Brian Cox, speaking at the launch of the King's Theatre redevelopment plan
"I first came to the King's in 1956, my auntie brought me to the Panto. I remember when I first came here, and theatres could be quite forbidding, but the great thing about this place, was the sort of the warmth of the place, it was welcoming. As a ten year old boy, I felt relaxed here.
"Then many, many years later, in the 1990s, I came back in 1991 having not acted on the stage in Edinburgh since 1969, and I was overwhelmed by the sheer acoustic ability of this place - I played King Lear. I think probably acoustically, it is the best theatre in Edinburgh - you can plant a whisper at the back of the auditorium, it is quite astonishing in that way.
"I think a lot of it has to do with the rococo plaster [interior decorations], it helps carry the sound all the way. In the two weeks that I was here, I was able to practice my craft to the best of my ability, because of the space.
"The problem is backstage, and the front of house. The backstage facilities are, quite frankly, sh*tty. They are not quite good enough, and they have not been good enough for a long time.
"Its potential needs to be realised, because it was everyone's theatre. When it opened, in 1906, it opened with a pantomime, Cinderella.
"It is a receiving house, it brings its productions in. And it used to receive at a high level, but that level, because of these conditions, has dropped. You cannot get the companies to come. My own feeling is that this is the perfect spot for Harry Potter [And the Cursed Child] play, this is the place to do it in. I think it is perfect.
"The dressing rooms are impossible. But the actual physical facilities, and the technical scope, is potentially magnificent.
"The conditions for the stage staff, the designers, isn't good enough and it needs to be brought up to par: and that means a massive redevelopment.
"And from the perspective of Tollcross, the King's should be the centrepiece, this will re-think the whole of Tollcross in a number of ways, and the King's will regain its position as a centre of excellence."
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