Venue

The Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre is a unique venue in the centre of Peebles, close to the town’s High Street, with a large car park nearby.  Originally built as a church, the building underwent a radical redesign – creating a two-level interior, and adding a glass fronted café along one side – before the doors were opened in spring 2004.  The Eastgate was nominated as a finalist for the BBC design awards shortly afterwards.

At ground floor level there is a welcoming foyer with café bar area and box office.  During the summer months the café can be extended onto an external paved area for al fresco refreshments, weather permitting.

The studio is also at ground floor level, offering an adaptable space which is used regularly for classes, workshops and rehearsals, and often displays exhibitions by artists from the Scottish Borders and further afield.  There are adjacent dressing rooms and green room facilities.

The auditorium on the first floor is the Eastgate’s main performance venue, which can be set up theatre style with around 230 seats, or with the raked seating retracted to provide either a cabaret style setting with tables and chairs or a clear space for dancing.  Full details are listed below.