created as part of the Saltire Court development on Castle Terrace. The theatre's first performance at this location was on 3 July 1992.

Upcoming Events at Traverse Theatre

A Play, A Pie and A Pint

11th September 2018 - 20th October 2018

A popular feature of the Traverse programme, A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Òran Mór returns with six new plays to light up your lunchtime. Ticket includes a pie and a drink.

Arctic Oil

9th October 2018 - 20th October 2018

Written by the award-winning Clare Duffy and directed by Gareth Nicholls, Arctic Oil gets under the skin of what climate change could make us do to the people we love.

The Macbeths

16th October 2018 - 20th October 2018

This new adaptation focuses on the relationship between one of the most famous killers in literature and his wife!

Soundhouse: Talisk

22nd October 2018

The Soundhouse Organisation is delighted to present award winning folk band Talisk at Traverse Bar Café on 22nd October.

The Unreturning

24th October 2018 - 27th October 2018

A Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth production present the Scottish Premiere of The Unreturning, a compelling new play by Anna Jordan, at Traverse Theatre in October.

First Look Readings

25th October 2018 - 27th October 2018

Join us in a celebration of brand new writing, as we present three Traverse commissioned plays in front of an audience for the very first time.

Soundhouse: Cua

29th October 2018

Soundhouse is delighted to present Irish trio Cua. Catch the band in action at their first ever Scottish tour on October 29th at Traverse Bar Café!

Scratch That

30th October 2018

Come and join Imaginate for Scratch That!, an evening of new ideas for work for young audiences, presented in partnership with the Traverse.

Soundhouse: The Dine Notes + Viper Swing

5th November 2018

Soundhouse presents a great double bill of jazz from the 20s, 30s and 40s featuring Edinburgh's premier swing band Viper Swing and London's New Orleans combo The Dime Notes.

Stuff

6th November 2018 - 7th November 2018

Told with humour and tenderness 'Stuff' will resonate in its view of our attachment to things, and our need for attachment to each other.

The Last Witch

7th November 2018 - 10th November 2018

A rich, poetic tale full of ambiguity and suspense, The Last Witch reimagines the true story of the alleged Witch of Dornoch.

Soundhouse: Sheelanagig

11th November 2018

Sheelanagig for over a decade have brought their array of foot-stomping folk tunes to audiences across the globe and you can catch them on 11th November at Traverse Bar Café.

Soundhouse: Chris Wood

12th November 2018

Catch musician, composer and song writer Chris Wood, whose music reveals his love for the un-official history of the English speaking people, at the Traverse Bar Café on November 12th!

Chrysalis: Noise

15th November 2018 - 17th November 2018

Camden Youth Theatre pull us into a world inside their headphones, sharing their inner thoughts, rebellions and the playlists they use to escape from the everyday Noise.

Chrysalis: There is a Globe Stuck in My Throat

15th November 2018 - 17th November 2018

This production focuses on the inner turmoil experienced by carefree and fun-loving youth in a world that can no longer tolerate looking the other way.

Chrysalis: 147Hz Can’t Pass

16th November 2018 - 17th November 2018

147Hz Can’t Pass is a celebration of queer experience, an honest, unapologetic and relatable introduction to a trans non-binary experience in 2018.

Chrysalis: Shaking the Habitual

16th November 2018 - 17th November 2018

This ambitious, brand-new devised performance from Platform Young Company, uses movement, text and sound to interrogate and interpret our current political and social climate.

Chrysalis: Emergence

17th November 2018

Emergence is an opportunity to experience three exciting new performances by emerging theatre makers from across Scotland in the first stages of development.

Soundhouse: Alison Rayner Quintet

19th November 2018

Catch the vital and creative Alison Rayner Quintet when they play Traverse Theatre Bar Café on Monday 19th November!

Class Act

21st November 2018 - 22nd November 2018

See exciting new work from the Traverse’s next generation of playwrights – the Class Act 2018 graduates!

Schooled

23rd November 2018 - 24th November 2018

A daring verbatim work in progress using individual experiences of pupils and teachers, past and present, to shine a spotlight on Scotland’s education system.

Spinback

25th November 2018

Groove to the golden sounds of the 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond at Spinback, a fun new shakedown at the Traverse Bar.

Soundhouse: Cam Penner and Jon Wood

26th November 2018

Enjoy an evening with Cam Penner and Jon Wood, renowned for both their powerful live shows, at the Traverse Bar Café on 26th November!

Black Beauty

29th November 2018 - 30th November 2018

From the cosy horsebox they call home, the McCuddy Brothers take the bit firmly between their teeth and tell the classic tale of Black Beauty as you’ve never seen it before.

Soundhouse: Martin Kershaw Octet – In Memory of David Foster Wallace

3rd December 2018

Special concert as saxophonist & composer Martin Kershaw marks the 10th anniversary of US author David Foster Wallace's passing with a major new work featuring a stellar line-up of Scottish musicians.

McGonagall’s Chronicles

5th December 2018 - 12th December 2018

It's back by popular demand! McGonagall’s Chronicles, performed by Gary McNair, returns to Traverse Theatre in December.

Mouthpiece

5th December 2018 - 22nd December 2018

Traverse Theatre Company in association with HighTide present Mouthpiece, a frank and unflinching look at the different Edinburghs which often exist in ignorance of one another.

Soundhouse: Dean Owens and The Felsons

10th December 2018

For one night only, especially for Soundhouse, acclaimed singer songwriter Dean Owens is reuniting with his old Felsons (and Smile) bandmates – Kevin McGuire, Calais Brown and Dave Stewart.

The Gospel According to Jesus Queen of Heaven

13th December 2018 - 22nd December 2018

Almost ten years on from her controversial premiere, Jo Clifford and company bring their legendary production of 'The Gospel According to Jesus Queen of Heaven' to the Traverse for the first time.