Brian Cox to spearhead £25m campaign to secure future of King's Theatre

Hollywood star Brian Cox is to spearhead a £25 million campaign to sure the future of one of Edinburgh's flagship cultural venues.

Brian Cox will be leading efforts to secure the future of the King's Theatre in Edinburgh.

The Dundee-born actor has been unveiled as the honorary patron of the King’s Theatre’s £25 million drive.

The 71-year-old, who played King Lear in a 1991 production at the venue,

Cox launched his acting career with Dundee Rep in 1961 before training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

He then returned to Scotland to become a founder member of the Royal Lyceum Theatre’s company. He was unveiled as the venue’s honorary patron five years ago.

The charitable trust which runs the King’s on behalf of the city council reveled plans for the biggest overhaul in the venue’s history in March.

The city council and the Heritage Lottery Fund would contribute £5 million each under a rescue plan which see a similar amount generated via contributions from theatregoers.

Cox is expected to spearhead a public appeal aimed at raising a further £10 million.

The King’s Theatre, which dates back to 1906, would close for 18 months to allow the biggest overhaul in its history to be carried out from 2021.

Radical improvements to its stage, auditorium, backstage areas, bars and cafes areas would be carried out under a blueprint aimed at preventing it from sudden closure.

Cox said: “The King’s Theatre is a gem which deserves to be preserved.

“If we don’t invest in our theatres, we stand to lose a vital part of Scotland’s cultural heritage and a theatre for everyone for generations to come.”