Student Union buildings in the Pleasance

The Pleasance is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, bar, sports and recreation complex in

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 ...

, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by 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 ...

, and for nine months of the year it serves the

Edinburgh University Students' Association Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) is the students' union at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The Association's aim is the advancement of education of Edinburgh students by representing and supporting them, and by promoting t ...

as a societies centre, sports complex, student union bar and entertainment venue. Every August, it is converted into one of the main venues for the

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 ...

. The

Pleasance Theatre Trust The Pleasance Theatre Trust (often simply called The Pleasance) is a venue operator and producer of live events, known internationally for being one of the major, so-called "Big Four", operators at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's la ...

operate the venue during this time, and in this guise the complex is sometimes referred to as Pleasance Edinburgh to distinguish it from a sister venue, also called

The Pleasance The Pleasance is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and for nine months of the year it serves the Edinburgh University Stu ...

, that the trust opened in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

in London in 1995.

Facilities

The Pleasance complex consists of a number of separate buildings, with the main block situated around a central, cobbled courtyard. The main block houses two bars, The Pleasance Bar and The Cabaret Bar, situated in adjoining rooms with a removable partition in-between. Upstairs from these, also in the main block, is the main Pleasance Theatre. Unlike other university buildings, all these spaces are open to the public year round, without the need for student identification. The Cabaret Bar and Theatre host a programme of live events throughout the year, including the Pleasance Sessions music festival and regular live music, comedy, spoken word and poetry nights. It is also home to Edinburgh Folk Club. The rest of the complex contains rooms and meeting spaces which can be booked out for society use. In a building towards the rear of the plot is the Pleasance sports centre and gym.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Every August, the whole complex is converted into a variety of performance spaces under the aegis of The

. The main theatre, capacity 320, and renamed Pleasance One for the duration of the Fringe, is one of these. The Cabaret Bar (capacity 175) is another. Other spaces range in size from the 750-seat Pleasance Grand (in the sports centre) to the 50-capacity Cellar. For the purposes of the Fringe brochure, all these spaces are collectively called Pleasance Courtyard, and listed as venue 33. As one of the “Big Four” venues, programming at the Pleasance is perceived to be of a high standard, featuring nationally-recognised acts, with a tendency towards comedy and cabaret. The courtyard becomes "the biggest beer garden in the city" for the month of August. Although 2024 marks the Pleasance Theatre Trust’s “40th Fringe programme”, the venue’s historic connection with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe goes right back to the beginning, with the venue hosting two of the eight productions which made up the inaugural

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1947 The 1947 Edinburgh Festival Fringe was the first edition of what would become the world's largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (although at the time the event was not known by that name). Background In 1947, in a gesture of re ...

. During August, the Pleasance Theatre Trust also operates out of

Potterrow The Potterrow Mandela Centre or Potterrow Student Centre is operated by Edinburgh University Students' Association in Edinburgh, Scotland. Site and architecture The name "Potterrow" recalls a medieval suburb which stood outside the town wal ...

, an entirely separate student union building closer to the University’s main Southside sites, and the

Edinburgh International Conference Centre The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) is the principal convention and conference centre in Edinburgh, Scotland. EICC have a simple mission, to create an environment that inspires ideas that change the world. Location The centre ...

. To avoid confusion, these are branded as "Pleasance Dome" and “Pleasance at EICC” during the Fringe, and have distinct venue numbers 23 and 150 respectively.

References

External links

*
Pleasance Trust website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pleasance, The Theatres in Edinburgh Edinburgh Comedy Festival Buildings and structures of the University of Edinburgh