Traverse 1 Auditorium Restoration Capital Project

A theatre that can welcome everyone

For more than 30 years, Traverse 1 has been at the heart of what we do: a space where extraordinary new work has been made, artists have taken risks and hundreds of thousands of people have experienced some of the most exciting theatre from Scotland and around the world.

But after decades of constant use, the auditorium and its seating bank need significant investment.

Our Trav 1 Capital Project will modernise the space, improving comfort and accessibility for audiences, increasing its flexibility and sustainability, and ensuring Trav 1 can continue to serve artists and audiences for decades to come.

At its heart, the project is about protecting what makes Trav 1 such a distinctive and intimate theatre while ensuring the space works better for everyone who uses it.

Why Trav 1 needs to change

Trav 1 is our largest performance space and a vital part of the Traverse. Its flexible seating bank allows us to transform the auditorium for different productions, giving artists the freedom to reimagine the space and the relationship between performer and audience.

The existing seating bank, however, has been in place for more than 30 years. As it has aged, it has become increasingly challenging and costly to maintain, while the auditorium no longer provides the standards of comfort and accessibility we want for our audiences.

Modernising Trav 1 will allow us to:

• Improve audience comfort, creating a better experience for everyone who comes through our doors.
• Improve accessibility, enabling more people to experience work in Trav 1 comfortably and confidently.
• Protect the flexibility of the space, ensuring artists can continue to experiment with how Trav 1 is configured and used.
• Improve sustainability, replacing ageing infrastructure with a solution designed for the future.
• Strengthen the Traverse for the long term, ensuring this vital performance space can continue to support new work and new generations of theatre-makers.

Building the foundations

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the first phase of the Capital Project has allowed us to undertake the essential foundational work needed to turn our ambition for Trav 1 into a deliverable project.

This has included commissioning specialist design and technical work, developing detailed plans for the new seating bank, undertaking surveys and feasibility work, working through accessibility and sustainability requirements, establishing project costs and the practical requirements for installation.

This work may happen largely behind the scenes, but it is fundamental. It has allowed us to understand what Trav 1 needs, explore how those improvements can be delivered within the unique architecture and demands of the theatre, and build a robust plan for its future.

We are enormously grateful to everyone whose support has enabled us to reach this stage.

Looking towards delivery

With this essential groundwork in place, our focus is now turning towards the delivery of the project itself.

The next phase will move us from planning and development towards the physical transformation of Trav 1, bringing together the final design and delivery of the new seating bank with the wider auditorium works, installation and testing needed to bring our plans to life.

It is an exciting moment for the project. What began as an ambition to create a more comfortable, accessible and sustainable Trav 1 is moving closer to becoming a reality.

As we progress towards delivery, we will continue to share updates on the project, the work taking place and what audiences and artists can expect from the future Trav 1.

Thank you to our supporters

None of the progress we have made so far would have been possible without the extraordinary generosity of the people and organisations who believe in the Traverse and its future.

To every individual who has supported the project, alongside the trusts, foundations, partners and funders who have helped us reach this point: thank you.

Your support has enabled us to undertake the vital work needed to develop the project properly and responsibly, and has brought us significantly closer to securing the future of Trav 1.

This is an investment not only in a building, but in what that building makes possible: artists taking risks, new stories reaching the stage, audiences encountering something unexpected, and generations of theatre-makers continuing to make and share work at the Traverse.

Together, we are building the next chapter of Trav 1. 

For more information about supporting the Traverse’s capital works, to make a pledge or gift, please get in touch (development@traverse.co.uk) to discuss how to best make a contribution.