Eden Court Theatre

Eden Court Theatre stands beside the River Ness in Inverness, a large arts venue that combines two theatres, two cinema screens and studios for dance and performance. The building incorporates the Gothic Bishop’s Palace, once the home of the Bishop of Moray, which gives the place its Gaelic name Cùirt an Easbaig. A major refurbishment finished in 2007 added the Empire Theatre with seats for 840, a smaller OneTouch Theatre for 270, and two new cinemas called La Scala and The Playhouse. The theatre opened in 1976 after years of planning and negotiation. Its first director oversaw a revolution in Highland arts, bringing modern theatre back to the region after decades without a proper stage. The new auditoriums recall earlier Inverness venues: the Empire Theatre takes its name from the Academy Street building that once hosted Harry Lauder and The Corries, while La Scala and The Playhouse revive historic cinema titles. The OneTouch Theatre carries the name of a local diabetes monitor made by LifeScan. Visitors find a spacious foyer with a restaurant and bar, plus the Jim Love Studio named after a former editor of the Inverness Courier. The main Empire Theatre hosts plays and musicals, the smaller OneTouch Theatre shows new writing, and the two cinemas screen independent and foreign films at the annual Inverness Film Festival. Outside, the riverbank walk offers views of Inverness Castle across the water.