The Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre is a category B listed

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

and

lecture A lecture (from ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history, background, theo ...

theatre located in the historic

George Square George Square () is the principal Town square, civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, Glasgow, Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, Glasgow, St Andrew's ...

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 ...

. Primarily operated as a lecture theatre for the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, it is also used for general theatre performances, as well as being a designated

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 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 ...

venue. In 2018 the University changed the name of the theatre - previously known as George Square Theatre - in memory of Gordon Aikman, a graduate of the University's Business School who raised more than £500,000 for research funding into

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

. Construction of the

Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

style theatre was completed in 1970, and opened to the general public the same year. Its seating capacity of 481 makes it the University's largest lecture facility, and an asset to the busy

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 ...

. Since 2011, and while a venue for the Fringe, the theatre was under the branding of Assembly Group, an events promotion company responsible for the operation of Edinburgh's main Fringe venues, which had moved from their original base at George Street in the city. Subsequently, during the Festival the theatre was branded Assembly George Square Theatre. The theatre's location has allowed its use and popularity to increase, being situated near the

Quartermile Quartermile is the marketing name given to the Mixed-use development, mixed use redevelopment of the former Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site, in Lauriston, Edinburgh. It was master-planned by architect Foster + Partners and takes its name fro ...

district development in the grounds of the old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, along with the building and development of new University of Edinburgh facilities. The theatre can also be seen and accessed from The Meadows, a large park popular with tourists and students. Due to the building's striking stand-alone appearance, it has been a popular location for filming and productions, with the facade often changed to suit different purposes.

References

{{Scottish Theatres Buildings and structures of the University of Edinburgh Theatres in Edinburgh Category B listed buildings in Edinburgh Theatres completed in 1970 1970 establishments in Scotland